Indian River senior takes national title

With an eye for detail and always open to suggestions, David Clark improved his Business Professional Association project at each competition stage this year and captured the top national prize.

The Indian River High School senior has been a member of BPA since his freshman year. He has placed first and second in past state competitions, but this year's first place for his marketing project put him on a track for success.

“Through it all, I've learned how to not give up and keep working at it,” he said.

David began working on his marketing project in September, shortly after the school year began. Officially known as Presentation Management, the event required David to create a marketing firm that presents the merits of shopping locally to a city chamber of commerce.

Ultimately, the presenter sought a job with the chamber to promote shopping locally.

David said he went to several local businesses for his research. He asked them how the local economy is affected when people shop at local stores. He used charts and graphs to add punch to his presentation, and he presented his project a few times in preparation for the state competition. Each time, he said, he took constructive criticism and used it to improve his presentation.

He said he welcomed the state judges' critique after he won first place for Presentation Management in Delaware. Based on their recommendation, he put together a cost analysis for his project – a piece that may have helped him win the national award.

At the national competition in Orlando, Fla., David competed against 12 finalists to capture first place. One of the finalists was his Indian River High School schoolmate Alexa Fitz.

David heads to University of Delaware in the fall to study economics and international business. As a world scholar, he will spend his first semester in Rome, Italy.

“I'm very excited about studying in Italy,” he said.

David said his experience with BPA helped him realize how much he enjoys marketing. So much, he said, he envisions running his own marketing firm someday.

“I love pitching ideas,” he said.