Student Operated Enterprise

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For over 50 years, the international DECA educational program has provided practical, hands-on business knowledge and experience. Union City's Apache Design company is an acknowledge model of student-operated enterprise. Union City alumni with DECA experience have moved into highly successful business careers, local, regional and national. 

Apache designs, manufacturers and markets custom apparel, primarily T-shirts for companies, events and sports teams. Additional products include banners, poster, cups, tumblers, coasters, hats and license plates., Customers are organizations or businesses making "bulk sale" purchases.  Hands-on business experience includes:

• Marketing including social media  that builds the Apache brand
• Client interaction including sales and customer service
• Creating and securing approval for product design
• Planning and executing production schedule
• Executing quality control procedures
• Invoicing, collection and financial recording and reporting
• Communication and teamwork through entire process

     The existing Apache production capability will be doubled, allowing new technology to be included in the student experience and new products to be added to Apache's catalog. 

     Vision Corner's downtown location will include an Apache retail shop, opening an entirely new set of educational experiences. The shop will be a visitor destination where products will be displayed and purchases made one-by-one.  Categories of customer interest by branding will include:

• Union City Schools
• Union City, Indiana, the community
• Union City as "Hub of Two States"
• Union City Historical/Cultural, especially railroad. 

Student experiences will include a whole new set of career-related skills:

• Sales forecasting by individual product
• Production "for inventory"
• Inventory planning and control
• Retail display and display stocking
• Customer interaction including one-to-one communication
• Cash/credit card collection and control
• Expanded record keeping and financial reporting
• Higher level teamwork and communication

The DECA experience will not be complete career training for most roles in the marketplace, but our DECA students take their next educational step or start the first workplace role with an awareness of important fundamentals, including the importance of teamwork and communication. In effect, they "come down running," in their careers' next step. 

Entrepreneurship is a Vision Corner focus and an alternative application of DECA experience. Again, the DECA student brings knowledge and savvy that is highly relevant to successful start-up and execution of a new business. 

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