GREENVILLE — The students in the Greenville Career Technical Center’s Supply Chain Management program have another reason to pat themselves on the backs. Two of their own have been elected as state officers in Business Professionals of America.
Last year was the first time for a Greenville student to be elected to a state-level officer position, when Logan Emrick became the organization’s secretary. She brought that experience back to her own classroom and inspired her classmates to try for it themselves.
Addie Hart and Haylee Hanes have been elected to state positions this year, meaning two of the six state offices are held by Greenville students — an astounding feat.
The new and outgoing officers were honored with a small reception Monday afternoon.
Hart said when Emrick used to come back from events and meetings last year, she was inspired to work hard and try to achieve a position herself. Hart was elected to serve as parliamentarian for 2015-16.
Hanes will serve as secretary, so she has an on-site mentor in former secretary Emrick.
“I’m looking forward to gaining experience and working with the team, especially Addie,” Hanes said, noting how unusual it is for two officers at the state level to be from the same school.
Hart said, “I’m looking forward to making a difference, helping build my team and creating bonds.”
The bonds created among the BPA officers are quite strong, according to Emrick, who became a little teary-eyed when asked to recall her experiences of the past year.
“I had an amazing year,” Emrick said. “I’m going to miss all the team. We develop bonds. They became like my best friends.”
The state officers attend a monthly meeting in Columbus, which is an overnight event. They plan the major events of the year for the organization, including the Fall Leadership Conference, the State Leadership Conference in March and the national conference, which last year was held in Anaheim, California, and this year will be held in Boston, Massachusetts.
Almost 90 young business students were screened for state officer positions this year. Those were narrowed down to 12 candidates, plus one previous officer chose to run for re-election, making 13 candidates. Of those, the voting delegates from all 19 regions elect their state officers for the year.
Rep. Jim Buchy was on hand to honor the officers on Monday, pointing out that Greenville having one-third of the state officers was a “tribute to the character and quality” of the people and educational system here.
“It really boils down to hard work,” Buchy said. “The harder you work, the luckier you are and the more successful you become.”
Greenville Superintendent Doug Fries praised instructor Dara Buchy for focusing on public speaking and service in her Supply Chain Management classes, as two of the key elements to a successful career.
