Story by Kimberly Hsueh
Staff Writer
Photo courtesy of Gabriel Tom
Contributor
The South Pasadena Virtual Business teams — ARCH and GLO — traveled to Bakersfield for the 22nd Annual Trade Show on Wednesday Jan. 15 and Thursday, Jan. 16. Although the business plan teams did not qualify for nationals, ARCH received two presentation gold awards and a sales presentation silver award, while GLO received multiple bronze awards.
ARCH is a commercial real estate company that provides its tiny homes to Los Angeles County residents, supporting Californians who are struggling in the current housing economy. GLO is a phototherapy-focused company and targets students facing depression with their light therapy treatment, which can treat a multitude of mental disorders in a variety of settings.
In the first day of competition, an individual for the Elevator Pitch and the teams, consisting of two employees from the six departments—including Human Resources, Sales, Finance, Marketing, Operations, and Technology—displayed their presentations in their respective categories.
Forty-two teams set up their own booths at a trade show for the second day of competition, advertising their products with student-produced designs and immersive activities.
The results were then announced after the show, presenting the gold awards to two ARCH teams and three individuals, silver awards to the ARCH sales team, and lastly bronze awards to three GLO teams and one individual.
“Overall, Bakersfield was a positive experience.” junior Matteo Lee said. “We all worked hard on our competitions, and that work paid off in some places. Even though we were disappointed and surprised by the business plan results, we all took it in stride and did our best at the trade fair. I’m proud of the company.”
