This past week, the Utah Division of Purchasing and General Services celebrated a monumental achievement. Our high school DECA interns took home first prize at the 2026 DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Atlanta, Georgia!
The 2026 ICDC Experience
Held from April 25–28, 2026, the conference was a historic gathering of over 26,000 high school students, advisors, and business professionals. As the pinnacle event of the DECA year, it celebrated record-breaking membership by offering emerging leaders the opportunity to participate in high-level competitive events in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management.
The Winning Project: The Business Services Operations Research Category
A standout highlight of the competitive events program was the Business Services Operations Research category. To win this event, our interns designed and presented a comprehensive research study and strategic plan to tackle real-world operational challenges.
Over the last eight months, three DECA interns from Herriman High School worked closely with the Utah Division of Purchasing & General Services. Their work focused on reviewing the current resource stewardship efforts of the Utah Department of Corrections and exploring renewable energy implementations.
The result? The award-winning AIR Initiative.
Key Highlights of the AIR Initiative
The interns’ $3.68 million proposal outlines a forward-thinking plan for the Utah State Correctional Facility, which includes:
- 3.5-Megawatt Solar Microgrid: Transitioning the site’s energy infrastructure to rooftop solar paired with repurposed electric vehicle (EV) batteries for energy storage.
- Significant Cost Savings: Reducing the Prison’s annual energy costs by 40%, with an estimated payback period of 7 to 13 years.
- Community and Environmental Health: Addressing Utah’s severe winter inversion and air quality concerns ahead of the 2034 Winter Olympics.
- Workforce & Social Impact: Increasing staff electric vehicle (EV) charging access, reducing commuting emissions, and proposing the use of trained incarcerated individuals for project maintenance.
A Collaborative Effort
This impressive achievement wouldn’t have been possible without the cross-agency collaboration the students engaged in during their internship. The interns worked closely with several vital state entities, including:
- The Coordinator of Resource Stewardship
- The Utah Department of Corrections
- The Division of Fleet Operations
- The Division of Facilities Construction and Management (DFCM)
DECA is dedicated to developing the next generation of business and civic leaders, and these interns have certainly shown what it means to be creative, hardworking leaders.
Congratulations to our interns on this outstanding national recognition!