Knox’s Future Business Leaders advance to Nationals

The future looks bright for Knox Central’s Future Business Leaders as they advance to national competition.

Six of Knox’s seventeen competitors at the Kentucky Future Business Leaders of America state competition and conference earned honors and three now advance to represent their school and state at the national conference to be held in Anaheim, California this June.

Placing first at the state conference and advancing to nationals were Austin Doolin and Chris Gibson.   Doolin placed first in Computer Problem Solving, an event that tests the competitors’ knowledge of personal computer components, laptop and portable devices, operating systems, printers and scanners, networks, security, and safety and environmental issues.  Gibson placed first in Spreadsheet Applications, a test that requires competitors to create spreadsheets with an emphasis on basic mathematical concepts, data organization concepts, utilize data by creating formulas, using functions, generating graphs for analysis purposes, use pivot tables, create macros, filter and extract data.

Austin Hodge, a senior, competed and won third place for the title of Mr. Future Business Leader.  Hodge‘s competition consisted of three components: a letter of application and resume, an objective test assessing his knowledge of general business knowledge, and an interview.

Winning fourth place honors were Zachary Mitchell, David Garrison, and Lee FrazierMitchell competed in the area of help desk, that required him to demonstrate the ability to provide technical assistance to the end-users of computer hardware and software.   Garrison‘s competition, Word Processing II, required him to compose a variety of business correspondence including letters, memorandums, tables, reports, statistical reports, and materials from rough draft and unarranged copy. Frazier competed in the Technology Concepts event, testing is knowledge of basic technology concepts, Internet safety, computer applications and integration; networking concepts, telecommunications, operating systems and browsers; and computer equipment.  Frazier will advance to the national competition.

The state competition and conference were held at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville April 8-10, 2013.  Their advisers are Virgena Rhodes and Frank Shelton.

FBLA-PBL is the largest business career student organization in the world. Through state-based competition at the spring State Leadership Conferences, students compete in events testing their business knowledge and skills. Top state winners then are eligible to compete for honors at the National Leadership Conference each summer.  Students interested in joining the Knox Central chapter of Future Business Leaders of America for fall 2013 should see their business teacher for membership information.