Bridgman DECA student has top International Business Growth Plan | News

BRIDGMAN — A Bridgman High School DECA member earned the organization’s highest honor at DECA’s April 26-29 International Career Development Conference in Orlando, Florida.

Zoey Heyn competed in the Business Growth Plan event based on her business, Zo’s Mini Donuts. She was one of 15 finalists and emerged as the first-place finisher. This is Bridgman DECA’s first overall winner at International competition

The Business Growth Plan event involves strategy development needed to grow an existing business owned by a current DECA member. Participants write a 20 page paper and present it to a judge. There were 180 entries in the event.

A total of 13 Bridgman High School students competed at the DECA International Career Development Conference in Orlando

The Michigan Merit Award Program (MAP) requires students to write a 60-plus page paper and present it to two judges. There were 33 students competing in this event with four winners for “Outstanding Project.” Owen Heath and Andrew Mabry of Bridgman each received the Outstanding Project Award.

Zo’s Mini Donuts expanded to a pair of sites during the summer of 2024.

Zoey Heyn and her sister, Lydia, first opened the Sawyer stand at 12816 Red Arrow Highway, Sawyer, in early July 2023.

Making its debut ahead of the Fourth of July in 2024 was the Zo’s Mini Donuts truck at St. John United Church of Christ in New Buffalo (200 West Buffalo St.).

Varieties available last summer (all made fresh) include glazed, cinnamon-sugar, powdered sugar and donut holes.

For the summer 2025 season, Zo’s Mini Donuts plans to operate three locations (Sawyer (June 16-Aug. 10 from 8 to 11 a.m. daily); New Buffalo (June 20-Aug. 10 from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. daily); and a new St. Joseph location at 508 Pleasant St. from June 13-Aug. 10 from 8 to 11 a.m. daily).

All three sites are slated to offer sunset specials – 7 to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday in Sawyer;

and Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 7 to 10 p.m. in New Buffalo and St. Joseph.

For more, go to https://zos-mini-donuts.square.site/

About DECA Inc.

DECA is a career and technical student organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs with a career interest in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management. DECA enhances the preparation for college and careers by providing co-curricular programs that integrate into classroom instruction, apply learning, connect to business and promote competition. DECA student members leverage their DECA experience to become academically prepared, community oriented, professionally responsible, experienced leaders. DECA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with over 298,000 members in more than 4,450 high school and college chapters in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and Germany.

For more information about DECA, visit www.deca.org.