Students Share Details On State-Winning Project

McKenzie High School seniors Gracie Aird and Brody Berryhill made their mark at the 2026 Tennessee DECA State Career Development Conference (SCDC), winning first place in the International Business Plan competition.

Aird, Berryhill and five other McKenzie DECA students are now preparing for a trip to Atlanta, where they will compete in the DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC) April 25-28.

Aird and Berryhill started working on their two-part project in October — five months before the state conference.

Together, they built a business plan revolving around one central question: What if 7 Brew opened drive-thru coffee shops in Canada?

Aird noted the coffee chain’s success in the United States. She and Berryhill thought it would make sense for the chain to carry its success over into Canada.

The two began researching Canada’s merchandise laws and consumer laws to determine the feasibility of expanding the coffee chain. They also had to consider Canada’s need for more coffee shops and determine if the drive-thru model is as successful across the border as it is in the States.

“The research was really heavy,” Aird said.

Aird, a barista at The Happy Book Stack in McKenzie, also had a special advantage in recognizing market trends. Using her experience-based perspective, she and Berryhill decided to remove certain 7 Brew drinks — blonde-roast coffees and some sugary drinks, for example — from the Canadian menu. They also included a maple bacon drink on the menu, wanting to add something that was uniquely Canadian.

Aird and Berryhill then wrote a 22-page business plan based on their research findings. They also prepared a 10-15 minute presentation for competition day, giving an overview of their business plan and explaining its implementation.

This year’s SCDC fell between two pivotal girls’ basketball games, which presented an unexpected challenge for the duo as Aird was expected to play in both games.

“It’s a funny story,” said Aird. “I woke up at 6 a.m. on competition day, left for Chattanooga, and got there an hour before our competition. Then I left Chattanooga right after dinner.”

Despite the unexpected obstacle, the two made a fantastic impression on judges. They won the competition, earning a 100-percent on their essay and a 98-percent on their presentation.

Though Aird was unable to attend the awards ceremony, she and Berryhill took a photo together before she left, holding space for their eventual glass trophy.

“We called it the power of manifestation,” said Aird.

Aird and Berryhill have since recreated the photo, holding up their actual first-place glass trophies.

Now, the pair are preparing for the international conference, where the stakes are much higher. They will compete against groups from across the United States, Canada, China, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and several small European countries.

At competition time, multiple student groups will be placed in one room to present their projects to individual judges.

“Everyone’s talking at the same time,” said Berryhill. “You really have to tune in and focus on what you’re doing.”

Aird and Berryhill will travel alongside McKenzie DECA sponsor and marketing teacher Brittany Colotta Beard, Spanish teacher Erika Cole and students MaKayla Dabbs, Kinsley Wilson, Sophie Cole, Tobey Brooks and Carlton Townes.

Dabbs and Wilson placed second in the state in the Integrated Marketing Campaign Project competition. Cole, alongside Avery Brown and Cole Brown, placed third in the state in the Finance Operations Research competition. Brooks and Townes are participating in the ASPIRE Academy leadership program. Townes just wrapped up a year as Tennessee DECA’s Vice President of Marketing.

The group is asking for sponsors leading up to their ICDC departure. So far, they have raised over $3,000 of their $7,000 goal.
“Any little bit helps,” said Aird. “We’re halfway there. A lot of businesses have helped, and we plan on thanking them. We’re going to hand-write thank you cards, make a shirt with their names on it — all the fun stuff. We are really excited.”

Aird and Berryhill are two-year DECA students. Last year, they competed at SCDC as a duo in the Business Law and Ethics competition and appeared at ICDC as part of the ASPIRE Academy.

Gracie Aird is the daughter of Matt and Misty Aird. She plans to attend East Tennessee State University in the fall, where she will study international business. She hopes to one day become a corporate lawyer.

Brody Berryhill is the son of Richie and April Berryhill. He plans to attend the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in the fall and pursue a career in healthcare.