Thirty-four students in the Regional Occupational Program’s Virtual Enterprise Program offered through the Santa Barbara County Education Office won top honors in the Fifth Annual Virtual Enterprise Bay Area Trade Fair in Oakland on Tuesday.

Dos Pueblos High’s Virtual Enterprise Program team, Green Inc., won the top honor for Best Venture Capital Presentation, third in best booth, and honorable mention in the Human Resources Competition. Santa Barbara High’s team, Dons Net Café, won third in Best Business Letter, sixth in Best Video Commercial, and seventh for Best Marketing Plan.

The trade fair was attended by more than 1,000 students representing 80 high schools throughout California, New York and Oregon, vying for best in Booth, Salesmanship, Web Site Design, Marketing Plan, Human Resources Scenario, Newsletter, Business Letter, Video Commercial, Sales Catalog, and Venture Capital.

Green Inc. students, led by Dos Pueblos instructor Scott Yamahata, presented a compelling plan to introduce fashionable eco-friendly urban active wear, which would be sold through a national student marketing program at high schools across the country. This rag-to-riches story demonstrated the determination of the students who almost didn’t go because of a lack of resources. They conquered that hurdle at the last minute and went on to win the main event, the Venture Capital Competition.

Dons Net Café students, led by Santa Barbara instructor Lee Ann Knodel, have been competing in virtual enterprise trade fairs since 2001 and continue to win competition awards every year. This year, the group won a prestigious third place in Best Business Letter. The students will next travel to their final trade fair competition in New York City on March 25 and 26.

The virtual enterprise class is a simulated business that is set up and run by the students to prepare them for working in a real business environment with departments in sales and marketing, information technology, public relations, human resources, fundraising, banking and accounting.

Students also design and develop Web pages, business cards, catalogs, business plans and an employee handbook as part of their business. The course meets the University of California’s A-G requirements and also satisfies the economics requirement for high school graduation.

“We want to send a special thank you to Top Shop Auto, Multiplex Engineering, Tileco, Banana Republic, Community West Bank, Toastmasters, Santa Barbara Region Chamber of Commerce, SCORE, United Way of Santa Barbara County, Christie Communications, and Virtual Enterprise parents,” said ROP coordinator Marilyn Lake.

For more information on the programs, contact Lake at 805.964.4711 x4406.

— Noozhawk staff writer Laurie Jervis can be reached at ljervis@noozhawk.com.