The Eide Automotive Group participates in the 2nd Annual Capital City DECA Invite
Posted at Fri, Sep 19, 2025 9:00 AM
Earlier this month, three employees from the Eide Automotive Group participated as judges in the 2nd Annual Capital City DECA Invite, held at Bismarck State College.
The event was held on Friday, September 5th from 8:30 am to 3 pm. 166 students from many DECA clubs participated in this event. Lt. Governor Michelle Striden provided the opening message to the students.
The conference included workshops, role plays, breakout sessions and 4 speakers.
There were 22 judges that judged the role plays, and we had three employees who participated as judges: Ryne Balzer, General Manager at Eide Chevrolet, Adam Griffith, General Manager at Eide Ford Mandan and Eide Kia, and Rylen Kautzman, Finance Assistant at Eide Ford Mandan and Eide Kia.
Ryne judged the Financing role plays, Adam judged the Retail/Merchandising role plays, and Rylen judged the Intro To Marketing role plays.
DECA stands for Distributive Education Clubs of America. DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management in high schools and colleges around the globe. To learn more about DECA, visit them online at https://www.deca.org/
Rylen was a part of his DECA team at Mandan High School for his junior and senior years. He graduated in the spring of 2025, and was a big part of helping make the first year of the Capital City Invite happen.
“DECA taught me a lot of really important skills that I am able to utilize in my everyday life,” says Rylen. “You learn the ability to throw yourself into a situation and figure out the best thing to say or do. DECA is also a great way to network and learn with different people.”
“It was really cool to be a judge this year, after competing last year. It is amazing to see how much students are able to learn through their years of being a part of DECA. I am thankful for everything I learned through my time with DECA, and am glad to be in a position where I can now learn as a leader in a different role at these competitions.”
We are thankful to be a part of events like this that help to mold the minds of the young people in our community. We are excited to continue to support DECA and other local organizations, schools, and clubs moving forward!