Beachwood’s Excel TECC marketing program is raising money this year for their new Hope Heroes campaign to support therapy dog programs across Northeast Ohio hospital systems.

This is one in a long line of good causes the marketing program has supported. 

“Students select a cause every year to support and raise money for them through creating active sales strategies and sponsorship packages to do good for the community,” marketing teacher Greg Perry said.

The classes of 2021 and 2022 raised money for the Cleveland Food Bank, and last year’s Hope Heals program raised a record-breaking $200,000 for Medi-Teddy medical accessories to make pediatric patients more comfortable in the hospital. 

“We’re hoping to almost double the amount they made last year,” Perry said.

Perry, who first took marketing when he was in high school, never thought he would become a teacher.

“I went to Ohio State, studied marketing and education and swore I would never be a teacher,” he said. “Then I went into business and professional sales. Somebody asked me if I would be interested in starting a marketing program, and I thought, ‘Well, maybe.’ That was such an incredible thing in my life, so I said, ‘I’ll do it for a year.’ 32 years later, I’m still teaching it.”

Perry discussed his unique approach to teaching marketing.

“I’ve taught all of these years and never used a textbook, and I think my role is to develop business people, not just people who can regurgitate vocabulary terms and theories of business,” he said. “I want them to become passionate about entrepreneurship and sales, thinking like leaders and being able to make critical decisions, learning how to brand themselves and sell themselves. Those are the most important things to me.”

Perry’s curriculum focuses on giving students real-world marketing experiences. Students create their own company every year, and they take on roles that replicate the business hierarchy of a large corporation.

Mia Bourisseau, one of the vice presidents of this year’s class, discussed how students learn a lot of tech skills in the class including social media marketing.

“We use a lot of social media, such as our Instagram, Facebook and website, and we’re hoping to make a TikTok this year as well,” she said. “Through the school store we use squares, [an automation tool mainly used for marketing], the whole Google suite and our VPs use Google spreadsheets.”

Perry’s program has a tremendous record of successful campaigns, most of which have been aimed at helping out others in the community. 

“Beachwood has been recognized for the last 18 years to be the world’s most successful Junior Achievement company,” Perry said. “Moreover, we always break our own record in terms of revenue each year.”

Perry explained that his program often leads students to find internship opportunities, and graduates of the program have gone on to be very successful. 

“A lot of [alums] are very wealthy business people, some are entrepreneurs and some work within large corporations,” he said.