MBA Students Place Third at International Logistics Competition

Teammates Adam Charles, Casey Green, Heidi Hunsaker, David Luke, Royce Riddle and Jordan Wilson smile after their win at the Walton Case Competition.PROVO, Utah – Jan 17, 2012 – After 24 hours in their war room analyzing a supply chain problem, a team of Brigham Young University MBA students emerged with a solution that took home a top finish.

Six MBA students won third place at the 2011 Sam M. Walton College of Business International Graduate Logistics Case Competition held at the headquarters of Sam's Club in Bentonville, Ark.

"This is the third time we've placed in the top three in this prestigious competition," says Cindy Wallin, assistant professor of global supply chain management. "Placing high is just evidence of the outstanding quality of our MBA students and programs."

This marks the fifth year that BYU competed against graduate students from across the globe to solve a complex supply chain case. After accepting their challenge, the team spent the next 24 hours creating a solution, which was presented to the judges.

"We wanted to show that BYU has a very solid supply chain program as we competed among some of the best programs in the world," says Casey Green, team captain. "Out of all of the finalists' presentations, a judge told us that our solution was the one that people were talking about the most."

The team consisted of second-year MBA students Green, from Centerville, Utah; Heidi Hunsaker from Ogden, Utah; Royce Riddle, from Holladay, Utah; and Jordan Wilson from Toledo, Ore. They were joined by first-year MBA students Adam Charles, from St. Gallen, Switzerland, and David Luke from Craig, Colo. Financial support from BYU's Whitmore Global Management Center helped the students attend the competition.

Through the personal time spent in preparation and the competition itself, students gained invaluable knowledge and networking opportunities.

"This case competition gave us a real-world experience," Green says. "The more of these opportunities we can have during school, the better we will be coming out of our MBA program."

The Marriott School is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. The school has nationally recognized programs in accounting, business management, public management, information systems and entrepreneurship. The school's mission is to prepare men and women of faith, character and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Approximately 3,000 students are enrolled in the Marriott School's graduate and undergraduate programs.