Competition provides real-world scenarios to business students

Three students from the School of Business & Technology – senior Anna Chalkey and sophomores Sarah Shoots and Kelsey Custenborder – represented Heidelberg last weekend at the People’s Bank Case Study Competition in Marietta.

Heidelberg’s team was one of 15 who participated in the competition.

“Our team performed at a very high level,” said Dr. Jim Hill, visiting assistant professor of business. “They have the confidence and discipline of athletes and the critical thinking and presentation skills of Heidelberg business students.”

The teams were comprised of three undergrad students and one faculty advisor. They were given two months to prepare their presentations. Admission Counselor Sara Gebhardt also accompanied the team as an advisor and Allison Schwazbek helped coach practice sessions.

Anna, Sarah and Kelsey were selected by Jim for the competition. For their presentation, they compared two products to determine which would be most profitable – a debit card linked to a college student ID and a college round-up account, which would round up checking account purchases to the next dollar and deposit the extra funds in a college savings account.

After extensive research, the students argued that the round-up account was the most profitable. As part of their presentation, they created a marketing plan for their product and made a hiring recommendation based on the product selected.

The competition experience was valuable in so many ways.

“It was very beneficial to present in a professional atmosphere,” said Kelsey. “The competition taught me how important public speaking is in the business world.

“Studying the case was a great experience for my future career ambitions. I’m thankful for the opportunity and I look forward to competing in the future,” she added.

The event sponsor, Peoples Bank, also benefited by hosting the competition. “The Case Competition is an opportunity for undergraduate students from multiple institutions to provide a solution to a real-world business scenario,” said Chuck Sulerzyski, Peoples Bank CEO and president. “The competition allowed us to acquaint ourselves with potential candidates for employment and for students to become familiar with the area.

Heidelberg competed against the following schools: Tiffin University, College of Wooster, Marietta College (two teams), Walsh University, Oberlin College, Marshall University, Washington & Jefferson College, Robert Morris University, Cleveland State University, West Virginia University, Kentucky State University, Ohio University and the University of Mount Union.