School of Management students take third at inaugural UB Undergraduate Case Competition

By Matthew Biddle

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Students from the University at Buffalo School of Management won third place and took home top individual honors at the inaugural UB Undergraduate Case Competition, hosted by the School of Management and sponsored by Eli Lilly and Co.

Presenting teams were identified only by a number, so judges didn’t know which university each team was from until after their evaluations were complete. The UB team collected a $1,000 prize for their third-place finish, and was made up of Ryan Hughes of Blasdell, Kyle Jensen of Williamsville, Noah Nardozza of Rome and Paige Roseman of Hamburg.

The first-place team, from the University of Rochester Simon Business School, won $5,000, while the team from the Binghamton University School of Management won $2,000 for second place.

Nardozza, a first-year business administration student in the UB School of Management, was also named Best Presenter among all undergraduates and won a $500 prize.

In the competition, the teams were tasked with analyzing the market for pearls and pearl jewelry in the U.S. and Canada, and advising an entrepreneur on if and how she should enter the industry.

Twenty teams from business schools across the country submitted an initial written report. Ten semifinalists were selected based on the quality of their analysis and invited to present at the live event on April 6. The semifinalist teams represented Binghamton University, Rochester Institute of Technology, SUNY Potsdam (two teams), UB (three teams) and University of Rochester (three teams).

From there, judges whittled the teams down to four finalists and selected the winners based the effectiveness of their proposed strategy and the data-driven insights behind it, as well as the quality of their presentation and visuals.

The following executives and industry professionals served as competition judges: Tricia Barrett, senior vice president and managing director, Crowley Webb; Joe Bell, retired vice president, space and defense, Moog; Nikki Cheon, vice president and product manager, global transaction services, Bank of America; Chuck LaMattina, executive vice president of finance, Pegula Sports and Entertainment; Tom Quealy, CEO, Nottingham Advisors; Bertika Quintero, senior sales director, diabetes, Eli Lilly and Co.; Wayne Russo, district manager, Eli Lilly and Co.; Jeanne Shoenfelt, senior district sales manager, diabetes, Eli Lilly and Co.; Melissa Sirianno, executive sales representative, dermatology, Eli Lilly and Co.