Eight UB MBA students advance to Whitman Case Competition finals

By Matthew Biddle

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Two teams of MBA students in the University at Buffalo School of Management were selected to compete in the final round of the prestigious Whitman Case Competition at noon March 21 at Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management.

Chris Maugans, JD/MBA ’14, of Tonawanda; James Finlay, MBA ’14, of Chicago; Christi Lundahl, MBA ’14, of Webster; and Michael Pinnola, MBA ’15, of North Babylon make up the first team.

The other UB School of Management squad consists of Aditya Yellapantula, MBA ’15, of Visakhapatnam, India; Curtis Boyle, MBA ’15, of Hamburg; Frank Koelbel, MBA ’15, of Islip; and Ashith Shetty, MBA ’15, of Mangalore, India.

Eight teams in all were chosen to compete in the finals from a pool of 18 entries representing MBA programs in the United States and Canada.

This year, competitors were asked to analyze Indraprastha Ice and Cold Storage Ltd. and its value proposition and recommend changes to its pricing policies.

Travel expenses for the UB School of Management teams will be partially funded through a donation by alumnus Steven C. Verney ’80, MBA ’81, executive vice president and chief risk officer at Allstate Insurance Co., and a matching grant from Allstate. The annual case competition is sponsored by the Whitman Graduate Student Organization.

The UB School of Management is recognized for its emphasis on real-world learning, community and economic impact, and the global perspective of its faculty, students and alumni. The school also has been ranked by Bloomberg Businessweek, the Financial Times, Forbes and U.S. News & World Report for the quality of its programs and the return on investment it provides its graduates. For more information about the UB School of Management, visit mgt.buffalo.edu.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB’s more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.