GRAND FALLS-WINDSOR, NL – It was neck and neck during the first three rounds of the 14th annual Business Case competition held in Grand Falls-Windsor this past weekend with just single digits separating each of the top three teams.
After the final cases were presented to a panel of industry judges, Consult 360 of Grand Falls-Windsor walked away with the trophy at the awards banquet Saturday evening.
Constant 360 of Grand Falls-Windsor campus won the first-place trophy at the 14th annual CNA Business Case competition this past weekend. Team members include: Linda Snelgrove, Lori Mackey, Codylynn Smith, and Wendy Power. They are pictured with coach Holly Dwyer, CNA Business Management (Human Resources) Instructor. They will compete in Doha, Qatar in March 2020.
Among the competitors from various CNA campuses this year were: three teams from Grand Falls-Windsor; two from Prince Philip Drive in St. John’s; one apiece from Clarenville, the Distributed Learning Service and Port aux Basques; and, a blended team from Bay St. George (Stephenville)/Port aux Basques.
During the two-day event, teams were given a business case describing a company facing a specific problem. The teams were sequestered and given 2.5 hours to analyze the problem, recommend a solution, and develop an implementation plan which they would then present to a panel of industry judges.
At the end of three rounds, the top team from each of the four divisions moved on for the final round of head-to-head competition. Joining Consult 360 in the finals were PALS of Prince Philip Drive campus, along with Creation Consulting and Strategize Guys from Grand Falls-Windsor campus.
Second place of the CNA Business Case competition is Strategize Guys of Grand Falls-Windsor campus. They will compete at the Vanier College case Challenge in February 2020. Team members are: Zachary Mercer, Nicholas White, Jarrid Pierce, and Chris Downton. They are shown with coach Holly Dwyer, CNA Business Management (Human Resources) Instructor.
Consult 360 is comprised of third-year Business Management (Human Resources) students Lori Mackey of Bonavista and Codylynn Smith of Grand Falls-Windsor, third-year Business Management (Accounting) student Linda Snelgrove of Grand Falls-Windsor, and first-year Business Management (Human Resources) student Wendy Power of Grand Falls-Windsor.
Smith, who was also selected to speak at the banquet, described what the Business Case competition means to each of the students.
“If there is one thing that every participant can take away from this competition, it’s self-confidence. It takes an extreme amount of courage to walk into a room and be the centre of attention; especially knowing that you’re about to be judged on just about everything,” Smith said.
Taking third-place honours at CNA’s Business Case competition are PALS (Professional and Logical Solutions. Coach, Peter Inkpen, who is a Business Management (Human Resources) Instructor at CNA, joined the team members, from Prince Philip Drive campus including: Marissa Barron, Hilarie Duffy, Ephraim Messele and Jeremy Dominie.
“You deserve to be commended. You commit yourselves to these high-stress and high-pressure situations and put your skills and knowledge to the ultimate test. Everyone gets to see your end result; your final presentation of each case. But what they don’t get a chance to see is the true magic that happens in your preparation rooms. There is a level of teamwork, testing of boundaries and an element of creativity that knows no limits.”
As a result of this event, Consult 360 will represent CNA in Doha, Qatar at the Business Case competition held at College of the North Atlantic-Qatar in March 2020. Strategize Guys of Grand Falls-Windsor nabbed second place and will represent CNA at the Vanier College Case Challenge in February 2020. PALs of Prince Philip Drive brought home the third-place award this year.
Rounding out the awards ceremony was the recipient of the Bob Hearn Memorial award, which was established in memory of the former Grand Falls-Windsor campus instructor. This year, it was presented to Power Potential of Clarenville campus for showing the most perseverance and determination throughout the weekend.
The Bob Hearn Memorial award was established in memory of the former Grand Falls-Windsor campus instructor. This year, it was presented to Power Potential of Clarenville campus for showing the most perseverance and determination throughout the weekend. Pictured with Carrie and Lorraine Hearn are team members: Anna Stanford, Chantelle Maloney, Jessica Pye, Brittany Glover, and their coach, Lauren Brake, Student Development Officer.
“Winning the Bob Hearn Memorial award meant so much to myself and my teammates,” said Anna Stanford of Sunnyside, located near Clarenville. “From being a late entry into the Business Case competition, to our scores increasing during every round of the competition, it really allowed us to showcase our full potential. This award will be hung proudly in our school.”
Stephen Warren, CNA’s Dean of Business and Information Technology, says he is impressed with how he has seen the teams grow each year.
“I’ve been attending the Business Case competition for a number of years now, and I can honestly say I have watched each team develop and improve on their skills from one year to the next,” Warren said. “For the students participating for the first time in the competition, you can see them improve as they work their way through the competition. Everyone should be extremely proud of what they’ve accomplished this weekend. I am extremely proud of our students and know the skills they gain from our competition will stay with them for years to come.”
The presentations of the four finalists, were live-streamed through the college’s Facebook page at www.cna.nl.ca/facebook.
For more information about the School of Business and Information Technology programs available at CNA, visit www.cna.nl.ca.
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Media contact:
Glenda McCarthy
Public Relations Specialist
College of the North Atlantic
709.643.6408
glenda.mccarthy@cna.nl.ca