YSU Team Places Second at Supply Chain Competition

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Four students from the Williamson College of Business Administration at Youngstown State University earned second place in the Association for Supply Chain Management’s Pittsburgh Supply Chain Case Competition on Nov. 16 at Duquesne University. 

The YSU team’s four members, who competed against 11 teams from nine universities, shared a $3,000 prize.

The judges, who are supply chain executives from several organizations in Pittsburgh, were impressed with the YSU team’s thorough analysis and convincing responses to additional questions, said Alina Marculetiu, an assistant professor in the management and marketing department at the WCBA and the faculty adviser for the team.

“Teams were presented with a qualitative case study on the morning of the competition and had just 2 1/2 hours to devise a solution and prepare a five-minute presentation,” Marculetiu said. “Our team excelled by crafting a compelling business case, quantifying the value of the problems and their proposed solutions, which distinguished them from the majority of the other teams. Their podium finish demonstrates our students’ ability to compete alongside peers from across the country and highlights the value of the quality education they receive here at YSU.”

The WCBA supply competition team included Skylar Brocious of Southington, a senior accounting major; Elizabeth Saur of Grove City, Pa., a senior business administration major; Caleb Sturgeon of Beloit, a senior business administration major; and Sean Ascano of Girard, a senior supply chain management major. 

“Participating in the ASCM case competition was a challenging yet rewarding experience that pushed me out of my comfort zone,” Ascano said. “I gained valuable insights into the complexities of sourcing and the importance of building strong supplier relationships. I appreciated the opportunity to receive feedback from industry professionals and engage in friendly competition with students from across the tri-state area. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn alongside a fantastic team and am extremely proud of our achievements.” 

Marculetiu met with the students at the beginning of the competition week to help them identify individual strengths and weaknesses and answer general questions about the competition and the types of cases they could expect. The team took the initiative to meet independently, discussing two case studies from previous events, assigning potential tasks and creating shared documents to ensure a smooth workflow during the competition.

Throughout their degree program, students in the supply chain management track at the WCBA learn essential skills such as teamwork, presentation, professionalism and critical thinking.

The supply chain management course integrates current supply chain news, issues and various case studies, providing students with a broad understanding of decision-making and performance objectives in different supply chain contexts. A key focus of the course is teaching students to make a business case for proposed solutions by leveraging qualitative and quantitative data to support their arguments.

Pictured at top: From left are YSU students Skylar Brocious and Elizabeth Saur; assistant professor Alina Marculetiu; and students Caleb Sturgeon and Sean Ascano.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.