MBA Students Compete for More than Prize Money
Milwaukee, WI – December 10, 2009 – As the Golden Eagles and Badgers prepare for their big hoops showdown this weekend, Wisconsin’s in-state rivalries are heating up beyond the basketball court. UW–Madison, UW–Milwaukee and Marquette University MBA students’ battle for the prestigious ACG Cup is now underway. In only its second year of competition, not only is the rivalry growing among students, but support from the business and academic communities is spreading across the region.
The ACG Cup, in which contestants compete for $8,000 in prizes by designing solutions to a complex hypothetical business scenario, is run by the Association for Corporate Growth Wisconsin, a group of business leaders focused on driving and sustaining corporate growth. The students must present valuation, capital markets and mergers & acquisitions strategic advice to a panel of judges—among the most accomplished financial professionals from the southeastern Wisconsin Corporate Community. This year’s hypothetical involves a classic buy-side investment banking scenario.
Chris Nolte, Vice President, Alternative Investments at Marcus Investments, is Chairman of the ACG Wisconsin Cup. “The students are presented with a realistic situation that requires analytical skill, critical thought, and exceptional judgment,” Nolte said. “The competition enables them to develop skills that will have a direct impact on the future economic fortunes of Wisconsin businesses.”
Student preparation for the challenge began in the fall semester, with training and mentorship provided by area corporations and private equity firms. Brady Corporation, Emory & Co., Mertz Associates, Cleary Gull Inc., Reinhart Law, Schenck Solutions, Pentvia Partners, Mayville Products and Video Propulsion are among the companies assisting in this year’s competition.
With the help of their mentors, the students apply their learning to prepare their presentations, sometimes pulling all-nighters to meet key deadlines. The winning team from each school proceeds to the finals, where $5,000 goes to the first-place team, followed by $1,500 each for second and third place.
Tom Nye, vice president of Emory & Co., and a member of last year’s winning UW–Madison team, summed up the importance of the competition from the students’ perspective.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for students. The competition gets them in front of many of the ‘big dogs’ in the southeastern Wisconsin business community,” Nye said. “The students display their teamwork, presentation, marketing and finance skills in front of these leaders, many of whom may be prospective employers. And it gives the business leaders a unique look at the brightest talent the local MBA programs have to offer.”
The final competition is set for Saturday, February 6, 2010, at the Milwaukee Athletic Club and is open to the business community.