Business Students prove Excellence

Published: July 29, 2013 | Read Time: 3 minutes

Students in Southern Utah University’s Phi Beta Lambda organization are making their mark in the world of business, standing out among their peers with accolades from the nation’s foremost business organization.

For their keen business acumen and steadfast commitment to service, students Ashley Hardy, Kelsey Haddox and David Tyler each received an Award for Excellence from the Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda (FBLA-PBL) at its National Leadership Conference this summer. SUU’s PBL chapter joined 1,800 other students from across the U.S. and around the world at the annual FBLA event in Anaheim, CA. There, they worked to sharpen their core business skills, expand their networks and were given a chance to participate in more than 55 business-related competitions.

For their highly successful Teddy Bear Den project, a prenatal health promotion program for low-income pregnant women, Hardy and Haddox brought home a fourth place award in the Community Service Project competition.      

In the Integrated Marketing Campaign competition, which asks students to develop a comprehensive marketing plan utilizing print, radio, television and web advertising, Tyler and Hardy were awarded ninth place overall after making the first cut in the competition’s preliminary round.

“I am so proud of these students,” said Dean Carl Templin of SUU’s School of Business. “They worked very hard to apply their business skills to real world situations and polished their writing and presentation skills to impress a tough panel of judges who are experts in their field.” 

Since opening in March of 2012, the Cedar City Teddy Bear Den has yielded great opportunities for students in the School of Business, arguably benefiting them as much or more than the Den’s benefactors. The community-based program offers prenatal health care services to help expectant mothers stay healthy during pregnancy and also provides much-needed baby supplies to help mothers prepare for their new little ones. In a showing of compassionate service but also intricate partnership building, the Teddy Bear Den brings together efforts of the Utah chapter of the March of Dimes, Valley View Medical Center and the Cedar High School FBLA club who, in concert with SUU’s PBL Club, coordinate donations, prenatal education and volunteers to operate the Den.

The FBLA-PBL awards were granted as part of a comprehensive competitive events program developed and sponsored by the organization.  Individuals, state teams and local PBL chapters were encouraged to compete in the more than 50 events encompassing a wide range of business and leadership development issues.

Winners of the highly prestigious awards are selected from FBLA-PBL’s membership of 250,000 students and advisers, representing some of today’s best and brightest youth.

Given the multitude of challengers that made for steep competition, Templin considers his students’ performance a great success. “Earning fourth and ninth place finishes in these highly competitive events just shows what great students they are,” said Templin, who also serves as SUU’s PBL Club advisor.

Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda is the nation’s largest and oldest student business organization with a quarter million members and advisers in 12,000 chartered schools and colleges worldwide. Its mission is to bring business and education together in a positive working relationship through innovative leadership and career development programs. 

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