Penske, a transportation services company, and the School of Business hosted a sales competition for 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students. Penske provided the sales situation, and a team of judges worked with Dr. Noelle Butski, assistant professor of marketing, to evaluate the pitches and choose the winners, who received cash prizes and the opportunity to interview for full-time positions at Penske after their graduation.

The sales competition is a win-win scenario as students learn professional skills, and Penske gets the opportunity to hire talented 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students after graduation.

鈥淭he sales competition was an exciting event for the students, Penske, and me,鈥� Butski said. 鈥淭he students were able to compete in a sales competition, and it gave the students an advanced real-life scenario. Penske also did a professional development session where they gave tips for the competition and described different roles at Penske. The students got a real feel for what sales is like, outside of just learning about it in the classroom.鈥�

In the competition, students spoke with a potential buyer who owned an older fleet of trucks about the benefits of a truck rental program and covered topics like cost, driver safety, road support, and truck maintenance.

鈥淚 would like to start off by commending Dr. Noelle Butski and the School of Business for the hospitality and open arms we received,鈥� said Cody Sparlan, branch retail manager at Penske. 鈥淭his was the first time to my knowledge that we have partnered with 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock in any capacity. I was overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and participation from the staff. The students fed off this energy and prepared well for this. I don鈥檛 think myself, or the other judges, were quite prepared for this level of competition. As Dr. Noelle witnessed, we went back and forth for quite some time on the top three, which is a great problem to have. We at Penske think this is a win-win partnership for all and look forward to future competitions.鈥�

The student winners of the sales competition included Ciara Massey, first place; Bryan Hernandez, second place, and Leila Horsman, third place.

鈥淭his was probably one of the most valuable experiences I鈥檝e had in my academic career,鈥� said Massey, a senior marketing major from Marion. 鈥淚t was nerve wracking, but super rewarding. I’m extremely grateful for having had the opportunity to participate.鈥�

Horsman, a senior marketing major from McAllen, Texas, was thankful to Professor Butski for providing such an immersive educational experience.

鈥淚 believe this experience was a great way for us to use all the skills we鈥檝e been learning about and practicing in Dr. B鈥檚 class in a real-world scenario,鈥� Horsman said. 鈥淭his has been one of my favorite activities that I鈥檝e gotten to participate in throughout my college experience. I鈥檓 positive that I will use the lessons and feedback from this competition in my future career. I would love to give a special thanks to Dr. B, for not only setting this up, but being a teacher that鈥檚 always been willing to go above and beyond for her students, providing us with every learning opportunity possible.鈥�

Shannon Gwinn, director of career services for the College of Business, Health, and Human Services, is the person who first connected Butski with Penske. They are planning to continue the sales competition in the spring semester to give students another chance to show off their sales skills.

鈥淚 would say to other students in the business school, take advantage of all of the opportunities that come your way,鈥� Massey said. 鈥淵ou never know where they might lead you. Through winning the sales competition, not only did I get to practice my selling skills, but I also got a chance to network. This led to me getting a job interview with Penske in the Memphis area. That could possibly jumpstart my career, and to think it all started with a sales competition.鈥�

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The School of Business Student Ambassador Program is led by Dr. Robert Mitchell, director of the School of Business, and Shannon Gwinn, director of career services. The student ambassadors are nominated by faculty members and selected by the School of Business leadership team.

鈥淭he student ambassadors in the School of Business play a very important role within the business community,鈥� Mitchell said. Throughout the academic year, our ambassadors have access to network with business and community representatives through special events. This interaction benefits our stakeholders by giving them an opportunity to interact with our students and in some cases, employ them.鈥�

The 2022-23 business student ambassadors include Sean Cooper, Kenya Daniels, Bryan Hernandez, Amber Keomany, Aniruddha Koppar, Nandita Monika, Guillermo Soto, and Lamar Townsend.

鈥淚 really enjoy being a student business ambassador,鈥� said Kenya Daniels, a senior financial services major from McAlmont. 鈥淏eing a student ambassador allows me to speak for the students because of the opportunity to further get to know and work with our faculty. It is extremely rewarding to be one.鈥�

The ambassadors serve an integral role by representing the School of Business during important events, supporting their fellow business students, and engaging with the business industry to let them know about the academic, research, and industry partnership opportunities in the School of Business.

鈥淎mbassadors are encouraged to assist with the Alumni Luncheon and Golf Tournament 鈥� a great opportunity for them to network with members of the business community,鈥� Gwinn said. 鈥淭hey also attend School of Business Advisory Board meetings and are given opportunities to engage with those businesses as well. Special meetings for ambassadors only are held throughout the academic year to introduce them to different industries within their major.鈥�

Bryan Hernandez, a junior marketing major from Clinton, said he enjoys serving as a student ambassador to showcase the powerful opportunities 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock provides for its students as well as show the tremendous potential to create economic growth in Little Rock by the people who study, work, and live here.

鈥淭he nomination from a faculty member alone to be an ambassador was a great honor for me,鈥� Hernandez said. 鈥淚t really helped affirm that my efforts to transition into college from the military was working. The more I learned about the program, the more I began to understand what a unique opportunity the program could be. I enjoy being able to network with peers here on campus as well as leaders in the local Little Rock business environment. To be able to be a representative for the university’s efforts to spur economic development in Little Rock is an immense privilege.鈥�

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