UW-Superior is one of ten Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) scholarship universities and has competed in the Case Competition since 2015

A team of University of Wisconsin-Superior transportation and logistics management and supply chain management students earned first place in the annual UNF Logistics & Supply Chain Management Case Competition hosted by the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida, on March 31.

The team included Matt Thompson, Laura Kumimatsu and Kallahan Kappes, and was coached by Mei Cao, professor and director of the School of Business and Economics and director of the Transportation and Logistics Research Center.  

The UW-Superior team competed against seven esteemed universities, including the University of Maryland, the University of Arkansas, Auburn University, the University of North Texas, the University of North Florida, SUNY Maritime and Southern Georgia University. After two rounds of fierce competition, UW-Superior was honored at a formal awards banquet, along with the second place University of Maryland and SUNY Maritime, who came in third.

The team received the case three weeks prior to the competition, which was to determine the optimal site for a company’s distribution center. The panel of judges was composed of nine industry-leading CEOs. While deliberating on the top two teams, the judges expressed that if they were to hire a consultant, they would choose the UW-Superior team.

While in Florida, the students visited the Talleyrand Marine Terminal of the Jacksonville Port Authority and toured the vessel “Taino,” graciously hosted by Crowley Logistics. Students also had the opportunity to dine with other teams participating in the competition, along with their respective faculty advisors.

“I am extremely proud of our team’s accomplishment,” said Cao. “Throughout the competition, our team faced tough challenges and fierce competition from some of the best universities in the country. However, our students remained focused and committed to their goals, demonstrating exceptional teamwork, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. It was an honor to coach this remarkable group of students.”

UW-Superior is one of ten Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) scholarship universities and has competed in the Case Competition since 2015, finishing in the top three teams the majority of the competitions.

“The UNF case competition was an amazing experience,” said Thompson, UW-Superior transportation and logistics management major. “Working with the team and hearing from the judges gives me a lot of confidence in my abilities going forward. I also got to work with a bunch of the concepts that we learn here at UWS so winning proves to me that it’s been worthwhile.”

The students expressed their thanks to IANA, University of North Florida, UW-Superior Foundation and Cao for providing them with this valuable opportunity and enriching experience.