Teamwork and Practice Wins the Prize

Seattle, WA, March 21, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Four MBA students from the University of Washington Foster School of Business win International ACG Cup trophy and CAD$10,000.00 prize.

The Foster School of Business team competed Saturday, March 14, in Vancouver, British Columbia in the international finals of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) case study competition. The teams presented strategic advice on a realistic merger and acquisition case study before a professional panel of business practitioners.

The event was designed to give MBA students valuable insights into mergers and acquisitions, investment banking, financial advisory and private equity.

“It’s critical for students to be able to analyze a particular business situation, come up with recommendations, and defend those recommendations in front of experienced practitioners,” says Glenn Burroughs, a member of ACG’s Seattle chapter and Regional Director for the ACG Cup.

“The ACG Case Competition gives our members the opportunity to forge stronger ties with business schools, and helps us identify the up-and-coming finance students entering the workforce,” Burroughs says.

The Foster School of Business competed against teams from Simon Fraser University, the University of British Columbia, Sauder School of Business, Whitworth University and University of Calgary Haskayne School of Business for bragging rights to call itself “the master of corporate finance”.

Luke Fouke, Senior Vice President of Net Lease Holdings, judged the first round of the local ACG Seattle competition. “The level of analysis and thought-provoking recommendations that the students presented really goes to show the excellence of the Foster School of Business’ curriculum,” he says.

Saturday’s competition was hosted by ACG’s Vancouver, Calgary and Seattle chapters and was the first of its kind among the pacific northwest ACG chapters. ACG Cup competitions have been held by over sixteen chapters throughout the United States with over fifty MBA programs participating.

Nick Casaril, team member from University of Washington, commented about the ACG Cup competition: “The entire competition was an enriching experience that provided great insight to some of the activities and challenges that actual practitioners of the craft face in the real world. Everything from analyzing and crafting the deal to the ‘bake-off’ at the end to sell the deal was incredibility engaging. I would highly recommend participating in the ACG Cup to anyone that has any interest in leading and growing organizations. I know I learned an incredible amount that will be immensely valuable as I embark on my future career."

ACG is a not-for-profit global deal maker association consisting of 13,000 members from corporations, private equity, finance and professional service firms involved in corporate growth, corporate development and mergers and acquisitions. It has 42 chapters in North America and Europe.

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