2021 UVM Grossman School of Business, 9th Schlesinger Global Family Enterprise Case Competition

University of Vermont - Grossman School of Business 9th Annual

October - November 2021

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Established 2013

Regardless of the challenges posed by the pandemic, our goals of hosting an annual event that provides an exceptional platform for students to test themselves against the best business schools from around the world and also inspiring all of us to build relationships and networks that deepen the understanding of family enterprises are unchanged.

I’d like to recognize the 23 undergraduate and graduate teams who participated in the virtual SG-FECC, with congratulations to the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics from Wilfrid Laurier University and the Telfer School of Management from Canada for their successes in winning the undergraduate and graduate competitions.

WELCOME It is my pleasure to welcome you to University of Vermont, Grossman School of Business’s Schlesinger Global Family Enterprise Case Competition (SG-FECC); the first, and still the only case competition in the world solely focused on the issues surrounding family businesses.

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This is the ninth edition of the global competition. In order to accommodate the travel restrictions imposed by various countries due to the pandemic, we held a virtual competition in October/November 2021.

Thank you to all of you for bringing your unique worldviews and family business expertise to the competition. I’d also like to thank all of our sponsors and those involved with making SG-FECC such a success over the years; we couldn’t do it without you.

We hope to return to an in-person competition in 2023, and I look forward to welcoming you in-person to the World’s Business School here in beautiful Burlington, Vermont.

Sincerely,

Sanjay Sharma, Ph.D. Dean and Professor of Management Grossman School of Business

CONTENTS 4 Organizing Team 10 A Global Event 14 Undergraduate Teams 18 Graduate Teams 22 Sponsors

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Organizing Team

Student Organizers (L-R)

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Molly Feeney

Clay Lerner

Dani Schmidt

Noel Desmarais

William Tessmer

Zoë Macdonald

Anne Skudera

Julia Grismore

Hank Caswell

Drew Bates

Faculty and Staff

FACULTY & STAFF

(L-R) Silas Mueller, Thomas Chittenden, Linda Kruger, John Turner, Pramodita Sharma

The Grossman School of Business is accredited by AACSB International, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. AACSB accreditation is the hallmark of excellence in business education and has been earned by fewer than 5 percent of the world’s business programs.

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Senior Leadership Committee Drew is concentrating in Marketing and Business Analytics with a theme in Sustainability. She utilizes her Critical Race and Ethnic Studies minor to develop her passion for the development of diverse and equitable business models to enhance values in stakeholders. Drew is the co-lead of the Grossman Student Advisory Committee to the Dean, and a Teaching Assistant for two core business courses. Outside of Grossman she is the Treasurer and member of the UVM Climbing Team, competing in the collegiate circuit at a national level. She hopes to incorporate her passions for climbing and a business degree to push the outdoor industry towards sustainable change.

Drew Bates

Senior Media & Communications Chair Hank is concentrating in Business Analytics and Marketing with a theme in Sustainability. He uses his Statistics minor to develop business models to bring innovative solutions through artificial intelligence. Hank is a member of the Grossman Student Advisory Committee, Vice President of the Family Business Club, and the President of the UVM Club Baseball Team. Hank spent his summer working as a Customer Marketing Analyst Intern at L.L. Bean in Portland, Maine, where he created re-buy tables, customer demographic dashboards, and trend analysis reports. He hopes to continue to combine his passion for the outdoors with his strong analytical capabilities in the future.

Hank Caswell

Senior Competition & Recruitment Chair

Julia is concentrating in Finance and Accounting with a theme in Entrepreneurship. She has paired the business courses that utilize her analytical mind with a Philosophy minor that highlights her writing and argumentative reasoning skills. Julia is the Lead TA for a core business class and a member of the Women in Business and Accounting clubs.

Julia spent her summer working as a Legal Intern at DLC Management Corp. where she spearheaded legal research projects and due diligence tasks. She aspires to continue in corporate law, applying all areas of her degree and working on a goal-driven and community-oriented team.

Julia Grismore

Senior Judge Selection & Communications Chair 6

- Lindy Burch-Durkee ‘21

UVM MAcc

Clay is an innovative and politically minded senior concentrating in Business Analytics and Marketing, with a theme in Sustainable Business and a minor in Political Science. Clay is also a member of the Grossman Student Advisory Committee to the Dean, the Vice-President of the Grossman Case Competition Committee, a Family Business Club leader, and a member of the Vermont Legislative Research Service. He is currently an intern for the Association of Magazine Media, and has a focus in governmental affairs, sustainability, and general research. Clay wants to acquire a J.D. law degree and enter the world of political law to utilize both of his degrees to create more impactful legislation for all.

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Being a part of the SG-FECC Organizing Committee has been the most fulfilling and educational opportunity I’ve had during my time at UVM.

Clay Lerner

Senior Information Technology Solutions Chair

Dani is concentrating in Business Analytics with a theme in Sustainability and a minor in Anthropology. Dani has used her interests in business process improvement, statistics, and information systems to excel at her internships at TriStar Products Inc. and the Whitney Museum of American Art. She is also the co-president of the Family Business Club at GSB. Dani hopes to combine her interests in sustainability, business processes, and anthropology in her career to prioritize community development and environmental health.

Dani Schmidt

Senior Social Events & Logistics Chair

Organizing team 7

Junior Leadership Committee Noel is a Junior studying Computer Science and Information Systems in the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences. He currently works in the Grossman School of Business designing brochures, signs, and other animated and static graphics. When he isn’t working or in the classroom, Noel can be found skiing, developing his website or other side projects, or playing on his intermural kickball team (losing, mostly). He hopes to pursue a graduate degree in Computer Science concentrating on Artificial Intelligence and how it can help companies run their business more efficiently and effectively.

Noel Desmarais Junior Competition & Recruitment Chair

Molly is a driven and hardworking junior concentrating in Accounting and minoring in Green Building and Community Design. Molly is committed to her studies and aspires to become a future business leader.

Soon to begin a summer accounting internship, she plans to continue growing in the field before completing UVM’s Accelerated Masters of Accounting program (MAcc) and becoming a CPA. When Molly is not in class, she participates as a Grossman peer mentor and diving on UVM’s club springboard dive team.

Molly Feeney

Junior Social Events & Logistics Chair

Zoë is a junior concentrating in Finance with a theme in Global Business. Outside of SG-FECC, you can find her as a member of the Grossman Student Advisory Committee to the Dean and a campus tour guide. As a human resources intern at National Life Group, she works on redefining the ways that the company reaches top talent. Zoë aspires to pursue a career that engages her creative, strategic nature while helping to better the lives of the communities she is a part of.

Zoë Macdonald

Junior Judge Selection & Communications Chair 8

Anne is a junior pursuing a dual degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Business Analytics and Psychological Science. She is passionate about cross-functional collaboration and leveraging the insights gathered from data to determine the most effective solutions to complex challenges. As a Data Specialist Intern at Definitive Healthcare, Anne gained a greater understanding of the complex healthcare ecosystem and ensured the validity of data provided to clients to inform their targeting strategies. She has been privileged to represent Grossman in case competitions where she has developed and presented solutions rooted in technology integration to capture broader markets.

Anne Skudera

Junior Media & Communications Chair

William is a highly motivated and opportunity driven sophomore who is intending to concentrate in Business Analytics, while also minoring in Sports Management. He hopes to use his degree to be employed by a firm that values collaboration and innovation, ideally working in a product management role. In the future, William’s goal is to take his knowledge and experience, combined with his passion for sports, and work in the front office of a major franchise.

William Tessmer

Junior Information Technology Support Chair

Organizing team 9

ESTABLISHED IN

2013

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UNIVERSITIES

IN THE FIRST 9 YEARS

180 STUDENT TE AMS

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A GLOBAL Event

29 CO U N TRIES

638

COMPETITORS

280 UVM STUDENT ORGANIZERS & COMPETITORS

487 JUDGES

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SG-FECC WELCOMES: 114 COMPETITORS AND COACHES 28 JUDGES 10 GROSSMAN STUDENTS 23 TEAMS

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“It is great to see how much the students get out of participating in the competition. They learn so much, they meet other students from all over the world and create memories that they will remember for the rest of their lives.”

Judith van Helvert, Coach Windesheim University of Applied Sciences

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UNDERGRADUATE TEAMS

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Primary Coach: Sara Kiser Additional Coach: Mario Zaino Team Members: Angel Harton, Asllynne Kemp, Seth Jones, Amir Madison

BISHOP’S UNIVERSITY

Team Gold Primary Coach: Samuel Beanland Team Members: Finley MacDonald, Maxime McLean, Rebecca Willis, Sydney Wilson

BISHOP’S UNIVERSITY

Team Green Primary Coach: Samuel Beanland Team Member: Justin Brant, Victoria Black, Jabez Jonkman, Mika Rohac-Greiner

GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY Primary Coach: Ana Gonzalez Team Members: Lydia Filbrandt, Jessica Gray, Landon Klausing, Marcus Lynch

ROTTERDAM UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES

RYERSON UNIVERSITY

Primary Coach: Guus van Haastregt Team Members: Siebren van den Bosch, Boaz de Gruijter, Mehmet Kaplan, Niels Ramaekers

Primary Coach: Francesco Barbera Team Members: Elva Hong, Saheed Meshal, Kamranjit Samra, Ishak Sarad

Schlesinger Global Family Enterprise Case Competition | November Undergraduate Teams

ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY

Team Green

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RYERSON UNIVERSITY

Team Gold Primary Coach: Francesco Barbera Team Members: Jashanpreet Dhalla, Cédric F. Gardner, Nafisa Khan

UNIVERSIDAD PANAMERICANA MEXICO

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UNIVERSIDAD DE LOS ANDES Primary Coach: Luis Diaz Matajira Team Members: Camilo Gutierrez, Valentina Medina, Mariana Ortiz, Isabella Zuñiga

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY

Primary Coach: Claudio Vázquez Additional Coach: Ana Cristina González Team Members: Carlos Álvarez, Javier Torres, Ameyalli Carrillo, César Vázquez

Team Members: Ethan Huan, Rishaan Moorjani, Sasya Muchivolu, Ariana Quinta

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT

Primary Coach: Linnet Kocheril Team Members: Timothy Chevalier, Thomas Speciel, Hannah Tang, Gloria Yang

Primary Coach: John Wilking Additional Coach: Dave Mount Team Members: Simon Flaherty, Meredith Gove, Justin Lista, Caroline Palecek

WILLIAMS COLLEGE

Primary Coach: Sean Cameron Team Members: Katerine Gotovsky, Ryan Kofsky, Mackenzie Oldfield, Ruby Tang

Primary Coach: Robin Meyer Team Members: William Ding, Jamie Liu, Sarah Shi

Schlesinger Global Family Enterprise Case Competition | November Undergraduate Teams

WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY

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GRADUATE TEAMS

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HASSELT UNIVERSITY

Primary Coach: Selma Culturati Vazquez Additional Coach: Talita Zanelato Team Members: Wellick Sanches De Almedia, Maria Eduarda Mariano, Aurélio Rodrigues Daniel Isliker Patria Do Amaral Mello

Primary Coach: Anneleen Michiels Additional Coach: Wim Voordeckers Team Members: Kaatje Caelen, Eline Manderveld, Dries Stulens, Febe Thys

HEILBRONN UNIVERSITY

NATIONAL SUN YAT-SEN UNIVERSITY

Primary Coach: Joachim Link Team Members: Julia Annuss, Till Baumann, Jana Bielenberg, Saskia Haßkamp

Primary Coach: Shyh-Jer Chen Additional Coach: Chiung-Wen Tsao Team Members: Meng-Yun Chen, Wen-Lin Hsu, Yu-Tzu Huang, Yen-Chu Lai

Schlesinger Global Family Enterprise Case Competition | November Graduate Teams

FUNDAÇÃO INSTITUTO DE ADMINISTRAÇÃO

SASIN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT Team Green

Primary Coach: Nick Pisalyaput Team Members: Khemmapope Gajaseni, Poonpitchaya Pantitanonta, Shrisha Sethi, Norrakit Tangtantranon 19

Schlesinger Global Family Enterprise Case Competition | November Graduate Teams 20

SASIN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

Team Gold Primary Coach: Nick Pisalyaput Additional Coach: Tanachote Vongsurbchart Team Members: Taitanast Gitnonchanan, Nattakorn Jiarakul, Danpob Pairoj-Boriboon, Prich Virojvatanakul

TELFER SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT Primary Coach: Peter Jaskiewicz Team Members: Firas Anani, Brian Ballinger, Katrina Barclay

UNIVERSIDAD FRANCISCO MARROQUIN

UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT

Primary Coach: Jaly Chea Team Members: Isabel Contreras, Alejandro Morales, Eduardo Morales, Martin Prentice

Team Members: Pedro Fagin, Quinn Gorman, Lindsay Jarrett, McLane Ritzel

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SPONSORS

Steve Schlesinger, USA Class of ‘83

STEVE SCHLESINGER Class of ‘83

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I had a great undergraduate experience at UVM, filled with wonderful experiences that helped form my journey over the next four decades.

I wanted to do something more to create a lasting legacy around family business.

Steve has been in the marketing research industry for over 35 years, starting his career as a project manager and then working his way up to lead Schlesinger Group for the past 25 years. As a leader within his company, Steve has created the strategy and vision for Schlesinger Group as the world’s leading data collection company.

He served for 8 years on the board of the then Marketing Research Association, finishing his tenure as the Secretary of the Board. He is a founding member of the Insights Association CEO Summit and continues his involvement, co-chairing the events.

Steven Grossman, a 1961 graduate of the business school, was the CEO of Southern Container Corp., a manufacturer of custom corrugated packaging and a business started by his grandfather in 1904. Since 2010, he has been a trustee of the Grossman Family Foundation of Cos Cob, Conn., a charitable organization. He is a member of the UVM Foundation Board of Directors and Foundation Leadership Council; former member of the Business School Board of Advisors 19851998; and has been a business school guest speaker on several occasions.

STEVEN GROSSMAN Class of ‘61 & THE GROSSMAN FAMILY FOUNDATION

Adam Ifshin is Founder and CEO of DLC Management Corp., which he founded in 1991. Since then, he has grown DLC into one of the nation’s premier owners and operators of retail real estate, and one of the most active acquirers of assets with value added potential. Mr. Ifshin oversees DLC’s acquisitions and dispositions, capital markets activities,redevelopments, joint ventures, and corporate strategy. As a principal, he has been involved in over $4.5 billion of real estate transactions. Mr. Ifshin received a BA, cum laude, from Williams College, with honors degrees in economics and history, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

ADAM IFSHIN

Jim Keller is the President of Green Mountain Business Consultants, a consulting business solving a diversity of issues for international enterprises. He is also President of Rengo Packaging Inc. a packaging manufacturer located in Honolulu, Hawaii. Mr. Keller received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Vermont. He received his Masters of Business Administration from Dartmouth College. Mr. Keller is currently the Chairman of Board of the University of Vermont Foundation and the Indigenous Education Foundation of Tanzania, which provides for co-education opportunities in rural Tanzania Communities.

JIM KELLER Class of ‘72

Robin and Chuck Tauck are both UVM alums and have been heavily involved in the leadership of Tauck, Inc., a third-generation global travel company offering luxury land, small ship cruising, river boating, event and safari travel since its founding in 1925.

ROBIN TAUCK

CHUCK TAUCK

Class of ‘77

Class of ‘76

SUKEY & DAVIS FARMER Class of ‘79

LISA & DAN LEHAN Class of ‘88

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SPONSORS EVENT SPONSORS

CASE SPONSORS

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CASE COLLABORATOR

MEDIA SPONSOR

CASE SELECTION COMMITTEE Dr. Mira Bloemen-Bekx (Chair)

Dean Institute of Future Environments Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands

Nupur Pavan Bang

Associate Director Thomas Schmidheiny Centre for Family Enterprise Indian School of Business, India

Rocki-Lee DeWitt

Professor of Management Grossman School of Business University of Vermont, USA

Albert James

Associate Professor Rowe School of Business Dalhousie University, Canada

Karen Vinton

Professor Emeritus Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship Montana State University, USA

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Established 2013

Grossman School of Business University of Vermont Kalkin Hall 55 Colchester Ave. Burlington, VT 05405 uvm.edu/business

Contributing Photographers: Andy Duback Amanda Levi Sally McCay Rachel Narkewicz John Turner