URI Business Students, including Richmond Sam of East Providence, Take First Place at 30th Annual Minority Business Conference

Kingston, RI - For the second year in a row, a team from the University of Rhode Island's College of Business Administration, including Richmond Sam of East Providence, R.I., won the student case competition at the 30th Annual Minority Business Conference sponsored by the Boston Metropolitan Chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants. The event was held Oct. 4.

Last year was the first time URI business students participated in -- and won -- the competition that until then had been dominated by Boston area business schools including Babson College and Bentley University. Their second win this year was even sweeter, with winning team members receiving $350 each.

"I'm really thrilled and tremendously proud of our whole team. All team members did a phenomenal job preparing for this case study competition leading URI to not only taking third place, but also securing first place for the second year in a row," said Kelechi Agwunobi, who is president of URI's NABA chapter. "The NABA executive board and I hope to continue the success in the years to come because corporate events like the Annual Minority Business Conference provide the opportunity to showcase our business talents, which are being developed at URI's College of Business."

The case study provided students with data to develop the most creative and effective plan to help a Paris-based company penetrate the African market through its subsidiary company. Student teams spent weeks developing plans considering everything from cultural differences to information technology, cost accounting and supply chain realities, to guide the company's expansion plans. In addition to Bentley and Babson, many other top New England business schools participated in the competition, including Bryant University, University of Connecticut, Salem State University, Suffolk University, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and Bridgewater State University.

The URI College of Business Administration, with more than 1,500 undergraduate students and 250 graduate students, has served as the leader in business education, research, and outreach in the State of Rhode Island and beyond since it was founded in 1923. It is the first accredited business school in Rhode Island (1969) and has the first accredited accounting program at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in the Northeast (1993).

The University of Rhode Island's pioneering research extends the University's influence well beyond its coastal borders, while its unique interdisciplinary courses provide its 16,637 undergraduate and graduate students with global opportunities in an intimate environment. In May 2014, more than 3,000 undergraduate and about 680 graduate degrees were awarded. The University now has more than 115,000 alumni worldwide.