University News

Supply Chain Major Attends Leadership Summit

November 13, 2015

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MACOMB, IL - Western Illinois University junior supply chain management major Sarah Sikula attended the Beta Gamma Sigma (BGS) Global Leadership Summit Nov. 5-8 in Florida with the help of a sponsorship from the WIU College of Business and Technology. She also took part in a case competition during the event, in which her group was named a category winner.

Sikula, of Weston, OH, is the vice president of the WIU chapter of BGS, an international honor society serving business programs accredited by AACSB International - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

Three-hundred students from universities around the world attended the Global Leadership Summit. Sikula said the conference was "an empowering experience I will never forget."

"The students who attended were known as the 'best in the business,'" said Sikula. "The first two days of the summit were packed with many speakers who talked about the importance of defining your strengths and using them to be a great leader and team member."

Conference speakers included Pete Ruppe, the senior vice president of Under Armor, and the final two days of the conference were dedicated to the group case competitions.

"The 300 students who attended the conference were split up into teams of about nine people," said Sikula. " My group was given a case where we were asked to create a business plan to introduce a new vehicle, owned by a German company, into the U.S. market. My group spent countless hours brainstorming and formulating a plan that would make us successful."

Sikula said her competition group focused on using the strengths of each of its members to utilize its assets. She was then chosen to present the group's results to the judges before the group was awarded a medal and a certificate for winning the international company U.S. expansion category.

"I am so thankful for having the opportunity to learn more about myself as a leader and the strengths that make me successful," said Sikula. "It was an honor to represent WIU's Beta Gamma Sigma chapter at such a prestigious event."

Membership in BGS is the highest recognition a business student anywhere in the world can receive in an accredited business program. BGS inductees are honored for their academic achievement and acknowledged as leaders who embody superior levels of personal and professional excellence.

Since 1988, WIU has recognized more than 1,400 of its students as inductees into BGS. The WIU chapter is recognized as a chapter of distinction with the Beta Gamma Sigma Bronze Key in Stipes Hall.

For more information about WIU's College of Business and Technology, visit wiu.edu/cbt.

Posted By: Jodi Pospeschil (JK-Pospeschil@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing