For the second year in a row, a University of Georgia MBA team took first prize at the School Challenge case competition sponsored by the Atlanta chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties.
Four Terry College of Business students beat teams from Emory, Georgia Tech and Georgia State to capture the $10,000 grand prize. The win is the 10th for the Georgia MBA program, tying Emory’s record for most first-place finishes in the competition’s 25-year history.
To win, the Georgia team provided the best solution to a case that required the students to suggest suitable properties for a 1,000-employee firm planning to move to Atlanta.
“The team’s presentation showed the amount of thought and research they gave the case,” said Anne Cooper, team advisor and director of MBA student experience at UGA. “What I liked most about their solution is that, while they solved the real estate riddle, they never lost sight of the business case—that a publicly traded company must deliver shareholder value in every decision it makes. That’s what made the case for their recommendation.”
The Georgia team consisted of students Matt Green, Josh Williams, Cody Hughes and Peter Farag, with assistance from faculty advisor Rich Martin, associate professor of real estate, and industry coaches Jay O’Meara of CBRE and Andy Kroll of Trimont Real Estate Advisors, both alumni of the Terry College.
The student team receives $7,500 from NAIOP, and $2,500 will be donated to the Terry College’s Real Estate Program.