FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 20, 2020
Contact: Jason Hogue, Director of Marketing and Communications, 402-872-2429

Peru, Nebraska –  Peru State College had 24 students compete in the virtual 2020-2021 Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) State Leadership Conference. Peru State’s PBL chapter earned 57 top-eight awards including nine first place finishes this year and four chapter awards. This year the competition was carried out remotely due to the current global health crisis.

Dr. Sheri Grotrian, professor of business and Peru State’s PBL advisor, writes, “This year, due to the pandemic, Nebraska Phi Beta Lambda needed to be innovative in taking their annual state leadership competition online via Zoom.”

“From the advisor perspective, we all felt it was important to try and get the event to still be held one way or the other for the students’ sake. In my communication with our group of students, I explained to treat this as they would any other competition, and in fact, this was going to be a test-run at some experiences they may encounter in their futures when working with organizations that have locations across the globe—and technology is how people continue to be brought together."

“In the end, it was a valuable experience, and I believe students were grateful for the opportunity to still compete. I loved seeing first-hand how the students persevered in this time of uncertainty and once again performed at a high level against students from across the state.”

The top two, in production or performance events, or three, in objective tests, places in each event are automatically eligible to compete at the National Leadership Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, in late June.

Students can compete in only two events at nationals, and since Peru State has several students who have automatically qualified, other students may move up in the standings as participants decide which events they will enter.

Chapter Awards

The Peru State College PBL chapter was again recognized with a Gold Level Excellence Award. Gold Level Excellence is the highest level possible and shows that the chapter contributed to regional and national conferences, PBL public relations, community service, and fundraising. Peru State was similarly recognized in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Individual Events

* indicates automatic qualifier to Nationals in this event

Ashli Becker (Yankton, SD)
2nd place – Cyber Security*
2nd place – Project Management*
3rd place – Entrepreneurship Concepts*
3rd place – Retail Management*
4th place – Marketing Concepts
6th place – Management Concepts

Stacy Bohlken
7th place – Contemporary Sports Issues
8th place – Sports Management & Marketing

Dawn Castle (Imperial, Neb.)
2nd place – Sales Presentation*
4th place – Future Business Executive
6th place – Client Services

Rozlyn Cole (Wymore, Neb.)
2nd place – Future Business Executive*
Who’s Who in NE PBL

Azlyn Fendrick (Lincoln, Neb.)
4th place – Business Communication

Chris Giittinger (Nebraska City, Neb.)
7th place - Microeconomics

Sara Granfors (Seward, Neb.)
5th place – Insurance Concepts

Austin Guhde-Egger (Auburn, Neb.)
1st place – Computer Applications*
1st place – Network Design*
1st place – Networking Concepts*
2nd place – Computer Concepts*
2nd place – Programming Concepts*
3rd place – Cyber Security*
Elected to be 2020-2021 Nebraska PBL Vice President of Technology

Spencer Kerwin (Omaha, Neb.)
2nd place – Help Desk*

Tory Lamkins (Union, Neb.)
3rd place – Business Communication
5th place – Organizational Behavior & Leadership

Kelsi Leininger (Essex, Iowa)
1st place – Organizational Behavior & Leadership*
3rd place – Job Interview

Meredie Ludwig (Nebraska City, Neb.)
2nd place – Future Business Educator*
6th place – Statistical Analysis
Who’s Who in NE PBL

Destiny Maguire (Greenwood, Neb.)
4th place – Retail Management

Kayla Myers (Sydney, Iowa)
1st place – Future Business Educator*
4th place – Statistical Analysis
5th place - Microeconomics

Emily Oestmann (Johnson, Neb.)
2nd place – Desktop Publishing*
Who’s Who in NE PBL

Michael Okpalefe (Mableton, Ga.)
2nd place – Networking Concepts*
4th place – Information Management
6th place – Computer Concepts
8th place – Entrepreneurship Concepts

Nancy Ramirez (Tecumseh, Neb.)
1st place – Cyber Security*
4th place – Human Resource Management

Reannah Rinchich (Syracuse, Neb.)
5th place – Information Management
7th place – Computer Concepts
7th place – Retail Management

Jacey Sutton (Wahoo, Neb.)
5th place – Job Interview
7th place – Organizational Behavior & Leadership

Noah Wynn (Auburn, Neb.)
2nd place – Sports Management & Marketing*
7th place – Financial Concepts

Team Events

Hunter Brodersen (Omaha), Azlyn Fendrick & Velma Hauck (Fremont, NE)
2nd place – Marketing Analysis & Decision Making*

Dawn Castle & Kelsi Leininger
2nd place – Human Resource Management*
3rd place – Business Presentation

Rozlyn Cole, Chris Giittinger, Kayle Myers & Reannah Rinchich
1st place – Parliamentary Procedure*

Rozlyn Cole & Tyler Harms (Falls City, Neb.)
2nd place – Emerging Business Issues*

Rozlyn Cole & Velma Hauck
1st place – Integrated Marketing Campaign*

Rozlyn Cole (& Diego Korol, a student from York College)
2nd place – Business Sustainability*

Sara Granfors & Tory Lamkins
2nd place – Hospitality Management*

Tyler Harms & Noah Wynn
1st place – Business Decision Making*

Tyler Harms, Spencer Kerwin & Noah Wynn
2nd place – Management Analysis & Decision Making*

# # #