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*
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