PBL places at nationals

Weber State University took home eight top-10 spots in the 2011 Phi Beta Lamdba National Tournament held in Orlando, Fla.

The conference, themed “Gateway to Greatness,” took place at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Orlando, Fla., on June 22-27.

“This leadership conference gave PBL members a unique opportunity to compete against other qualifying state winners and elect national officers, participate in unique leadership experiences, and attend workshops and presentations that help enhance local chapter management and recruitment,” said PBL adviser Angie Christensen.

Out of the 12 students who attended the conference, eight were ranked in the top 10 of their categories, while five out of the 10 took home one of the top three trophies. The winners announced and selected on June 26 by the PBL’s broad membership of 250,000 students and advisers.

Samantha Casey and Tylor Turnbom took first in the category of Business Ethics, Yifan Zhou placed second in Statistical Analysis, Akhaphone Singta took third in Networking Concepts, Casey Stettler placed fifth in Microeconomics, and Mike Dunkley placed sixth in Future Business Teacher. Stettler also placed seventhalongside Landon Sandburg, who placed third in Economic Analysis and Decision-Making.

“The conference also provided members with opportunities to network with other business students across the country and meet with peers that will soon be entering the business world,” Christensen stated.

Christensen said WSU has had a history in of placing well in these events, showing the high quality of the business classes offered at WSU.

In 2010, the WSU National PBL team showed up and took home 14 top-10 trophies. Some of the students returned this year and improved their standings. Last year, Casey took second in Business Ethics and seventh in Desktop Publishing. Singta also placed fifth in Networking Design and ninth in Database Design and Applications, while Dunkley took second in Business Ethics and seventh in Desktop Publishing.

Phi Beta Lambda is a nonprofit education association of students preparing for careers in business or business-related fields. The PBL club is a collegiate arm of Future Business Leaders of America. In order to be a member, a WSU student must have taken at least one business course.

The program offers students the ability to receive scholarships, leadership skills, good citizenship, network with professionals in the field, financial management skills, talk confidently with prospective employers, and test their business skills at state and national competitions.

Phi Beta Lambda is open to any student in any major who is interested in joining. This year’s group of students comes from a wide variety of majors, ranging from visual arts and business administration, to economics and telecommunications.

PBL sponsors the competitive program each year. With more than 50 different event categories, the students’ state teams and local chapters earn a chance to complete and go to the national tournament by placing first or second at the state level.

The first-place team received $1,000, and the second- and third-place students each received $100.