Bechtold, Cathey, DeGeorge, and Swift Take Capstone Cup Gold

Hasbro is home to some of the biggest names in toys and games including Monopoly, Marvel, and Star Wars, but succeeding in the toy industry is no easy task. The company is in need of a new way forward that beats the competition and gains them a sustainable competitive advantage. That’s where the UNO CBA Capstone Cup finalists come in.

On December 13, seniors pitched recommendations to business professionals from the local community in the Capstone Cup. This competition is a unique challenge - each semester, students are placed in the role of a consulting firm and asked to analyze and develop recommendations to a complex business problem for a real company. Working under pressure, the teams build and give a presentation that incorporates their analyses and recommendations.

This semester, it was seniors Jadyn Bechtold, Josh Cathey, Olivia DeGeorge, and Miranda Swift that took the gold. Their recommendation that Hasbro create a strategic partnership with Penguin Random House LLC earned them first place, a 55” 4K Ultra HD Smart TV, a $60 Netflix gift card, and a Hasbro strategy game.

Coming in second were Emma Baker, Jared Ohlmann, Brandy Stephenson, and Parker Wren. The two other finalist teams included Neil Bock, Keith Botkin, Charles Brzezinski, Marisol Hernandez, Rose Hnem, Kyle Keener, Shannon Spulak, and Garrett Uecker.

Also wrapping up on December 13 was the Capstone Cup poster competition, where Mackenzie Jung took the first place sponsors’ pick and Quynh Phan and Chloe Tran won first place popular vote.

This real-time professional development challenge completes the students’ 16-week undergraduate capstone strategy course. Congratulations to all of these impressive competitors!