Thomas College students win top management awards at SAM event

WATERVILLE — A team of Thomas College students won top awards at the Society for the Advancement for Management Conference in Orlando, Fla. recently. The society is the premier, and oldest, business management organization in the U.S.

The Thomas College team included Kerri Abbot, of Starks; Kaitlyn Rourke, of Lewiston; Amanda Landry, of Madison; Alyssa Joubert, of Methuen, Mass. and Emma Dimock, of Madison. They won multiple awards in SAM’s Open Division, consisting of both undergraduate and graduate students from across the country.
The team placed first in the Case study competition, where they were responsible for analyzing the current business situation faced by the Hard Rock Café and then presenting their recommendations for the company to move forward. The team also placed first in the Knowledge Bowl, and second for overall recognition among the business programs at the conference. The team competed against other major business programs from colleges such as Florida State University and the New England Institute of Technology.
“Our student team showed that Thomas College provides an education that allows our students to compete with anyone in the country,” said Rick Saucier, professor of marketing at Thomas College and the team’s advisor. “The team members thoroughly impressed the judges of the national competitions and the professional members who attended the conference.”
The team’s travel funding was supported by the Harold Alfond Institute for Business Innovation at Thomas College.

PHOTO: From left, Kerri Abbott, of Starks; Kaitlyn Rourke, of Lewiston; Amanda Landry, of Madison; Alyssa Joubert, of Methuen, Mass.; Emma Dimock, of Madison; Rick Saucier, Thomas College professor of marketing. (Submitted photo)