Food marketing students make fourth top showing
Nov. 5, 2003
KALAMAZOO -- Maintaining an impressive four-year record, a trio of Western Michigan University students has earned top honors in an international competition.
The students, who are all seniors in WMU's Food Marketing Program in the Haworth College of Business, captured second place in an international case competition sponsored by the Food Distribution Research Society. Judd Easton of Lawrence, Mich., and Kristin Zollner and Aaron Hook, both of Battle Creek, Mich., bested competitors from around the United States and Canada with their plan to help Texas supermarket chain H-E-B survive in an increasingly competitive market. The Oct. 26-27 event was held in Biloxi, Miss.
Dr. Ron Larson, assistant professor of marketing, was the team's coach. He noted that the students developed particularly creative options to appeal to the Hispanic market in Texas, which impressed the team of food industry experts that judged the final round of competition.
WMU teams earned second place in the event in 2002 and 2001, and third place in 2000, which was the first year of the competition.
Media contact: Jessica English, 269 387-8400, jessica.english@wmich.edu