Interdisciplinary WVU students win the Race to the Case Competition

From left to right: Robert Gianniny (Statler College), Megan Garvey (Statler College), Sean King (Chambers College), and Jeremy Ferguson (Chambers College). 

For West Virginia University’s supply chain management competition team, victory smells sweet bringing the Race to the Case crown back to Morgantown for the fifth time.

Story by Tara Heffernan, Multi-Media Specialist
Submitted Photo

Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

Megan Garvey and Robert Gianniny, industrial engineering students in the Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, and Jeremy Ferguson and Sean King, global supply chain management students in the Chambers College of Business and Economics, landed first place in the 8th Annual Supply Chain Management Race to the Case competition at the University of Pittsburgh, taking home the $3,000 top prize.

The Race to the Case competition is modeled after the Emmy award-winning television show “The Amazing Race” and requires business and engineering students to work together in order to compete. The competition presents real-world situations to the students, who race between locations on the University of Pittsburgh campus as they solve problems and present their solutions to the judges at the final destination.

The interdisciplinary WVU team competed against teams from the University of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University, Carnegie Mellon University and many others.

The case was based on a structural steel manufacturer in need of recommendations on how to prepare for an increase in production. All teams compete in rounds one and two, but only the top three teams continue to the final round. In that final round, the three teams have 30 minutes each to create a presentation solving a final challenge.

“I was most excited to pair my knowledge of industrial engineering with a multidisciplinary team that demanded quick thinking, creativity and a little bit of speed when physically racing between rounds,” said Robert Gianniny, a senior industrial engineering student.

Creative problem-solving, critical thinking, compelling story telling, teamwork and strong leadership are all skills necessary to win the competition. Each case requires various knowledge of operations, material handling and many industrial engineering concepts.

“For me, this award is an exceptional testament to how well the Statler College has prepared students for their future careers,” says Gianniny. “I was able to leverage leadership experiences in a cross-functional team to demonstrate how high performing teams operate, and ultimately, how they win. In short, I was extremely excited to continue WVU's tradition of winning in this competition.”

“Throughout my time at Statler, I have grown as an individual and as a future engineer,” said Megan Garvey, a senior industrial engineering student. “Particularly in the IE department, we have amazing faculty that bend over backward to get their students the resources they need to be successful. The coursework provided has given me the skills I need to be equally innovative and people oriented. This competition highlighted content from several different classes I've taken over the last few years.”

After graduation, Robert Gianniny will become an associate at Boston Consulting Group in their Pittsburgh office. Megan Garvey plans to move to Washington, D.C. post-graduation to pursue a position in project management.

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