Bradley Business Students Win National Award

Students from Bradley University's Foster College of Business won 3rd place in the Undergraduate Comprehensive category at the 45th Annual Small Business Institute (SBI) National Conference. This is the fourth consecutive year Bradley students have earned recognition from the SBI.

During the conference, projects of universities from across the country were evaluated by a diverse panel of judges. Bradley's winning project was a result of the college's senior consulting project, a 16-week program completed by a team of four to six business students. Student teams include a mix of accounting, business, economics, entrepreneurship, finance, and management and leadership disciplines. The teams serve as business consultants for a company to help develop a strategic plan.

Bradley's winning team consisted of Morgan Weeks, Spencer Keske, Krystyna Nedza, Jake Percefull, Javier Magana and Jenice Brown. Led by management and leadership instructor George Burek, the students consulted with Raber Meat Packing in Peoria, IL.

Burek emphasized the significance of this year's award. "Not only do we have Top 3 Finishers for four consecutive years but from among hundreds of colleges and universities across the country, we also boast three National Project of the Year First Place Awards during that timespan," he said. "We definitely have a trend going on, and this year's recognition feels particularly special, given the challenges academia as well as small businesses have faced during this global pandemic."