Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

SAU Enterprise Team Finishes First Runner-Up

The Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia recently finished as first runners-up in the Rich Foods league at the Hallmark Cards SIFE International Exposition and Career Fair. The event was held May 21-23 in Kansas City, Mo.

A total of 22 business students from SAU brought back the national award along with $1,000. It was the first time a SIFE team from SAU had ever won on the national level.

"I'm really proud of their accomplishments," said Darlene Tickle, instructor of business at Southern Arkansas University and advisor for the SAU SIFE team. "They worked hard and spent a lot of time on their projects. They were really excited to be the first team from SAU to place at the International Exposition."

At the international event the SAU team was matched against more than 1,800 students on more than 150 teams from across the United States and from around the world, including Albania, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

To reach the national level of competition teams first had to win one of the regional or national competitions held around the world. The SAU team won at the exposition held in Memphis, Tenn., in April.

During the international competition SIFE teams presented 24-minute multimedia summaries of the educational outreach projects that they developed and implemented throughout the year. More than 350 of the nation's top business and community leaders judged the presentations.

Keynote speakers at the SIFE International Exposition were Jack Kahl, CEO of Manco Inc., Robert E. Rich Jr., president of Rich Products Corp., and Jack Shewmaker, executive consultant of J-COM Inc.

SAU students participating in the event were Traci Hughes of Prescott; Stephen Collier, Kelli Waller and Alvin McGowan from Magnolia; Cory Hunter from McNeil; April Cummings from Stamps; Joel Parrish and Roxie Bell from Camden; Jennifer Hanry from El Dorado; Crystal Mauney from Norphlet; Wes McDougald from Crossett; Cathy Littlefield and Robbie Stavely from Nashville; LaVaughn Harden from Rison; Dewayne Burkett from Pine Bluff; Dustin Osborne from Bryant; and Toby Williams from Marked Tree.

Also competing in the event were Rachel Jones from Douglasville, Texas; Kris Laster from Atlanta, Texas; Paula Daniels from Dallas, Texas; Susawn Phillips from Paris, Texas; and Vidette Pires from the United Arab Emirates.

"The students worked hard all year long on community service projects and economic education," said Tickle, who was named a Sam M. Walton Free Enterprise Fellow in recognition of her leadership and support of the SIFE program at SAU. "This team really made a difference in our community. It was great to finish the year with a victory in Kansas City."