UMKC SIFE Team Wins Regional Competition

Release Date: Apr 15, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 14, 2009
Contact: Jason Patterson, jwpc59@umkc.edu or
Cary Clark, clarkcary@umkc.edu, 816-235-6568

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Students in Free Enterprises (SIFE) took the Championship Trophy at the Regional SIFE Competition held in Dallas, Texas on Friday, April 3. The event was one of 16 competitions held across the U.S., attended by 48 colleges and universities     Of the total 20 SIFE team members, 10 attended the competition, lead by SIFE President Gerardo Sanchez, SIFE Vice President Jason Patterson and UMKC Sam Walton Fellow/team advisor Cary Clark.

The team presented seven projects completed over the year that had an economic impact on the surrounding community. Each project met a specific criteria established by SIFE, including market economics, success skills, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, business ethics, team sustainability and environmental sustainability.     

The projects included:

• KCRideLink.com, which provides a “one stop” internet resource for Kansas City area commuting services and programs;
• SIFE Financial Times, which provided university student-written articles to area high schools for inclusion in their student newspapers;
• Battle For A Greener Earth & CFL Distribution, in which proceeds allowed the purchase of more than 1,000 energy efficient, compact florescent lamps to be provided to low-income homeowners throughout the city;
• Cocoa Bowl, which introduced college students to the world of entrepreneurship;
• A Day in the Life, which taught important financial skills to area high school students;
• Student Learning Conference, which taught important information on careers and the economy to fifth and sixth grade students;
• and Business Ethics Seminar, which examined the importance of business ethics.  

The presentation was followed by a challenging question and answer session from a panel of 12 managers and corporate executives from various companies across the United States. “The UMKC SIFE team truly has an entrepreneurial spirit,” says Patterson. “Our team consists of creative minds from across all disciplines, including accounting, dentistry, engineering, psychology, medicine, communications, chemistry, pre-law, entrepreneurship, management, finance, and human resources.”    

With the regional win, the SIFE team will now advance to the SIFE National Competition in Philadelphia, May 10-12. If the team wins the National Competition, they will go on to compete at the World Cup in Berlin. 

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SIFE is a global non-profit organization active in over 40 countries. Their primary goal is to create economic opportunities for others through education. For more information please visit umkcsife.com, sife.org.

The Henry W. Bloch School of Business and Public Administration at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) is Kansas City’s only institution fully-accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB) and the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA). The Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation is part of the Henry W. Bloch School of Business and Public Administration at the University of Missouri-Kansas Cityand provides an educational experience that combines the best academic programs with exciting entrepreneurial experiences, connecting students to business leaders and scholars, and providing hands-on experiences in visualizing and designing new enterprises.