Premium ContentMouse over Home then click on Premium Content for information.About 40 graduate business students from Creighton University, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the University of Nebraska at Omaha are competing for cash prizes in a new contest that simulates the real world of corporate finance.
The Association for Corporate Growth of Nebraska is sponsoring its first "ACG Cup" competition, which is open to the public, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Feb. 2 on each campus: Creighton's Harper Center at 602 N. 20th St., UNL's Nebraska Union at 1400 R St. and UNO's Mammel Hall, 6708 Pine St.
Teams of three to five students received information Monday about a fictional company, based on a real-world case history, and are analyzing the company from the perspective of a possible merger, acquisition or investment. They will present their analysis during the evening sessions to a panel of mergers-and-acquisitions professionals acting as judges.
The 15- to 20-minute presentations to judges are similar to presentations that would be made to an investment group or a board of directors considering an acquisition or merger, said Pam Peterson, planning chairman of the Nebraska event.
Winning teams from each campus will analyze information from a second case history and compete March 1 at the UNO Thompson Center, also from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., for $5,000 cash and a traveling trophy, plus $2,500 for second place and $1,000 for third place.
Nationally, about 100 universities nationwide take part in annual regional competitions on the same dates and using the same company information, sponsored by the association's chapters around the country, Peterson said. This is the first year for the Nebraska competition. Other universities nearby may be invited to compete next year.
Besides the prizes, Peterson said, the students learn skills that can help them when they graduate. "It's also exposure to senior-level executives that students typically never have," she said. UNO started a new course in business analysis that is geared toward the ACG competition.
The competition also helps build connections between the universities and their business communities, she said.
Chairmen of the Nebraska event are William Gerber, chief financial officer of TD Ameritrade; Michael Hupp, a partner at the Koley Jessen law firm; and Bryan Slone, managing partner of Deloitte's Omaha office.
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