Business Students Compete in American Marketing Association Competition Friday, April 14, 2017
Point Park business students Noel Knostman and Bradley Calleja
School of Business students from SAEM Assistant Professor Paige Beal's Principles of Marketing class competed in the Fourth Annual American Marketing Association Pittsburgh Collegiate Marketing Competition April 7 at Robert Morris University.
The competition assignment was to create a retail marketing plan for PPG Paints stores in the Pittsburgh region.
Bradley Calleja, Kelsey Fusch, Cory Grimes and Noel Knostman developed the marketing plan, and Calleja and Knostman presented it at the competition.
"I learned a lot regarding the intricacies of marketing and how to put together a quality plan that could potentially be used by a company such as PPG Paints. Professionally, the competition was a great opportunity to network with top marketing executives from companies such as UPMC, MedExpress and MARC USA," explained Calleja, an accounting and business management double major from Sharpsville Area High School in Sharpsville, Pa.
In 2013, Beal created the committee (and has led it since), that founded the AMA Pittsburgh Collegiate Competition, which brings together marketing professionals and undergraduate students from throughout the region.
As co-vice president of the AMA Pittsburgh Chapter, Beal helped recruit the following professionals to judge the competition:
- Paul Carbone, sales and marketing director of UPMC Health Plan
- Angela Churchill, director of marketing for Comcast Business
- Donna Evans, public relations consultant
- Michelle Fuscaldo, management supervisor of MARC USA
- Josh Gmys, president of American Marketing Association, Pittsburgh Chapter
- Shawn Graham, founder of Deep Varnish
- Pam Koren, marketing director for McDonald's
- Joe Leachko, environments director, Derse Exhibits and StudioMe
- Shea Murtaugh, president of Hoffman Murtaugh
- Steven Sarfin, vice president of marketing for MedExpress
- Beth Vukmir, vice president/strategy director for The Gatesman Agency
"It was an astounding, collaborative student-focused effort combining the American Marketing Association Pittsburgh, seven universities, PPG Paints and 11 marketing professionals donating their time as judges," Beal said.
Calleja added: "Marketing is an important part of any firm's business plan. Having a strong knowledge base on the marketing side of business is invaluable."
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