A team of students from Willamette University won first place overall at the 62nd annual International Collegiate Business Strategy Competition (ICBSC), beating out teams from schools across the country. The journey to victory took a group of students through the rigors of business management at the highest levels, putting all of the interdisciplinary elements of a Willamette education to the test.
The team of undergraduates — Zoe Place BA’26, Sasha Dmitrichuk BA/BS’26, Gazi Shuraim Niloy BS’28, Joshua Torres BA’27, and Jennifer Arreola BS/MS’26 — acted as C-suite executives, leading a simulated manufacturing company. In recognition of the team’s leadership and application of strategic thinking, Willamette was awarded first place in Overall Performance, first place for Best Presentations, and runner-up for Best Documents.
10-week remote phase culminates in intensive onsite finals in Anaheim
The ICBSC is the longest-running and most comprehensive business simulation event in the world. Student teams from universities across the globe compete in undergraduate or MBA "worlds," where they take over the management of simulated manufacturing companies against competing firms. The simulation began with a ten-week remote phase, challenging students to make decisions about their business across production, marketing, finance, and human resources. The students made high-pressure decisions over multiple simulated years, demonstrating their mastery of business disciplines and their ability to adapt to changing conditions. Then, the students traveled to Anaheim, California, for three days of intense competition, defending their strategy in front of a panel of judges made up of industry leaders.
Reflecting the multifaceted challenges of managing a complex organization, Willamette’s team represented a variety of majors, including Economics, Business, Global Cultural Studies, Data Science, and Psychology. Torres, who acted as the team’s Chief Marketing Officer, found that the diverse backgrounds and interdisciplinary expertise of the students were key to the team’s success.
“Having students from three different schools at Willamette — the Atkinson Graduate School of Management, Willamette College, and the School of Computing & Information Sciences — meant every decision was stress-tested through multiple lenses,” Torres said.
Along the way, the students were guided by Associate Professor of Finance Gilbert Park. Place, who acted as the team’s CEO, praised Park for his hands-on mentorship.
“Our success as a team and simulated company I attribute to Professor Park as an incredible mentor. He represents humility, hard work, and kindness,” Place said.
A test of collaboration and strategic thinking
The competition exemplified the experiential approach to management that Willamette University teaches throughout its undergraduate business major and MBA programs. For Park, the competition is an example of turning knowledge into action through the application of collaboration and strategic thinking.
“A key benefit of this project is that students see the direct impact of their leadership decisions,” Park said. “They learn to navigate team dynamics by collaborating with peers who have diverse skills, interests, and perspectives. Furthermore, students hone their professional communication skills by engaging both with their team members and with external industry professionals acting as judges.”
Beyond the opportunity to put their business acumen to the test, the competitors took away important lessons in collaboration. While each student specialized in one area, such as research or marketing, the group had to make unified decisions. They then presented their results and recommendations to the judging panel as a cohesive unit.
“My teammates and I agree that this competition has been the most valuable and in-depth business experience we have had at Willamette,” said Dmitrichuk, who acted as the team’s Chief Strategy Officer. “The simulation is rigorous, demanding a caliber of teamwork that pushes students to work under pressure and make effective management-level decisions.”
“This was one of the most rewarding undertakings of my undergraduate career,” said Arreola, who acted as the team’s Chief Research Officer. “I had the privilege of working alongside dedicated, open individuals who were eager to grow and take on new challenges, and I'll carry our team dynamic with me as a blueprint for what a successful team truly looks like.”
