Twenty-three students from 11 universities gathered on DePaul University’s Lincoln Park Campus for a week in April to participate in the 3M Frontline Challenge, a collegiate sales competition sponsored by 3M and DePaul’s Sales Leadership Program.

The students, all 3M sales interns, formed two teams that were challenged to package simple products into a value-added concept and sell the products to college students on DePaul’s Chicago campuses. Both teams independently decided to sell products tied to charities. A three-judge panel of executives chose the winner based on total sales and other factors of good salesmanship.

To benefit the AIDS Foundation, the winning team launched “Think Red” to sell red apples with crimson ribbons attached to awareness-raising facts about the worldwide AIDS epidemic. The second team sold colorful packs of snacks and candy, with proceeds benefiting the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Each team started with $500 in capital to launch their “businesses.” "At the conclusion of the competition, both teams had learned a first-hand lesson about product creation and sales, earned enough to return their capital, and donated nearly $1,000 to the two charities combined," said David Hoffmeister, a management executive-in-residence, who directs DePaul's Sales Leadership Program.

Photo 1.

Caption: Students on the “Think Red” team that won the 3M Frontline sales competition pose for a team photo. From left to right, back row: Dominique Bradford (University of Houston), Kyle Bucher (Indiana University), Camiel Irving (Xavier University) and Maria Rutkowski (University of Toledo); left to right, front row: Shannon Schottler (College of St. Catherine), Michelle Wilken (College of St. Catherine), Sarah Dunn (North Carolina Central University), Terrica Wilson (Southern University), Amy Abendschein (Baylor University) and Angela LaRosa (DePaul University). Not pictured: Randall Ellington (North Carolina A&T).

Photo 2.

Caption: Three students competing in the 3M DePaul Frontline sales contest sell snack packs to benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Pictured behind the table are: Katie MacGill (Indiana University), Jenny Hosty (DePaul University) and Britni Skoda (DePaul University).