A team of DePaul University MBA students was chosen as one of 10 finalists in the Thunderbird School of Global Management’s Sustainable Innovation Summit, an annual business school competition that attracted 138 team entrants from all over the world.

DePaul’s group—Kevin Down, Justin Henderson, Jeff Peyton, Marco Salazar and Reginald Stevens—battled teams from 47 universities in 11 countries to participate in the finals, which concluded Nov. 15 in Glendale, Ariz. The contest required students to propose an innovative business solution—such as an idea for a product or service, brand reinvention, international development breakthrough or process improvement—that will help grow sales and profits in a socially responsible manner with minimal negative long-term environmental impact.

Although the DePaul students did not take first place, Ray Whittington, dean of the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business, said the team’s ability make the top 10 in a very competitive worldwide competition reflects the high quality of DePaul’s MBA students and the practical education they receive. “Sustainability is becoming an integral part of business decisions at all types of companies,” he observed. “This competition gave students a valuable opportunity to use what they’ve learned at DePaul to propose ideas that support socially responsible, environmentally sustainable business practices.”

Teams in the final round addressed two real-life challenges presented by sponsoring global corporations Johnson & Johnson and EcoVerdance. EcoVerdance asked them to propose the best model for implementing a for-profit business that addresses food security in Sub-Sahara Africa, carbon dioxide reduction capability and nitrogen runoff issues. Johnson & Johnson asked students to suggest strategies that would enable the company’s pharmaceutical business units in China to attract, develop and retain a diverse and vibrant pool of leaders who will advance the health care and well being of local communities in the country.

For the second year in a row, a team of graduate students from Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies took the top prize of $20,000 and the title “Global Champions of Sustainable Innovation.” All participants in the final round—including members of DePaul’s team—received 1,000 shares of EcoVerdance stock, a surprise gift from the company’s executives.

The contest, which began in August, was tough but rewarding, DePaul competitor Jeff Peyton said. “It was a lot of work, including one short case analysis to qualify for the championship round and two longer case analyses in the final round.  To succeed, we needed to bring together research on each of the sponsoring companies and each of their challenges. In the end, our research spanned marketing, sales and human resources practices in three industries and spanning three continents.

“Coursework helped hone our conceptual and analytical skills, and Kellstadt's additional focus on practical soft skills—including team building and presentation skills—gave us an edge over the competition,” he added. Peyton said the team, all first-year MBA students, learned from the feedback they received and may compete again next year.

Besides the DePaul and John Hopkins teams, finalists included three teams from Thunderbird, one of which won second prize, and one team each from Queens School of Business in Canada (which won third prize), Arizona State University, University of Phoenix, University of Wuppertal in Germany and Northeastern University in Massachusetts. The finalists traveled to Thunderbird’s Arizona campus to present their proposals Nov. 13-15. 

Angel Cabrera, president of Thunderbird, said the competition succeeds in providing “students and companies around the world a venue to demonstrate that innovation and sustainability can be integrated in ways that simultaneously create social, environmental and business value.”