A Case for Newark

Matthew Gentry, Alex Huey, David Mahon and Apruva Shukla smile after the announcement that their team, the Buzzer Beaters, had won the 2019 Carol A. Ammon Case Competition.

Over 33,500 people, including professionals, academics, students, business owners and more, call the city of Newark, Delaware home. For the 20th Anniversary of the Carol A. Ammon Case Competition, University of Delaware MBA students competed to make the best case for the Newark Partnership (TNP), a community coalition dedicated to the economic, cultural, aesthetic, environmental and social enhancement of the city of Newark. Students put their academic work into action, creating solutions that may impact their own Newark community.

On March 22, 2019, the three finalist teams presented their solutions to a panel of community and business leaders representing TNP. The Buzzer Beaters, a team made up of MBA students Matthew Gentry, Alex Huey, David Mahon and Apruva Shukla, took home first prize for its TNP business plan. The team gave several recommendations for TNP: strengthen college relationships, increase fundraising, diversify the TNP Board, expand business membership, heighten student enthusiasm and focus on a renewed commitment to Newark education.

The team recognized that TNP could create unique curricular opportunities for local students, such as capstone projects, to engage them in the partnership. In order to keep Newark’s large educational community involved in TNP, the Buzzer Beaters recommended adding both a college student and a local education leader to the board. Additionally, they recommended creating a kick-off event and a permanent city of Newark endowment campaign to spark community interest in fundraising for TNP.

“The [TNP] Board plans to consider and incorporate the best pieces from each of the finalists in the final business plan for the new organization,” said Valerie Lane, coordinator of the Community Engagement Initiative at UD.  

The second place team, New Boost, included Will Cottrell, Tim Huffman, Xiaoyan Qian and Bruce Wayne. Elizabeth Fasy, Abhinandan Katta, Tej Patel and Crystin Thornton made up the third place team, Lion Strategy. Video of the final round of the competition is available on the Lerner College Facebook page.

“The focus on the Newark Partnership came about as a serendipitous event,” said Katalin Takacs Haynes, associate professor of management at UD’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics and director of the Carol A. Ammon Case Competition.

While Takacs Haynes searched for a company to highlight at this year’s competition, TNP asked her to become a community liaison for the partnership. It struck Takacs Haynes that this could be the perfect fit for 20th Anniversary of the Carol A. Ammon Case Competition.

“Given the diverse array of clients the case competition has served over the past 20 years, it seemed fitting to have the theme return ‘home’ in celebration,” said Lane. “Newark is a diverse, energetic, and vibrant community and engaging our UD students seemed like a natural part of the building blocks for TNP.”

The Lerner College, TNP and the city of Newark worked in close collaboration to create the case details. A small committee composed of the mayor of Newark, Polly Sierer, as well as representatives of the Newark Partnership and Takacs Haynes, Lane, Leann Moore and Dan Rich from UD, met several times to plan the case. The committee then presented the case concept at TNP Economic Enhancement Committee meetings.

“TNP is unique because of its broad, three pillar mission, encompassing economic development, nonprofit enhancement, and civic engagement for the entire city of Newark,” Lane explained. “Historically, other organizations attempting to meet these lofty goals have not remained successful. As such, TNP leadership reached out to the Lerner College to (1) further TNP’s goal of bolstering UD-community relations and; (2) partner and capitalize on the business expertise that already exists within the community TNP aims to serve.”

When asked what made this year’s case important, Takacs Haynes said, “This is a unique case in that it is a real-world, real-time case, the best solutions of which might be put into practice in our own backyard, in Newark. Some of the solutions the MBA students provide might affect their own and their peers’ lives in real and meaningful ways.”

The Carol A. Ammon Case Competition

The Carol A. Ammon Case Competition gives graduate student teams the opportunity to create and present recommendations for a focal company. The competition enhances students’ analytical and presentation skills, expands students’ business vocabulary and exposes them to a vital audience of regional corporate leaders. The competition is made possible by the generous support of Endo Pharmaceuticals and is named for the company’s founder, Carol A. Ammon.

Lerner Graduate Student Stories: Lauren Lee

Lauren Lee, a merchandise and retail business manager in Milton, Del., is pursuing her master’s of business administration and is expected to graduate between 2026 and 2027. Lee shared why she chose to continue her studies at Lerner, and specifically about her...

CEEE Announces Fall 2024 Stock Market Game Winners

Students across Delaware gained valuable insights into investing and personal finance by competing in the 2024 Fall Stock Market Game (SMG). The top-performing teams, who demonstrated both skill and strategy, were celebrated during a virtual awards ceremony on January...

Graduate Student Stories: Trinity Moody

Trinity Moody is from New Castle, Delaware and is expected to earn her MBA in 2026. She shared why she chose Lerner to continue her studies and some memorable moments in the program. Lerner: Why did you go back to pursue your graduate degree? Why did you choose the...

Lerner College Instructor Karen McDougal Lists Tax Tips for 2025

Like it or not, tax season is upon us, and most people cringe at the thought of filing their tax returns before the Tues, April 15, 2025 deadline. Karen McDougal, accounting instructor in the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics,...

Graduate Student Stories: Taylor Bond

Taylor Bond is expected to earn his MBA in finance from Lerner in 2025. He shared why he chose to continue his studies at Lerner, and specifically about his most impactful class in the program. Lerner: Why did you go back to pursue your graduate degree? Why did you...