Passionate. Professional. Determined. These are just some of the words used to describe MBA students Andrew Orsborn, Dana Burke-Bouzane, Krista Fowlow and Steve Melamed. This team of four made it to the semi-finals of the 2007 John Molson MBA International Case Competition in Montreal, the world's oldest and most prestigious academic business competition.

In the 26 year history of the competition, held earlier this month, Memorial’s MBA students have earned more first place finishes and accolades than any other school. Memorial’s 2007 team has built on that reputation, bringing the total number of appearances in the semi-final round to 16 and keeping the record for most matches won.

Memorial’s team had a 5-0 record going into the semifinals, with an overall score 37 points higher then the nearest competitor. This earned the team a cash prize and a standing ovation at the final banquet.

“Going undefeated in the round-robin was really gratifying. Other teams, judges and coaches made a point of coming up to tell us that they liked our strategy and rationale and some coaches gave us some feedback on how to improve in the future,” said Steve Melamed. “I think that says a lot about the whole experience; it’s a competition but at the end, every team should go home a bit better than they were before.”

“Going in I was a bit intimidated about competing against the top business schools, but our coaches told us we could do it," added team member Krista Fowlow. "After we watched them, I realized that we are at that level and we can compete against them.”

In addition to a strong skill set and diverse experiences, Memorial’s team also had the support of the local business community. There is a strong network of past competition participants and business leaders who lent their time and expertise to the team as they practiced for the big event.

"We practiced every weekend, sometimes twice a weekend, and judges from the community came in and grilled us,” said Ms. Fowlow. “When we got to the competition we had spent so much time working on cases that we were prepared for anything they threw at us. People were surprised at how much we were able to cover in our presentations and I think it’s a testament to the calibre of education we get at Memorial.”

Mr. Melamed explained further: “We used the theories we learned in courses and through our practice we refined our style to be more like consultants. We didn’t try to fit companies and problems into theories -- we looked for strategies and solutions that worked for each particular case.”

Ms. Peggy Coady, acting associate dean of academic programs in the Faculty of Business and member of Memorial’s 1996 winning team, coached this year’s team.

“In the past number of years, the competition has become more intense. Schools are taking the competition very seriously and putting in a lot of preparation,” she said. “I am very proud of our students, they performed well under pressure and their professionalism, passion and credibility was noted by many participants and judges. They were excellent ambassadors for Memorial.

“Going from participant to coach is like going full-circle. When people participate in this competition, they almost always want to continue their involvement and Memorial case team alumni, like Shelley King, Brad Wicks and Doug Youden, among others, are always very supportive acting as practice judges for the current team.”

Ms. Fowlow credits the competition with improving her business skills. "Participating in this competition has improved my presentation skills, decision making ability, and ability to work as a part of a team. I would recommend this experience to anybody who is willing to work hard and try something new.”

Mr. Melamed agreed. "The bottom line is that every MBA student should try out. This is the experience of a lifetime," he added.