The University of Nebraska–Lincoln captured first place at the fourth annual Tenaska Business Challenge, hosted by the College of Business, where 21 teams from 15 universities competed to solve a real-world business case in 48 hours. This year’s challenge focused on natural gas pricing and supply issues following a major winter storm.
"Energy is critical for our contemporary world, and the challenges behind it are more complex than most people realize. Critical thinking and collaboration are really at the heart of this case that our team at Tenaska Marketing Ventures developed," said Justin Vala, senior vice president of engineering and construction at Tenaska, a leading U.S. energy company ranked by Forbes magazine among the largest privately held U.S. companies.
The Nebraska team, made up of students from the Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management, included Landen Fogle, a senior computer science and finance major from Omaha; Lena Lankas, a senior computer science and mathematics major from Lincoln; Nathan Ray, a senior supply chain management major from Omaha; and Mia Siner, a senior accounting, computer science and finance major from Leawood, Kansas.
The team’s solution balanced cost stability and risk reduction for customers while improving communication and long-term planning. Judges also noted the team’s ability to integrate financial, operational and customer-focused strategies into a cohesive recommendation.
“It really comes back to being customer-focused,” Ray said. “That influenced our entire design and how we built our solution.”
Robert Laramie, director of innovation at Tenaska Marketing Ventures and a mentor for the competition, said the team stood out for their approach to a complex problem.
“Most problems that we’re dealing with in the real world are not always just one thing,” Laramie said. “There are multiple things, and to bring a solution that weaves those together is what we like to see.”
Team members divided responsibilities across finance, marketing and analysis, then unified their work into a single strategy.
“There was a theme and a consensus throughout the entire presentation,” Fogle said. “It wasn’t three individual plans. It was one cohesive solution.”
The group regularly competes individually and together in case competitions and collaborates as entrepreneurs. Fogle, Lankas and Siner participate in the Nebraska Entrepreneurship Accelerator with their startups: DineU, TeachFront and Creevo, respectively.
"It's a fun opportunity to bring together all our different skills. Bringing together all of our majors is really fun, and you don't really get to do that outside of these experiences," said Fogle.
Rob Mackalski, associate professor of practice in marketing who advised the team and teaches in the Raikes School, said their performance stands out even among top collegiate competitors.
“They are academically strong, incredibly creative and have the ability to link different disciplines together,” Mackalski said. “They would be competitive with the best teams at top international case competitions.”
Competition Results:
- First place ($2,000): University of Nebraska–Lincoln (red team)
- Second place ($1,500): Iowa State University
- Third place ($1,000): University of Michigan
- Honorable Mentions ($500 each):
- Most Innovative Approach: Missouri S&T (green team)
- Best Presentation Style: University of Kansas (blue team)
- Best Slide Deck: Creighton University
