John H. Sykes College of Business Students Gain Key Business Skills During Semester Long Competition

TAMPA, Fla., May 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The Producers, Inc., a technology company located in Tampa, today rewarded members of The University of Tampa's John H. Sykes College of Business graduating class for their efforts on proposing successful business plans for the domain name "Event.com." Two teams consisting of nine students won first and second place and learned important business lessons during a business management case competition developed by Dr. Jody Tompson through The Naimoli Institute for Business Strategy.

The contest began in January 2009 with 33 teams consisting of 150 senior students participating in the capstone course. The graduating seniors were asked to create a business idea using the domain name "Event.com." No parameters were placed on the students. The competition culminated with the four surviving teams competing for the top prize of a cash award. Faculty, students, friends, as well as the four-judge panel consisting of Michael Gardner, Sigmund Solares, Donny Simonton and Butch Decossas -- all executives of The Producers, Inc. -- attended the finale and listened as each team presented their Event.com business proposal. Despite the fact that all four presentations were exceptional, only one could earn the top prize. Seniors Alex Amini-Rad, Eric Speeth, Mike Torrance, and Carlos Acedo won first place for their business concept of developing Event.com into a local portal where visitors could learn about local events, purchase tickets to upcoming shows and provide maps to various hotspots. The winnings team's motto for Event.com -- Life Lived Eventfully -- also resonated with the judges.

"Supporting local university business programs is important for our company," said Michael Gardner. "We were honored to be part of The University of Tampa's case study competition and view the initiative as a great mechanism to prepare graduating business students for life after college. We congratulate the winning team members for their hard work and all of the students who participated."

Second place was won by Kyle Burdine, Lydia Watling, Nathan Taubenberger, Raine Roberts and Maura Kafel for their business idea -- Get In The Loop: Event.com.

"The case study competition provides students with the opportunity to learn practical business skills and utilize them in a real business environment," stated Dr. Dean A. Koutroumanis, Assistant Professor of Management, John H. Sykes College of Business. "The lessons learned go beyond the competition and will enable the students to be even more prepared for their careers post graduation."

About The Producers, Inc.

The Producers, Inc. and related entities (TPI) is a leading, privately held domain names registration service provider and portfolio holder, domain advertising solutions provider, and web hosting company. TPI's customers range from individual small business owners to Fortune 500 companies and consist of over 500,000 domain name registrants worldwide with over 4,000,000 domain names.

About The University of Tampa -- http://www.ut.edu

The University of Tampa is a medium-sized, comprehensive, private university located on approximately 100 acres of prime riverfront land in the heart of downtown Tampa. It is the school of choice for 5,800 students from 50 states and U.S. territories and almost 100 countries. More than half of undergraduates are from Florida. Approximately 70 percent of full-time students live on campus.

The University offers more than 120 majors, minors and pre-professional programs through a strong core curriculum rooted in the liberal arts. An Evening College presents degree programs to adults who want to study part-time at night. Graduate degrees are offered for Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Education, Master of Business Administration, Master of Science in Accounting, Master of Science in Finance, Master of Science in Marketing, Master of Science in Nursing, Master of Science in Innovation Management and Certificate in Nonprofit Management.

    CONTACT:

    Michael Ward
    Director of Marketing
    The Producers, Inc.
    mward@theproducers.com
    +1-919-760-7002

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SOURCE The Producers, Inc.