Students Take First Place at University of Kansas Sales Competition

Students and faculty members who were part of the University of Central Missouri's first-place finish at the recent King’s Hawaiian sales competition were from left, Tyler Hirlinger, coach; team members, Dalton White, Joel Leslie, Meleah Volmert and Sydney Beck; and Charles Schwepker, coach.

For the second year in a row, the sales team from the University of Central Missouri took first place in the King’s Hawaiian sales competition hosted by the University of Kansas School of Business March 24-25. They represented the only Missouri team in the event that included 44 students comprising 11 teams from across the nation.

UCM was represented by the team of Joel Leslie, a senior from Lee’s Summit, Missouri; Dalton White, a junior from Leavenworth, Kansas, Meleah Volmert, a junior from Washington, Missouri, all majoring in marketing; and Sydney Beck, a sophomore from Overland Park, Kansas, majoring in entrepreneurship. The team was awarded $4,000 for finishing first overall. In addition, Leslie finished first overall in the individual speed selling competition earning $600. 
The team was coached by Tyler Hirlinger, associate instructor of marketing, and Charles Schwepker, Randall and Kelly Harbert Marketing Professor in the Harmon College of Business and Professional Studies.

It has been a busy spring for sales team members. Earlier this month, Leslie, Volmert, and White competed in the National Collegiate Sales Competition at Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, Georgia, and the took part virtually in the Redbird National Sales Competition hosted by the Professional Sales Institute at Illinois State University.