DENTON (UNT), Texas — Three students from the University of North Texas College of Business won the 3rd annual Intermodal Challenge presented by the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) for a paper and presentation that provide solutions for growing the intermodal industry, which involves moving containers by various modes of transportation.
Seniors Curtis Pogue of Bartonville, Sarah McLaughlin of Fort Worth and Chris Turner of Sugar Land clinched the prize after writing a 2,000-word paper and making a 10-minute presentation to judges at the Intermodal Expo Nov. 19 in Houston. Pogue and McLaughlin are logistics and supply chain management majors, and Turner is an operations and supply chain management major. All three graduated in December.
Their paper, submitted two weeks before the competition, focused on opportunities and challenges of growth in the intermodal industry.
“Our team’s solution was to focus on converting freight movement from truck to rail with an emphasis on the factors that drive transportation decisions,” said McLaughlin, who will work as a delivery coordinator at Ericsson after graduation.
They competed against business students from the University of Maryland, University of North Florida and Auburn University.
Earlier this year, IANA awarded a $25,000 scholarship to UNT’s Center for Logistics Education and Research to enhance students’ education.
“Due to the strength of our program and focus on logistics and transportation, IANA invited us to submit a proposal and compete to become one of their scholarship universities,” said Dr. Terrance Pohlen, director of the UNT Center for Logistics Education and Research. “As part of being recognized as a ‘scholarship’ school, UNT became eligible to participate in their national competition.”
Students in the program at UNT competed against each other for a spot on the team by forming groups and writing case papers on a specified subject that IANA selects. The best papers at UNT were selected and members from those teams represented UNT at the competition.
“Earning recognition for the UNT Logistics and Supply Chain program is enough of a prize for me and my team,” Pogue said. “We are proud to come from a great program and understand that the value of our degree increases when our program wins collegiate competitions.”
About UNT’s College of Business
With more than 5,600 students, UNT’s College of Business is one of the largest business schools in the nation and has been continuously accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International since 1961.
With 112 full-time faculty members, the college offers 17 undergraduate degrees, 24 master’s degrees and 10 graduate certificate programs. Five centers and institutes in the College of Business create synergy among scholarship, research and teaching. Classes take place in the new 180,000-square-foot Business Leadership Building, which opened in 2011.
Students enhance their learning experience through student organizations, study abroad programs, internships and the Professional Leadership Program to develop the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in today's technological and global business environment.
About IANA
IANA is North America's only industry trade association that represents the combined interests of the intermodal freight industry. The association’s mission is to promote the growth of efficient intermodal freight transportation through innovation, education and dialogue. The association offers valuable information and services specific to the intermodal industry encompassing consensus business solutions that facilitate: operations, regulatory compliance, and policy issue management. IANA's membership roster of over 1,000 members represents the diverse companies critical to moving freight efficiently and safely. IANA provides a discussion forum for the many types of stakeholders along the supply chain, resulting in a strong unified voice advocating the needs of intermodal freight transportation. For more information, visit www.intermodal.org.