Team from Appalachian wins Spencer RIMS Risk Management Challenge

View larger image — A student team from Appalachian State University’s Walker College of Business has won the national Spencer RIMS Risk Management Challenge. Members of the team are Eric Vickers, left, from Whiteville, Bruce Thomas from Charlotte, Grant Jared from Winston-Salem and Wes McDaniel from Charlotte. They were accompanied by Brantley Risk and Insurance Center Director Karen Epermanis, who served as their faculty advisor. (Photo submitted)

Posted April 29, 2015 at 3:21 p.m.

BOONE—Risk management and insurance (RMI) majors from Appalachian State University have won the national Spencer-RIMS Risk Management Challenge. The final presentation rounds were held in conjunction with the RIMS 2015 Annual Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans, Louisiana, April 26-28.

The winning students are Eric Vickers from Whiteville, Bruce Thomas from Charlotte, Grant Jared from Winston-Salem and Wes McDaniel from Charlotte. They were accompanied by Brantley Risk and Insurance Center Director Karen Epermanis, who served as their faculty advisor.

“There was a very high caliber of talent and professionalism among the competitors,” Epermanis said. “Our students worked hard to prepare their written case analysis and their presentation. I’m very proud of them.”

Appalachian was among 18 university teams from across the United States that participated in the three-month competition that began when they received the challenge case for The Walt Disney Company. They were charged with providing a comprehensive risk analysis of company risks, along with recommendations.

The teams were comprised of undergraduate students engaged in their university’s risk management and insurance program.

A panel of risk management professionals judged the teams’ submissions, and the top eight teams were invited to present their findings at the National RIMS conference.

The top three teams, Appalachian, Missouri State University and Temple University – then presented to the panel of judges and RIMS members and session attendees on April 27.

About Appalachian State University

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the state of North Carolina, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls more than 19,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.