American Graduate Students Win Top Spot in Prestigious Global Business Sustainability Competition
(PRWEB) July 16, 2013 -- Georgia-native and recent MBA graduate, W. Lamar Chesney Jr., 24 and his team of four, won the coveted 2013 “Nespresso AAA Sustainability MBA Challenge” an annual global competition to promote sustainability in the global specialty coffee industry. Lamar’s team beat out groups from competing schools around the world, including China, India, UK, France, Colombia, Australia, Spain, South Africa and The Russian Federation. The finals took place last month in Lausanne, Switzerland, where the Rollins College, Crummer Graduate School of Business, Florida (USA) competed against teams from two other finalists: The Rotterdam School of Management in the Netherlands and Gustavson School of Business in Victoria, Canada. With first place win under his belt, Chesney’s team will fly to Colombia in September to assist in the implementation of their sustainability initiative.
Chesney, an Atlanta resident and graduate of the Lovett School, was shaped by the strong business community in Atlanta. He held internship positions in the local offices of Mercer, Inc. and The Southern Company. Lamar’s passion for economics began at The Lovett School, from which he graduated in 2007, and lead him to complete a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics with Honors from Rollins College in 2011. His interest in global commerce and supply chain management fueled Lamar’s completion of his Master of Business Administration with Honors from The Crummer Graduate School of Business-Rollins College in 2013.
Nestle-Nespresso Corporation, headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, charged MBA programs around the world with improving the economic viability of small coffee farming in Colombia for the next 25 years. The concept developed by the American team wowed the esteemed panel of judges, which was comprised of the CEO and senior executives of Nestle-Nespress S.A., and prominent global academics known for initiating sustainable development research and practices throughout the world.
Chesney and his three teammates, Morgan Filteau, Scott Gould and Taylor Dalton, flew to the Nespresso headquarters on Wednesday, June 26th to present their inventive plan. Aimed at helping small coffee farmers in Columbia diversify income sources, their Grow Forward plan will mean these farmers have income to offset the seasonality of agricultural employment. The American team’s solution centered upon the concepts of global citizenship, resource conservation and protecting the role of small businesses in an international marketplace.
CEO, of Nestlé Nespresso SA, Jean-Marc Duvoisin said, “It is essential for Nespresso to engage with tomorrow’s sustainable business leaders to discuss their ideas to further improve our sustainability initiatives”
Lamar Chesney and his teammates have demonstrated an innovative global understanding of economic sustainability that will boost the Latin American coffee industry for decades to come. Congratulations to these young American students who will change the world through their positive, creative and innovative spirits.
Contact: Kim P. Chesney
E-mail: Kim.Chesney(at)Gmail(dot)com
Phone: 678-773-5262
Kim Chesney, +1 (678) 773-5262, [email protected]
Share this article