New Corporate and Organizational Partnerships Help School Competitions Gain Traction

Developing such partnerships helps give our students transformative experiences, provides a recruiting pipeline for job placement, enhances corporate brand awareness and provides the resources needed to deliver top-notch business education.

For example, MSA Safety Incorporated is a global leader when it comes to creating safety products that protect both people and facilities. Recently, MSA strengthened its engagement with the School when it became an official corporate partner of our Center for Excellence in Supply Chain Management (CESCM). MSA’s Sr. Manager Global Purchasing, Eric Blanton, sees the partnership as a next logical step in strengthening a mutually beneficial relationship. “Recently, MSA was seeking support for our newly formed, centralized Purchasing team. Not only was our Supply Chain organizational structure changing and maturing, but our Supply Chain strategy was in demand of new skills and new talent. Duquesne fully engaged in our relationship and put their best foot forward. As a direct result, in May 2022, MSA hired three students from the 2022 graduating class into full-time positions. We even filled several Supply Chain Co-Op positions for the Summer of 2022. Duquesne has treated us as a true partner from the start, so this transition to sponsors of the CESCM a is great next step for MSA.”

"Duquesne has treated us as a true partner from the start, so this transition to sponsors of the CESCM a is great next step for MSA."

As a corporate partner of the CESCM, MSA supported two events during the Fall 2022 semester. First, MSA partnered to sponsor the Supply Chain Management Connection in September. The annual event celebrated its 16th year, and MSA representatives had the opportunity to connect with Supply Chain Management students and to mingle with School staff and faculty. MSA also supported the School’s first SCM Case Competition in November. The event saw 29 students from seven universities compete for $5,500 in prizes, and the top prize of $3,000 went to a Duquesne team consisting of Kurtis Kreider, Maddy Corner, Celia Fotebraccio, and Roberto Laporte.

The SCM Case Competition was also sponsored by the Pittsburgh chapter of the Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM). ASCM generously provided the prize money and helped plan and execute the event. The CESCM is also proud to partner with ASCM to offer classes and certification exams for working professionals. Beginning in February 2023, the Certified in Planning and Inventory Management (CPIM) classes and exams were enhanced to offer a more streamlined learning experience and certification process.

Another example of a difference-making corporate partnership involves the Steel City Sales Challenge (SCSC), the School’s annual sales competition. Launched in 2017, the SCSC has grown into one of the nation’s largest and most exciting sales competitions, with the number of schools, the number of competitors, and the amount of prize money steadily increasing.

The continued growth of this competition has been possible with the support of our partners. From 2017 to 2021, the SCSC’s lead corporate sponsor was Steel Dynamics—the firm’s financial support was key to enabling the launch of the competition as well as helping it grow in size and stature.

In 2022, the contest entered a new era when Erie Insurance became the lead competition sponsor. With Erie’s enthusiastic support, the event is on track for continued growth and increased visibility. The 6th Annual Steel City Sales Challenge saw the best undergraduate sales students from 14 universities compete for $15,000 in cash and prizes. The two-day competition was held in October of 2022 and featured sales role plays and elevator pitches, with over 100 students participating. We look forward to hosting the 7th Annual Steel City Sales Challenge in October 2023.