WKU Sales Team Competes In National Collegiate Sales Event

March 20, 2007

Bowling Green, Ky. - Western Kentucky University sales team competed in the 2007 National Collegiate Sales Competition March 15-17 at Kennesaw State University in Atlanta.

Two students from each of the 44 universities participated (88 total competitors). 

Seniors Walker Hale of Hendersonville, Tenn., and Dara Hardin of Bardstown represented WKU and the Marketing Department’s sales program. Both Hale and Hardin are top students (3.8 GPAs) and have performed well in the Advanced Personal Selling course.   

The competition is run tournament style. WKU was one of only 16 competing universities that had both students make it to the quarterfinal round. “I am very pleased that our competing University team did well in this conference given this is only our second year competing,” said Dr. Lukas Forbes, assistant professor of marketing and coach for the sales team.

In addition to the team competition, the conference has an individual competition in which students are given 90 seconds to sell themselves on video camera in a format styled after “American Idol” (with three judges). Hale finished second overall in the contest.

“This is an absolutely wonderful student-focused three-day conference held annually at Kennesaw State University,” Forbes said.  Students were given the opportunity to interact with executives from a number of leading U.S. corporations.  Approximately 50 corporate sponsors attended the event for a two-day job fair focused on the 88 competing students. 

Capital Financial Group, a Nashville, Tenn., financial services company with branches and satellite offices throughout Tennessee owned and managed by WKU alumnus Tim Sinks, sponsored the 2007 WKU sales team.

“Capital Financial Group continually seeks students the caliber of Walker Hale and Dara Hardin who finished strong in this tough competition,” Sinks said. “Western Kentucky University is an innovative leader in preparing students for a successful career in financial services.  Unlike many universities, WKU provides an added focus on effective selling, a critical aspect of their curriculum and our industry.”
               
More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.

For information, contact Lukas Forbes at (270) 745-2993.