The Invitational Division of the SAM Collegiate Case Competition offered an early but powerful glimpse into the future of business leadership, as student teams stepped into a high-pressure environment to solve a real operational challenge facing Senesco Marine.
Working from a live case developed in partnership with the Rhode Island-based shipyard, teams were tasked with evaluating how to improve productivity, optimize workflow, and make strategic investments within tight financial and operational constraints. This was not a theoretical exercise with a clean answer. It required prioritization, judgment, and the ability to defend decisions in real time.
Each team delivered a 15-minute presentation followed by a live question-and-answer session with a panel of judges that included Senesco leadership alongside professionals in logistics, engineering, human resources, and management. For many students in this division, it was their first experience presenting in a setting that closely mirrors executive-level expectations.
The results reflected both strong analytical thinking and a growing ability to communicate under pressure.
Invitational Division Results
🥇 1st Place — New England Institute of Technology
Leah E Huxhold, Shelby Sams, Jacque Galligan, Ashley England, Stephanie Encarnacion
🥈 2nd Place — NEIT Early College Program
Benjamin Saccoccio, Joey Nassar, Davis Collette, Abraham Oshinkanlu
🥉 3rd Place — Stephen F. Austin State University
Austin Gartzman, Will Phelps
Beyond the final standings, what stood out was the level of engagement and the willingness of teams to take ownership of their recommendations. Students were not simply presenting ideas. They were making decisions and defending them under scrutiny.
“After more than ten years of writing case studies with industry partners, this was one of the most innovative and engaged groups we’ve seen,” said Patrick Endicott, Executive Director of SAM. “When students are solving real problems for real companies, the level of thinking changes. It becomes less about getting the ‘right’ answer and more about making smart, defensible decisions under real-world constraints.”
The Invitational Division may represent the starting point of the competition, but the performance of these teams made it clear that the next generation of leaders is already developing the skills required to navigate real organizational challenges.