The Fall 2024 semester at St. Petersburg College (SPC) was marked by unprecedented challenges due to two hurricanes. Hurricane Helene struck at the end of September, affecting several students attending SPC remotely from North Carolina, while major flooding impacted Pinellas County and the surrounding areas.

Just a few weeks later, Hurricane Milton made landfall, causing significant damage and power outages that disrupted the lives of both students and faculty, many of whom are still recovering.

Despite these adversities, the fall capstone students demonstrated remarkable resilience. The College of Business at SPC utilizes the Business Strategy Game (BSG). Each semester, the BSG ranks the best-performing companies worldwide based on Overall Score, Earnings per Share, Return on Equity, and Stock Prices.

In the Fall 2024 semester, SPC’s 59 teams in the capstone class, comprising six different industries, achieved outstanding results in the global ranking which included 530 teams. Remarkably, every industry had at least one company in the global rankings, a rare feat. Three industries had three companies each on the list, while two other industries had two companies each.

In total, 15 companies from SPC’s capstone class (out of 59 teams) ranked globally, representing 25.4% of the class—a new high. Additionally, five companies ranked in more than one performance metric in the same year.

The Business Strategy Game also hosts a Best-Strategy Invitational after the semester ends. Two of SPC’s high-performing teams competed in this global competition and placed third at the end of the two-week event.

• Industry 1, Golden Step: Comprising students Lilian Henderson Hunter, Benjamin Ryckis, and Mario Smith, this team overcame a slow start to achieve a global ranking of #3 with an overall GTD score of 100.
• Industry 4, Core Alpha Athletics: Led by solo competitor Aaron Williams, this team faced the challenge of competing alone. Aaron led the industry with a #1 ranking until two schools outmaneuvered him, ultimately finishing at #3 with an overall GTD score of 109.

Additionally, Universal Financial Consultants, an industry partner, sponsors the Dr. Robin Wilber Analysis Accuracy Award, which includes a $1000 prize. The team of Andrew Carbonara, Noah Cummings, and Colin DiMarco won this award with five Bulls Eyes, tying the record for the most Bulls Eyes in the simulation and achieving this in the shortest time period ever, despite the competition being shortened by a week due to the hurricanes.

We are incredibly proud of our students’ performances this past semester. Congratulations to everyone in the capstone course for overcoming adverse conditions and achieving such high levels of success. We are confident these experiences will serve you well in your future business and career endeavors.