FSB grad finds Cleveland Research Company competition's benefits go both ways
CRC's case competition helps students become more business savvy, which in turn benefits CRC
FSB grad finds Cleveland Research Company competition's benefits go both ways
Fifteen years ago, the Cleveland Research Company (CRC) partnered with the Farmer School of Business to start a stock pitch competition. And for most of that time, Vince Ciepiel has been closely involved in the competition.
“I'm a Miami guy, so I do this to help Miami students. I want them to get the best experience,” he said.
Ciepiel, now a travel & luxury analyst at CRC, started at the company not long after graduating from the Farmer School with degrees in Finance and Decision Sciences in 2011.
A two-time winner of the William Blair Investment Banking Case Competition while at Miami, Ciepiel said he’s seen and felt the impact that alumni can have on current students. “I think back to my time here and the case competitions we did, with alumni coming back and investing in students, were some of the most instrumental learning experiences for me,” he said. “I think that it's my hope that this is a way to pay it forward and keep that tradition of Miami alive.”
The competition provides an opportunity for students to demonstrate their investment ideas and knowledge of the financial markets. Teams of 2-4 students assemble and submit a slide deck to pitch a long or short equity position with a 3-12 month horizon. The teams that turn in the best decks are invited to Oxford to pitch their stocks in person.
Originally, the competition was just for Miami students, but three years ago, it was decided to open it up to students across the nation. This year, the finalists came from as far as the University of Texas, University of Florida, and Cornell University.
“Even as we've expanded to include other schools around the country, the experience is only getting better for Miami students as well. I think there were over 25 teams that participated from Miami — I imagine close to 100 Miami students were involved in some way, shape or form, which is certainly up from years prior. So that's exciting to see,” Ciepiel said. “Then to have 400 students from around the country express interest, the numbers are going the right direction.”
As much as CRC’s involvement benefits the Farmer School of Business and its students, Ciepiel noted that the partnership has been great for CRC as well.
“I think that maybe a quarter of our firm went to Miami University, so it clearly has been a great source of interns and full-time employees over the years, I think that Miami students are a balance of a lot of good things. They're smart, they're hard working, and they're sociable, and to be successful in this job, you’ve got to be all three,” he said. “For us to get in front of them, build relationships with them, it provides a pipeline of landing more Miami students at CRC, which we want to do in the future.”
