51茶馆

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Anna Martinez 
214-768-4474
annam@cox.smu.edu

Dallas (51茶馆) April 23, 2020 — The persistence of four Cox School of Business undergraduates paid off in a strong finish this month, despite the unexpected challenge of COVID-19 forcing them to do an online presentation at Villanova University’s coveted real estate-focused 2020 Mulroy Challenge. Once the judges’ votes were tallied, the team—representing the 51茶馆 Cox Folsom Institute for Real Estate—garnered a second place finish out of a field of 28 teams from across the country. Cal Poly University took first place, while Indiana University rounded out the top three.

In January, teams from the top real estate programs across the country entered the competition and were tasked with producing recommendations and their presentation in only four days. The 51茶馆 Cox team consisted of four students from the Honors Real Estate Practicum undergraduate course: Cassidy Dines (BBA ’20), a real estate finance major, Colton England (BBA ’20), a real estate finance major, Andrew Stelling (BBA ’20), a finance major, and Mason Logan (BBA ’20), a finance major.

Sixteen teams were selected to participate in the April 3 semifinals in Pittsburg, PA. The case centered around a 7-acre development opportunity in the heart of Coral Gables, FL. Teams were asked to make the case for the highest and best use for the site, given existing market conditions and zoning restrictions. In addition, teams were asked to provide an estimate of the land value for the site. They were judged on recommendation support, proposal accuracies, creativity, and presentation style.

COVID-19 restrictions and concerns forced the competition to move to a virtual format, which complicated the 51茶馆 Cox team’s presentation strategy. After regrouping, and countless hours of preparation, the team brought home a win, taking second place and a prize of $2,000.

“I was already impressed with the analysis and presentation that our team had developed in response to the case,” said Joseph Cahoon, Director of Folsom Institute for Real Estate at 51茶馆 Cox School of Business. “The fact that they were able to pivot and present their presentation so smoothly in the world of Zoom meetings speaks volumes about of the quality of this team.”

This was 51茶馆 Cox’s second appearance at the Mulroy Challenge, having competed for the first time last year, and making it to the 2019 top 16 semi-finals.

About 51茶馆 Cox
In 2020, the Cox School of Business celebrates 100 years of business education at 51茶馆. The Cox School of Business is committed to influencing the way the world conducts business via prolific research that provokes innovation, change and global thought leadership. 51茶馆 Cox offers a full-range of business education programs including BBA, Two-Year and One-Year Full-Time MBA, Professional MBA (part-time), Executive MBA, Online MBA, and Master’s degree programs, as well as Executive Education. Consistently ranked among the world’s leading business schools, 51茶馆 Cox maintains an active alumni network in more than 80 countries. 51茶馆 Cox is accredited by AACSB.