Cal Poly’s Agribusiness team earned first place in the 2026 National Grocers Association (NGA) Foundation Student Case Study Competition at The NGA Show in Las Vegas. The national event challenges student teams to solve real-world business problems facing the independent grocery industry.

This year’s case, “Keeping Shelves Relevant and Customers Inspired,” tasked students with developing innovative, practical strategies to help Nugget Markets stay ahead of evolving consumer expectations. After presenting their solutions to a panel of industry professionals, the Cal Poly team impressed judges with their insights and strategic approach. In addition to earning top honors, the team was awarded $8,000 in prize money.

“This experience really reflected Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing philosophy, connecting all of our coursework and almost all parts of the agriculture industry,” said Kodi Nairn, a fourth-year agricultural business major and NGA team member. “Being able to apply what we’ve learned in the classroom to a real-world problem and then present it to industry professionals was incredibly rewarding.”

Congratulations to the NGA competition team!