Cal Poly Team Wins First at National Grocers Association Student Case Study Competition
Mar 14, 2022
SAN LUIS OBISPO — A team of four Cal Poly Agricultural Business seniors won first place in the National Grocers Association 2022 Student Case Study Competition for their presentation on March 1. This is the second consecutive year that Cal Poly has won first place.
The team included students Carsen Beckwith of Clovis, California; Kaylee Earnshaw of San Jose, California; Megan Poyar of San Luis Obispo; and Brittney Tran of Danville, California. Agribusiness Associate Professor Ricky Volpe advised the team.
Tran said the opportunity to represent Cal Poly at the national level was something she had dreamed of since her freshman year.
“It was surreal to pitch an idea we had worked countless hours on and meet passionate members of the industry,” Tran said. “I couldn’t be prouder of how far I've come as a student at Cal Poly and of my team and what we've accomplished.”
This year’s competition focused on providing solutions for Woodman’s, a 19-store independent supermarket chain operating in Wisconsin and Illinois. Woodman’s was seeking ideas for improving its e-commerce presence and better utilizing customer data.
The National Grocers Association (NGA) hosted the annual competition, which returned to an in-person format in Las Vegas, Nevada, after using a virtual platform in 2021 due to COVID-19. Each year, the NGA Foundation selects an independent retailer and a pressing industry issue to use as a subject for the competition. The competing schools are all members of the Food Industry University Coalition, which has programs that relate directly to the food retail sector. After months of research, student teams presented their findings to a panel of judges, executives from Woodman’s, and NGA Show attendees.
Nine schools, including Cal Poly, competed in a bracket-style competition from Feb. 27 to March 1, with Cal Poly and Auburn University competing in the final round. Teams from Arizona State University, Cal Poly Pomona, Findlay University, Fresno State, Niagara University, St. Joseph’s University and Western Michigan University also participated.
The Cal Poly team began preparing during winter break and worked on the prompt throughout winter quarter. Volpe hosted an internal competition at which four student teams enrolled in the senior project course Agribusiness Industry Consulting prepared unique solutions. The winning team advanced to represent Cal Poly at the NGA competition.
“Coaching and advising this amazing team throughout the quarter and during the competition was such a great experience,” Volpe said. “The NGA show is one of my favorite events of the year, not just because the competition but also because our students get the chance to see the grocery industry in action and to network. This really was a big win for Cal Poly, and I am so excited to see what next year brings.”
About Cal Poly’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences
Cal Poly is a nationally ranked, comprehensive polytechnic university. The university’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, cafes.calpoly.edu, is comprised of expert faculty members who take pride in their ability to transform academically motivated students into innovative professionals ready to solve the complex challenges associated with feeding the world in sustainable ways. Students have access to state-of-the-art laboratories, including ranch land, orchards, vineyards and forests, all of which provide the basis for Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing methodology. It is the fifth-largest college of agriculture in the country, with 4,000 undergraduate students.
About NGA
NGA is the national trade association representing the retail and wholesale grocers that comprise the independent sector of the food distribution industry. The independent grocery sector is accountable for close to 1% of the nation’s overall economy and is responsible for generating $131 billion in sales, 944,000 jobs, $30 billion in wages and $27 billion in taxes. NGA members include retail and wholesale grocers, state grocers associations, as well as manufacturers and service suppliers. For more information about NGA, visit www.nationalgrocers.org.
Photo information
Top Photo — From left to right: Kristin Popp of Woodman’s Markets with Cal Poly students Carsen Beckwith, Brittney Tran, Megan Poyar and Kaylee Earnshaw, and Maggie White of NGA Foundation.
Second Photo — From left to right: Carsen Beckwith, Kaylee Earnshaw, Brittney Tran and Megan Poyar.
Cal Poly Logging Team Takes First Place in Timbersports Competition
Feb 23, 2022
The Cal Poly Loggers, an intercollegiate team of male and female students involved in traditional forestry field skills, took first place at the Sierra-Cascade Logging Conference and Exhibition in Anderson, California. In addition, Kelly Schwenger, second-year forest and fire sciences major, earned top women’s competitor at the event.
Seven teams representing four western states competed in traditional timber sports Feb. 10-12. This was Cal Poly's first competition since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Students competed in events including underhand chopping, single bucking, double bucking, jack and jill, stock saw, choker setting, axe throw and speed axe.
The Cal Poly logging team, advised by Professor Samantha Gill and assisted by Walter Ruzzo (Natural Resources Management, ’78), competed against teams from Oregon State University; California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt; University of Nevada Reno; U.C. Berkeley; Shasta College; and Northern Arizona University.
The Cal Poly team includes Schwenger, from Esparto, California; fourth-year forestry and natural resources majors Dustin Morgan from Susanville, California; Austin Law from San Luis Obispo; Mark Inman from Springville, California; Owen Purcell from San Luis Obispo; Mary Cizin from Hilt, California; and Teoman Dogan from Ladera Ranch, California; fourth-year architectural engineering major Emmett Huggins from Seattle; first-year forest and fire sciences major Gregory Crook from Sonora, California; fourth-year business administration major Nate Mirizzi of San Jose; fourth-year animal science major Helen Dubee of San Luis Obispo: second-year forestry and natural resources major Kai Hansen of North Fork, California; and Cal Poly alumna Nikki Bright (Environmental Management and Protection, ’21). (The name of the forestry and fire sciences major changed with the 2021 cohort; it was previously forestry and natural resources.)
“I am proud of the team’s hard work to earn the championship title and the outstanding way they represented Cal Poly,” said Ruzzo, who was recently named the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences honored alumnus and serves on the Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences Department’s advisory council.
About Cal Poly’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences
Cal Poly is a nationally ranked, comprehensive polytechnic university. The university’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences (cafes.calpoly.edu) is comprised of expert faculty members who take pride in their ability to transform academically motivated students into innovative professionals ready to solve the complex challenges associated with feeding the world in sustainable ways. Students have access to state-of-the-art laboratories, including ranch land, orchards, vineyards and forests, all of which provide the basis for Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing methodology. It is the fifth-largest college of agriculture in the country, with 4,000 undergraduate students.
Kelly Schwenger (left) and Helen Dubee hold the winning plaque.
Top photo: The Cal Poly Loggers at the 73rd Sierra-Cascade Logging Conference in Anderson, California,
February 16, 2022
Contact: AnnMarie Cornejo
805-756-2427; ancornej@calpoly.edu
2022 Poly Royal Rodeo Celebrates 80 Years of History at Cal Poly
Feb 23, 2022
The 80th annual Poly Royal Rodeo is returning to its roots to commemorate eight decades of history at the Cotton Rosser Rodeo Complex on campus.
The Poly Royal Rodeo Finals, open to the public, will be held at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, April 9, and will be followed by a concert by a headlining country music band, which will be announced soon. Tickets go on sale March 1.
The Poly Royal Rodeo is the marquee event on campus during Cal Poly’s annual Open House. The event will feature the top collegiate rodeo athletes from around the West Coast who have advanced to the championship performance from the weekend’s earlier rounds. Athletes will compete for a championship title in events such as barrel racing, team roping, breakaway roping, tie down roping, saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, bull riding and steer wrestling.
“This is our big comeback event,” Coach Ben Londo said. “These students have been working hard behind the scenes for the last two years while COVID-19 precautions limited their ability to compete. Now, they get to shine.”
A special guest will also participate in this year’s Poly Royal Rodeo. The Cal Poly Rodeo Team has been working with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to fulfill the wish of 12-year-old Maddie Owens, of Winton, California, who at age 10 was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, an aggressive form of bone cancer. After treatment, surgery, and the fortunate circumstance of an early diagnosis, she is now ready to saddle back up and spend more time doing what she loves — riding horses. With the help of Sierra Spratt, assistant coach and member of the Cal Poly Rodeo Team, Maddie was invited to practice on campus several times leading up to the big event. She will make a cameo appearance as barrel racer at this year’s 80th annual Poly Royal Rodeo as a special guest of Cal Poly.
In prior years, the annual Poly Royal Rodeo was held at the Spanos Stadium, offering two full nights of entertainment. However, a $3.2 million turf replacement project has temporarily closed the stadium — leading the event back to the campus rodeo grounds where it began 80 years ago. To accommodate the expected large crowds, a special ASI-sponsored student night has been added to the week’s offerings on Wednesday evening.
The Saturday evening event is slated for 6:30 p.m. April 9. Tickets are $20 for children ages 2 to 12; and $40 for general admission. Admission is free for children under 2. Tickets will go on sale March 1 at https://tickets.calpoly.edu. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Cal Poly Rodeo Program.
About Cal Poly Rodeo
Cal Poly Rodeo, coached by Ben Londo, is one of the most successful programs in the history of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA). Cal Poly sent six men to the inaugural College National Finals Rodeo in 1949. Since then, Cal Poly Rodeo’s student-athletes have won more national titles than any other college rodeo program — holding 45 national titles. The program is open to all Cal Poly students.
About Cal Poly’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences
Cal Poly is a nationally ranked, comprehensive polytechnic university. The university’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences (cafes.calpoly.edu) is comprised of expert faculty members who take pride in their ability to transform academically motivated students into innovative professionals ready to solve the complex challenges associated with feeding the world in sustainable ways. Students have access to state-of-the-art laboratories, including ranch land, orchards, vineyards and forests, all of which provide the basis for Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing methodology. It is the fifth-largest college of agriculture in the country, with 4,000 undergraduate students.
Contact: AnnMarie Cornejo
805-756-2427; ancornej@calpoly.edu
Feb. 14, 2022
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Cal Poly’s Wildland-Urban Interface Fire Research Receives Funding from Three Investor-owned Utility Companies
Oct 19, 2021
The pledge is another step toward bringing industry and academia together to help build fire resilient communities
Cal Poly is establishing the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) FIRE Institute, as the first-of-its kind at a California university and is getting critical support from the three largest California investor-owned electric utility companies. Pacific Gas and Electric Company, San Diego Gas and Electric Company, and Southern California Edison Company have pledged funding and support over a three-year period to assist in launching the institute which will be focused on developing holistic solutions to prevent destructive wildfires and help build more resilient communities.
The Cal Poly WUI FIRE Institute, comprised of an interdisciplinary group of Cal Poly faculty, staff and students, partnered with industry and community members, is focused on developing and evaluating methods of managing forests and designing communities in ways that reduce wildfire severity and threats to human welfare and property while maintaining environmental and community health.
The support of the three investor-owned utilities is part of a larger strategic effort by Cal Poly to collaborate with a broad cross-section of stakeholders that includes agencies, industry, policy makers, community planning and design, forest management, and response organizations.
“These stakeholders are integral to better connecting problems with solutions and preparing the future workforce for these challenges,” said Dan Turner, a retired CAL FIRE chief and business manager of the San Luis Obispo County Fire Safe Council who is helping to lead the WUI FIRE Institute effort. “The investment of these utility companies in the Institute is a new path forward toward reducing community damages from wildland-urban interface fires including advances in planning, prevention, mitigation, response, and recovery. Their financial support will enable research, recruitment of graduate students, educational outreach, and administrative support of the institute.”
Cal Poly’s WUI FIRE Institute will work with the utilities on optimizing their Wildfire Mitigation Plans (which are required by the California Public Utilities Code), infrastructure design and protection, fire prevention, and technology solutions.
“We welcome the opportunity to aid the organization’s goal to be the ‘center of excellence’ using a multi-disciplinary systems-based approach focused on education and research,” said SDG&E’s Chris Terzich, environmental regulatory and technology lead, who spearheaded SDG&E involvement and the utility partnership effort with SCE and PG&E. “We applaud the Institutes’ broad focus on the multi-faceted wildland fire problem, where the electric utilities are only one of many factors to be considered. The institute will have the ability to connect multiple public and private stakeholders to establish statewide research, collect and disseminate information, convene stakeholder dialogues, guide workforce education and training, and inform policy.”
“The rapid onset of catastrophic wildfire risk has heightened our focus on hardening the electric grid and deploying other wildfire mitigation techniques to protect our communities,” said Steven D. Powell, Southern California Edison executive vice President. “While we have robust plans, we have to look beyond the technologies available to us today, as well as focus on many aspects of fire management. Our research partnerships can help us look at all of them.”
“Serving as the center of collaboration, the WUI FIRE institute will allow exploration of research in wildfire risk topics that normally fall outside traditional utility business operations,” continued Richard Lam, senior advisor of Grid Technology Innovation for Southern California Edison, who is the company’s lead in working with the institute. “Key decision-makers from the IOUs, government agencies and academia will be involved, and the institute is our intersection for information sharing and coordination.”
About Cal Poly’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences
Cal Poly is a nationally ranked, comprehensive polytechnic university. The university’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences is comprised of expert faculty members who take pride in their ability to transform academically motivated students into innovative professionals ready to solve the complex challenges associated with feeding the world in sustainable ways. Students have access to state-of-the-art laboratories, including organic and conventional crop land, orchards, vineyards, forests, and rangeland, all of which provide the basis for Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing methodology. It is the fifth-largest college of agriculture in the country with more than 4,100 undergraduate students. For more information visit CAFES.calpoly.edu.
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