Leftto right: Heather Harrington, Sheldon Cordeiro, Krystal Johnson and Stephen Kildrow)

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Four undergraduate students from the Sam M. Walton College of Business, University of Arkansas, placed third in an undergraduate college case competition at the 23rd annual Operation Stimulus Conference, held in Denver, Colo., Feb. 5-7, 2004.

The four students are Heather Harrington, Morrilton, Ark.; Sheldon Cordeiro, Fayetteville, Ark.; Krystal Johnson, Camden, Ark.; and Stephen Kildrow, West Fork, Ark.

The subject of this year’s conference was "Transportation Survival: Succeeding in a Changing Market."

John Ozment, professor of transportation and logistics and the Oren Harris Chair of Transportation; and Jim Crowell, executive director of the Supply Chain Management Research Center, in the Walton College, accompanied the students to the competition.

The Operation Stimulus competition attracts teams from 12 participating universities.

Operation Stimulus is an annual transportation and logistics event started by the Denver Transportation Club that has evolved into a collaborative event involving the Denver chapters of the Council of Logistics Management, the National Defense Transportation Association, American Society of Transportation and Logistics, and Delta Nu Alpha. Together, these organizations have provided over $242,000 in scholarships and financial support for transportation and logistics students and teachers. These efforts range from high school teacher training activities to direct scholarship support for college students pursuing transportation and logistics career paths.

The three-day annual conference is a major educational forum for professionals and students. The program features a college debate team competition, trade fair, one-day conference of prominent speakers and a Saturday ski-train outing.

The University of Arkansas has participated in the Operation Stimulus event for the past four years through funding from the Oren Harris Chair of Transportation, the Supply Chain Management Research Center and the Garrison Chair in Supply Chain Management.

The Supply Chain Management Research Center serves as a direct link between the private sector and university supply chain resources, with core competencies involving students, education and research.