Walton College Students Advance to Danone TRUST Challenge National Finals

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20 Walton College Students - 17 Leadership Walton and three MBA Students at the Danone TRUST Challenge competition in White Plains, N.Y.

The Northwest Arkansas Dannon team, one of Danone’s business units in the United States, invited the Walton College Career Center to submit team entries comprising business students interested in participating in the Danone TRUST business competition.

TRUST is the international business competition specially designed for students who want to gain real insight into today's biggest commercial issues as well as network with Danone/Dannon executives and other personnel for consideration for internships and full-time job opportunities.

The Career Center submitted four teams — 20 total students, including 17 Leadership Walton students and three students in the Master of Business Administration program — and all four teams were selected to participate in the first round of the TRUST competition, a business simulation game, at the Dannon headquarters in White Plains, N.Y., on Jan. 22. Twenty teams representing universities and colleges from all over the country participated in the first round of the competition, but only six teams have advanced to the national finals.

One of the university's four teams, Team Razorback — made up of the MBA Team Leader, Alex Kieslich, and four Leadership Walton students, Brianna Turner, Grace Santi, Ryan Moshtagh and Thomas Davis — has advanced to the national competition, to take place in March, also in White Plains, N.Y. with all expenses paid by Danone.

During the next two months, Team Razorback will work with local Danone managers on a Danone project with both an economic and social objective and present their findings at the National Competition. If Team Razorback wins the national competition in March 2011, they will advance to the international finals in Paris, France, in April.