CAPSTONE CUP

The Capstone Cup is a semester-long competition comprised of a kickoff event and two rounds of competition. The Capstone Cup was born at the UNO College of Business Administration in 2014 and is unique to CBA. The goal is to provide students with a unique and valuable educational experience.

During the Capstone Cup, teams of undergraduate business students must digest a complex business situation, develop a creative and practical solution, and build a presentation that communicates their analyses and recommendations to a panel of judges comprised of faculty, business community members, and alumni.

Every CBA student enrolled in an on-campus section of the undergraduate capstone strategy course (Corporate & Business Strategy) participates in this competition, impacting more than 125 students each semester.

Round One took place as a poster competition (very similar to a science fair). Teams designed research posters that would effectively display their research, analyses, and recommendations as they verbally presented their findings to a series of different groups of judges. Each team was given 15 minutes to present and answer judges’ questions, presenting four times throughout the event. At the end of Round One, students and judges were provided a free lunch from a food truck paid for by the 2022-2023 Capstone Cup sponsors.

Five or six teams from Round One were selected to showcase their strategic recommendations in a formal slide deck presentation that took place in the Mammel Hall auditorium. Teams were given 12 minutes to present, followed by a Q&A session from the panel of judges made up of employees from the 2022-2023 Capstone Cup sponsors.

To recognize students’ efforts, sponsors furnished a variety of prizes for the first, second, and third-place teams, as well as the finalist teams. Prizes included Yeti coolers, Bluetooth speakers, soundbars, massage guns, Amazon and Spotify gift cards, and a variety of strategy board games including Risk, Ticket to Ride, and Battleship.

“The Capstone Cup is applied business education at its finest,” says CBA Dean Michelle W. Trawick. “It is a perfect example of what a culminating experience should look like for graduating business students and distinguishes our College of Business Administration from others in the area because of the real-world experience students have. At UNO CBA, we don’t just focus on textbooks and tests—we encourage students to participate in internships, we bring experts from the community into our classrooms, and we cap everything off with a real-world business case for students to explore.”

The Fall 2022 Business Case was Quantum Workplace. Headquartered in Omaha, Quantum Workplace is a human resources technology provider intent on helping organizations grow by providing them with the smartest employee engagement, performance software, and talent solutions. for Quantum Workplace as it works to achieve its goals for growth for the future. For the Capstone Cup, consultants were tasked with developing a strategic recommendation for Quantum Workplace as it works to achieve its goals for growth in the future.

The Spring 2023 Business Case was Rocket Carwash. Headquartered in Omaha. Rocket Carwash is an express car wash company that boasts a quick and quality clean for every customer. Beyond offering one-time car washes, Rocket Carwash offers an unlimited wash membership service for which members pay a monthly fee in exchange for unlimited washes and additional exclusive perks. For the Capstone Cup, consultants were tasked with developing a strategic recommendation for Rocket Carwash as it works to achieve its goals for growth in the future.

“One of the things that I believe makes our CBA stand apart from so many others is the complete investment we have from the Omaha business community. By sponsoring this competition, local employers show that they value the business education we are providing because it shows up in the students they hire. This competition is a difference-maker in our community, and it could not happen without the generous support of our sponsors,” Dean Trawick said. “I also want to thank our strategy faculty for all the effort they put in to create this experience for our students. The Capstone Cup is one of my favorite things we do here at UNO CBA—it’s an amazing thing to see and is a milestone to celebrate for our students.”