Williams Baptist College’s chapter of Phi Beta Lambda business society is no stranger to success. The group of Williams business students annually achieves high honors at the state PBL conference and goes on to earn top marks at PBL’s National Leadership Conference.

The 2014 competition season was no different for the organization, as it recently earned ten more national awards, including twofirst-place finishes.

After qualifying for nationals at the state conference in March, the Williams PBL group spent June 24-27 competing in Nashville, Tenn., where seventeen members participated in eleven different events. Over 1,800 college students from across the country attended the conference.

“The 2014 NLC was another great experience provided by PBL,” said senior PBL member Matt Crews. “The competition ties together all the things we have learned in the classroom and the club provides lessons on professionalism and other skills needed in a competitive job market.”

Crews, a native of Doniphan, Mo., and his teammate Morgan Hatcher of Marmaduke earned the first place award for Business Ethics.

“It was so great to finally bring home that first place finish we’ve been working toward for so long,” added Hatcher.

Erin Strong of Walnut Ridge, Jeff Manuel of Tuckerman and Josh Consemiu of Cleveland, Texas, added another first place prize for their work in the Business Presentation category.

“There is no better feeling than getting first place after the months of hard work and effort we put into our presentation. I am so blessed to have been part of PBL,” Strong noted.

Hatcher, Kevin Hennings of Biggers and Jeff Morris of Bono earned a second place finish in Marketing Analysis and Decision Making.

Crews also grabbed a third place win in Sports Management and Marketing.

Michaela Thompson of Viola and Cherith dos Santos of Pocahontas achieved another third place award in the category of Small Business Management Plan.

Jonesboro’s Hannah Mullins placed fifth in Financial Services.

Edwin Irungu of Nairobi, Kenya and Ryan Bauschlicher of Corning teamed up to receive fifth place in Financial Analysis and DecisionMaking.

Mullins worked with Taylor Galloway of Fisk, Mo., to earn sixth place in Business Presentation.

Qulin, Mo., native Caleb Hicks achieved an additional sixth place award in the Information Management competition.

The final award was an eighth place finish by Galloway and Megan Weick of Pocahontas in Hospitality Management.

Business students and faculty members spent months preparing for the annual event. Several department alumni worked in conjunction with the current students to help ready them for top awards at the NLC.

“The Williams business program creates a sense of family,” said Dr. Summer DeProw, chair of the WBC business department and co-sponsor of PBL. “Our alumni are willing to mentor and assist the current students by proofreading reports, offering constructive criticism, serving as mock case analysis judges and making monetary donations. Their service to our program is invaluable, and I am grateful to know them both personally and professionally.”

Grant DeProw, a Williams business department alum and adjunct professor, was also honored as a Business Person of the Year. The esteemed award is given to individuals who have volunteered their time to help local PBL chapters.

Additionally, WBC’s PBL received the 2014 Hollis and Kitty Guy Gold Seal Chapter Award of Merit. In April, the group attained Gold Chapter status at the state conference, which qualified them for the national merit award. This honor is highly selective and given to a limited number of chapters.

“The NLC was another chance to prove what benefits can come from being a member of Phi Beta Lambda,” concluded Manuel, who will serve as Williams’s 2014 PBL president. “The competition was tough, but with time, dedication and advisers that have thesame passion for learning as the students do, WBC came out on top, repeatedly.”

“Knowing that I have so much support from Williams and PBL encourages me to be the best I can be and to help others when they need it.”

WBC is a four-year, liberal arts college at Walnut Ridge. Phi Beta Lambda is the collegiate extension of Future Business Leaders of America.