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UM MBAs Win Top Prize in Second Annual ACG Cup Case Competition

March 26, 2010
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A team of four MBA students from the School of Business Administration won first place and $10,000 in the region's second annual "ACG Cup" competition, sponsored by the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) held on March 25. The University of Miami team beat out teams from Florida Atlantic University, the University of Florida and Florida International University in the competition which took place in Fort Lauderdale. This was the second time that South Florida schools participated in the ACG competition, which is held annually on university campuses across the country.

The winning team included Jordan Barrocas, Jarred Leibner, Jonathan Brackman and Robert Fishman.  All are first-year MBA students. The teams who competed in the ACG Cup earned their place after beating other University of Miami teams in the School competition - a hypothetical investment banking case where a family was looking to either sell the family-owned company or refinance it.

Each team took on the role of consultants and tackled issues raised by a potential acquisition. They were given 20 minutes to present the plans on conducting a leveraged buyout of a family's business from the perspective of a private equity company, a situation not unlike those faced by professional consultants every day. The competition is designed to give MBA students real world experience and invaluable insights into mergers and acquisitions, investment banking, financial advisory and private equity.

ACG Cup Winners

  From left to right: Jonathan Brackman, Alex Pons,
  director, Ziff Graduate Career Services Center,
  Robert Fishman, Jordan Barrocas, and Jarred
  Leibner
fishman

 Team member Robert Fishman explains
 how they did it in this Facebook video.
"Some of the things the judges thought really stood out were that the team projected a lot of confidence and showed some of the above and beyond work that was put into it," said UM team member Robert Fishman.

"In terms of preparation we spent some long nights together leading up to the final round presentation. It felt like we were in an investment bank and I remember at JP Morgan I had some nights like that where I would stay up late," said Fishman, reflecting on his two years  working at that firm in New York.

Senior executives from the South Florida business community served as ACG Cup judges.  They included: Scott Saunders, managing director of Farlie Turner & Co. and managing member of Saunders Advisory Group, LLC, Phil Bakes, president of Snapper Creek Equity Management LLC, Jim Cassel former vice chairman and head of Investment Banking at Ladenburg Thalmann,  Ravi Ugale, partner with Crossbow Ventures and Richard Goldstein, partner with  Bilzin Sumberg.

The ACG is a global association for professionals involved in corporate growth, corporate development, and mergers and acquisitions. It has more than 12,000 members from corporations, private equity, finance, and professional service firms representing Fortune 1000, FTSE 100, and mid-market companies in 53 chapters in North America and Europe.


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