General | 11/1/2016 4:27:00 PM

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – Three Bloomsburg University student-athletes, along with three others, will be competing at the 2016 International Collegiate Sales Competition (ICSC), hosted by Florida State University, from Wednesday, November 2 through Saturday, November 5.
 
Senior Lexi Roth from field hockey, redshirt senior Ryuta Amaike (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall) from baseball, and redshirt sophomore Josh Salak (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) from football have been entered in the event. Roth and Amaike will take part in the Sales Management Case Competition while Salak will be in the Sales Role-Play Competition. Joining Salak in the role-play event is Alison DiClemente while Caitlyn Dooling and Darren Salvatore will be serving as alternates.
 
Winners can earn up to $1,000 per student in the Sales Management Case Competition while the Sales Role-Play winner can earn $2,500 and a Tom James suit with a $1,000 honorarium to the faculty coach.
 
Click here for information on the Sales Management Case Competition
Click here for information on the Sales Role-Play Competition
 
It is Bloomsburg's fifth year competing in the event with the school's role-play entrant finishing in the top ten in each of the last three years.
 
Dr. Monica Favia, Ph.D., M.A., M.B.A. is the department chair for the Department of Marketing and Professional Sales at Bloomsburg and is serving as the students' coach.
 
"The competition is an incredible experience for the students all the way from competing to possibly landing a career at the career fair – not to mention the afternoon and evening at Universal Studios in Orlando," explained Dr. Favia. "Most students who attend, and are serious about landing a job, can expect to get at least two job offers. Some have received as many as eight."
 
The case competition is the only one of its kind, focusing specifically on issues related to managing a professional sales force. The 2016 case competition is the largest yet, featuring case teams from 36 different universities. This year's competition will center on TSP, Inc. (The Salon People), a leading distributor of Aveda and Bumble & Bumble in the Southeast United States. In addition, TSP provides training in all areas of the salon industry from cosmetology to salon management.
 
"It is an honor to be chosen by Dr. Favia to compete in the Sales Management Case Competition. There will be great exposure to companies and plenty of job opportunities," said Roth. "Ryuta and I are good friends and we will be able to use our teamwork while completing the Case Competition together. Being a student-athlete has helped my academic career and has taught me to demand the best out of myself. I think it is great that there are three student-athletes going because it shows Bloomsburg University encourages not only athletic success but also, most importantly, academic success."
 
"We are very fortunate to be able to participate in the International Collegiate Sales Competition," Amaike concurred. "Though Lexi and I are competing in a different competition than Josh, we have all been preparing for this competition for a while now. As student-athletes, Lexi and I have great teamwork and leadership skills so I could not ask for a better partner to compete with. This competition is a great opportunity to put forth everything we have learned in business. The experience will hopefully bring some positive attention to Bloomsburg University's business program as well as give us additional practice and connections that will hopefully lead to future careers."

The role-play competition runs simultaneously with the sales management case competition so individual competitors may only compete in one event. The role-play product for ICSC 2016 is Netsuite CRM+. The entire role-play competition is based upon a potential sale to an international entertainment company, Cinépolis.

"This has been quite a ride. I got into the sales program last year as a sophomore after being persuaded to participate in the Bloomsburg sales competition," said Salak, who will be competing in the role-play event. "I placed third overall and that sparked a serious interest in what my potential career could be. Since then, Dr. Favia has helped to prepare me to be a true sales professional. We practice selling role-plays that replicate a real-world selling experience and I have taken several courses in the Sales concentration. It's an honor to represent my school at the ICSC and I've been preparing day-in and day-out." 
 
The ICSC mission is to enhance the selling profession by encouraging the development of critical skills needed by today's collegiate sales graduates in a fun, competitive environment and where companies can meet the nation's top collegiate sales talent all in one place.
 
"This is an opportunity to make a name for myself in the business world," Salak added. "It's an opportunity to show everyone the excellent experience that Bloomsburg has to offer in developing its students into professionals."
 
For additional information on the event, please visit https://fsusalesinstitute.com/icsc.