April 14, 2009

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - A five-member student team from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Business finished second in a national collegiate competition to select the best location in their area for a hypothetical sandwich shop franchise.

The American Collegiate Retailing Association's Undergraduate Student Retail Analysis Competition was entered by two UAB teams and others from more than 40 universities nationwide. The winning UAB team - senior Amber Atkins of Trussville, senior Patrick Tatum of Hoover, junior Katie Mozingo of Kimberly, senior William Drescher of Alabaster and junior Diven Patel of Millbrook - took home the second place award and will split a $500 cash prize.

The team's proposal favored a location for its restaurant franchise along the Birmingham Metro area's Highway 280 just south of Interstate 459. The team was judged against others on its presentation of location analysis and demographic, site and traffic studies along with its development of an overall business and marketing plan for the sandwich shop restaurant.

The UAB participants were mentored as they developed their proposal by local business leaders, including representatives from Bayer Properties and the Shopping Center Group. The close relationship between the local business leaders and students certainly aided the project and is unique to UAB because of its location in the state's economic center, said the students' faculty adviser, Lauren Skinner, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing.

About UAB

The UAB School of Business is located in the heart of Alabama's largest city and business center. For more information on how the school's Birmingham location provides unique internship and other out-of-the-classroom experiences, log on to www.uab.edu/business.