A Mizzou student and team were honored at the recent National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) Student Awards Ceremony, held virtually this April.

Mizzou’s National Agri-Marketing Association Competition Team placed fourth overall in the 2021 Student Marketing Competition. Twenty-four teams from across the United States and Canada competed in this year’s event, in which students develop a business proposition, conduct a market analysis, and put together a competitive analysis and action plan. Mizzou’s team competed in the preliminary, semi-final and final round this year, with an ultimate finish of fourth place.

This is the first time Mizzou NAMA has made it to the final round in more than 10 years, said Mizzou NAMA president, Regan Ragsdale, senior in agribusiness management.

“As an organization of student leaders at Mizzou, we could not be more thrilled to finish how we did,” she said. “Even though there were only six people on the presentation team, there are countless other students in Mizzou NAMA who contributed largely to the success of our team. In addition, we are thankful for our advisors, alumni NAMA members, our families, and everyone else who supported Mizzou NAMA in the past eight months of our preparation.”

Team members include:

• Presentation team members: Abby Schmidt, senior in plant sciences; Allie Lock, senior in agribusiness management; Anderson Rogers, sophomore in agribusiness management; Halley Blades, freshman in biochemistry; Kate Thompson, junior in agribusiness management; and Ragsdale.
• Team members who helped in preparation: Caleb Boyd, senior in agribusiness management; Cole Gutshall, senior in animal sciences; Dillon Reinitz, senior in agribusiness management; Mattie Kottman, junior in agribusiness management; Sophie Liefer, sophomore in plant sciences; and Zak Bush, sophomore in agribusiness management.

Ragsdale also received second place in the 2021 Virtual Sales Competition. The National Agri-Marketing Association Collegiate Sales Competition began in 2019 and seeks to advance the practice and professionalism of selling and the sales profession. The NAMA Sales Competition is a basic sales call skills challenge for individual contestants.

“I am thankful for the opportunity to compete in the sales competition and represent Mizzou NAMA! Sales is a huge passion of mine that I hope will one day translate into my professional career,” Ragsdale said. “A huge thank you goes out to my past teachers, professors, advisors, employers, and colleagues who have helped me find my passion in sales and marketing.”

Mizzou NAMA’s advisors are Annette Kendall, assistant teaching professor in management; and Katie Essing, assistant teaching professor in marketing.

According to their website, NAMA is an organization for agri-marketing professionals and for over 60 years has provided education and insights that position NAMA members for success and equip them to deliver greater value for their companies and employers in a rapidly changing world. NAMA gives more than 3,500 college students and professional members in the food and fiber industry access to solutions and opportunities. With 23 chapters in six regions across the country, NAMA helps members grow their agribusiness careers locally and nationally.