UH Hilo Competes in Ag Marketing Competition

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management‘s student chapter of the National Agri-Marketing Association competed in the recent 2003 NAMA Student Agricultural Marketing Competition in San Diego, California.

Representing UH Hilo were aquaculture major Cristin Gallagher, agribusiness major Lori Aoki and philosophy major Annette Niebelski. The trio devised and presented a marketing plan for a unique beef product, Aloha Beef.

"The competition was tough this year," said UH Hilo Professor of Agricultural Economics Dr. Sabry Shehata, the Hilo chapter NAMA advisor. "We did not make it to the semifinals this year as we have in past years."

UH Hilo‘s pool of five included the University of Arizona, University of Minnesota-St. Paul, California Polytechnic Institute-San Luis Obispo and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Cal Poly advanced to the semifinals with Wisconsin coming in second and UH Hilo third.

University of Guelph from Ontario, Canada won the overall competition, with Wisconsin finishing second, Virginia Tech placing third and Michigan State rounding out the top four.

"Where we finished in the competition was less important than the experience of the competition itself and the opportunities the students capitalized on to network with others," Shehata said. "The communication and marketing skills gained from this experience will look great on a resume."

Shehata noted that not all of the UH Hilo NAMA team could afford the high out-of-pocket cost to attend the event, but that Ryan Kiriu, Chad Both and Rosie Hatori also contributed as team members to the presenters.

NAMA is a student group that meets every semester and are seeking new members who wish to learn the business skills necessary to prepare and present an agribusiness marketing plan. All majors are welcome.

For more information, contact Shehata at (808) 933-0856 or e-mail sabry@hawaii.edu.