Boise State College of Business and Economics supply chain management students Logan Johnson and Nathan Swift earned third place in the paired teams division of the 2024 Global Sustainability Supply Chain Student Competition in December.
This international competition challenges college students from across the world to develop sustainable supply chain solutions that address real-world problems aligned with broadly accepted sustainable development goals. The competition lasted from October until December 2024 and consisted of three rounds of competition with 84 teams from 20 countries.
Building a global team
Johnson and Swift are both third year students and they opted to participate in the paired teams division, which encourages cross-cultural learning by joining students from different countries. They teamed up with Hoàng Mỹ Phương Tô, a student from Saigon International University in Vietnam to create the team they named “Wanderers.”
“We could have gone as a duo repping Boise State, but we were really excited about having another teammate and gaining the professional experience of working with someone in a different country,” Swift said. “Through the competition, we gained skills in communication and mastering software like Zoom and AI that records and transcribes meetings.”
They met on Zoom at least once a week over the three months, navigating through the 13-hour time difference and daylight saving time.
“We always met up early in the morning or late at night,” Johnson said. “The time difference could be brutal, but it was cool to see how collaborating with someone in another country worked.”
Developing real-world solutions
For the competition, teams chose a business supply chain challenge from a provided list of four cases. The Wanderers tackled a case for the shipping company SF Express, focused on the environmental impact of outdated means of transporting goods. The team’s recommendations centered on emphasizing SF Express’ commitment to sustainability, including messaging suggestions about carbon-free transportation and smart reusable packaging. They also recommended an ambassador program, EcoCycle packaging stations, and a Green Rewards Program.
Winning teams advanced through three rounds of competition. For the first round, the Wanderers developed a six-page PRFAQ, or a written press release and FAQ typically used when companies roll out big, new initiatives. This put them through to rounds two and three, where they presented their plan remotely to a panel of judges made up of academics, practitioners and representatives from international organizations, ultimately landing in third place for their division. Watch their presentation and follow up questions from the judges.
Developing professional skills
“When you’re in college for the short four years, you have a small window where you’re in the loop about events and extracurriculars, so I try to take any supply chain opportunity I can,” Swift said. “Taking part in a competition on a global scale with a teammate from overseas was a great experience.”
Johnson added, “We learned a ton about intercultural work by being teamed with somebody from a different country. It was a really good experience and it’s something we can take into our professional careers.”
The team was supported and advised by Tom Gattiker, Boise State professor of supply chain management.
“All of the credit goes to Logan and Nathan,” Gattiker said. “It is very validating to see our supply chain students do so well when competing against universities from all over the world. We think we are pretty good, but experiences like this show we’re good.”