Virginia Newhall Rademacher, Babson Associate Professor of Hispanic Literature and Culture traveled with the students as team coach. Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship, Matt Allen, the Undergraduate Dean’s Office, and the Glavin Global Fellows Program also supported the students’ efforts.The case was based on a real dilemma facing Blendtec, an international manufacturer of upscale commercial and home blenders. According to Rademacher, “Though Blendtec had expanded its international operation as a result of their association with Starbucks and Jamba Juice, they lacked a focused plan for international expansion. Our team’s challenge was to determine in which international market(s) they should lead or expand their operations, explain the reasoning for this strategy, and outline a projected plan of action – all in Spanish.”

The competition’s judges noted “…the Babson students’ superb command of the topic and of the language”. Another judge observed the idea of using local platforms as a strategy and the team’s use of statistics to strengthen their case as “exceptional”.

While in Utah, the Babson team visited the Blendtec factory, Sundance Institute, and participated in team building exercises with the other competing teams.