SIOUX CENTER, Iowa (KTIV) – Four Dordt University finance students were recognized for their hard work and success, placing second on a national level.
On Saturday, Nov. 15, and Sunday, Nov. 16, a team made of four Dordt University students represented Siouxland at the Georgia State University Business Valuation Competition.
The team is from the university’s Defender Capital Management program, made up of students all double majoring in accounting and business administration: finance.
The four-member team is comprised of:
- Caleb Smit of Orange City, Iowa
- Caden Koole of Windsor, Colorado
- Sam Zylstra of Plymouth, Minnesota
- Nolan Karel of Grandville, Michigan
The program is “a student-run investment fund” at Dordt University, where a group of senior analysts use research and decision-making procedures to select and trade stocks, listed on indices such as Dow Jones, Russel 1000 and S&P 500.
This year was the team’s first time participating in the competition.
Dr. Jesse Veenstra, the team’s faculty advisor and an assistant professor of finance, says what sets the group apart is their willingness to chase excellence when no one is watching.
“They took ownership of the work, put in serious hours of their own, and built a confidence rooted in preparation,” said Dr. Veenstra.
He says it was the team’s maturity, character and work ethic that made their results possible.
“What makes me proudest is how they carried themselves with humility, discipline, and a commitment to excellence, proving they can compete with any school in the country,” said Dr. Veenstra.
The competition was made up of 34 universities from across the country, which included research institutions and business programs such as the University of Southern California, Emory University, University of Maryland, Auburn University, and Rochester Institute of Technology.
Teams from Notre Dame, Vanderbilt University and Georgia State University also competed during the competition. Out of everyone, the four-student team was the only one competing from Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota.
According to Dordt University, the competition is widely regarded as one of the most rigorous undergraduate finance programs in the nation.
Teams, in the competition, determine the market value of a real private company through a complex process. Students also receive access to “professional-grade valuation databases,” , worth thousands of dollars according to Dordt University.
Later, the team presents their analysis to senior valuation professionals who serve as the competition’s judges.
Only five teams advance to the final round and present in person at Georgia State University’s Buckhead campus.
Outside of the competition itself, students also got to spend two days networking with their peers, industry professionals and valuation specialists, and recruiters, an experience which is typically reserved for “graduate cohorts,” according to the university.
According to Dordt University, the team ultimately secured 2nd place overall, outperforming multiple graduate-level programs comprised of Ivy League undergraduates.
“It’s extremely encouraging to know my education at Dordt has prepared me in so many ways,” said Caden Koole, a member of the team, “It drove home the fact that a Christ-centered education in no way means sacrificing academic excellence or rigor-something that was evident throughout this competition.”
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