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The Opryland Hotel in Nashville flooded with business students from all over the nation eager to vie for national recognition and accomplishment. GC Senior Justin Chesnut shared this hope. "Last year was the first year that we had Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) on the Greenville campus," Chesnut stated. "Dr. Filby was highly encouraging all the people in Management classes that were members of PBL to go to the state competition which was at the beginning of April in Collinsville, IL. About six of us went and participated in that competition." After securing a spot to nationals at the Illinois State PBL competition, he found himself in Nashville amid some of the nation’s brightest business students, including Mark Schopp, also from Greenville College. "It was fun interacting with Justin at the PBL competition," Schopp said. "He is a good guy and he's a lot of fun to hang out with or just talk to."
Uncertainty filled the room as Chesnut arrived to take the test for competition. Filled to the brim with computers and competitive faces, the room held an intimidation of its own. With confidence and preparation on his side, Chesnut took his test.
During the management analysis and decision making portion of the awards ceremony, Chesnut eagerly awaited backstage to hear his name. With every name called came the fulfillment of knowing he achieved one place better. With the announcement of fourth place came Chesnut's name. "I couldn't believe I was actually getting a national award," he stated.
With the amount of preparation and encouragement Chesnut received from Greenville College's Management Department, it is no wonder he did so well. "When he was preparing for the competitions he put in a lot of work," Dr. Ivan Filby, chair of the Management Department, said of
Chesnut. "He read different texts and planned and reviewed. He pushes himself."
The Management Department at Greenville College focuses on putting students in real world scenarios that will prepare them for life after college. Along with competitions, many other opportunities in the form of classes, class projects, and speakers prepare students to enter the workforce. The Professional Business Leaders course allows students to interact with speakers from the business world who also mentor them and bring awareness about what to expect in the work environment. Also in this course, Filby teaches students to organize a career profile and network effectively. "We are constantly trying to put real world scenarios to [our students] so that they can develop the type of strategies, structures and processes they will need," Filby stated.
While in Nashville, Chesnut experienced malfunctions with his Permobill wheelchair. The man who fixed his chair mentioned that the Permobil headquarters were located in Nashville. Chesnut traveled to the company and met the vice president of company. He explained why he was in Nashville and that he had placed in the competition, and the vice president showed interest in creating a job opportunity for Chesnut. Having recently sent a resume and cover letter to the Permobil Company, he hopes to hear back from them about a job prospect. If not, Chesnut plans to attend Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville to work on his master's degree in Business Administration. "I feel a greater calling towards a career in business with assistive technology," Chesnut explained. "And I don't feel like it's as far out of reach as I thought."
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