Graduate students from 20 teams of top talent tackled a complex supply chain scenario bridging marketing, supply chain, Frito Lay and the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
March 04, 2025
By Alexandria Salinas
From the kickoff event at the Stuart Family Courtside Club in Schollmaier Arena to the announcement of the top three finishers, the ninth annual TCU Graduate Supply Chain Case Competition provided a creative space for graduate teams from across the nation – and an international team from Germany – to address a real-world business challenge and showcase their problem-solving abilities.
Craig Crossland, John V. Roach Dean of the TCU Neeley School of Business, kicked off the weekend by welcoming the teams, sponsors, and industry partners to the case competition hosted by TCU Neeley’s Center for Supply Chain Innovation. Crossland expressed his appreciation for the competition's role in fostering collaboration and innovation among the participating institutions and the opportunity they had to address a realistic business case developed by Cliff Defee, a professor of professional practice in supply chain management at TCU Neeley.
Defee’s case invited the teams to anticipate the challenges of introducing a new product line for Frito Lay, in association with their role as the official sponsor of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Supply chain questions ranged from whether an existing product line would need to be converted or a new production facility developed.
Kari Reynolds, Frito Lay’s senior director for Repack and eComm Operations, said, “Being the case content provider was a huge benefit for Frito Lay. We were able to gain valuable strategies and tactics to employ and ensure we have every consumer’s favorite snack food at every World Cup game and destination.”
The supply chain topic was especially appropriate, since Fort Worth in partnership with TCU was identified as one of the base camps for the 2026 World Cup and teams from around the world will be on campus enjoying TCU’s world-class facilities. This opportunity aligns with the decision to make Community Engagement one of the four pillars in TCU’s strategic plan, LEAD ON: Values in Action.
The TCU Graduate Case Competition is made possible each year in large part due to the generosity of sponsors who also actively participated in the weekend activities, said Morgan Swink, the Eunice and James L. West Chair of Supply Chain Management and the Executive Director of the Center for Supply Chain Innovation.
“Our corporate sponsors love this event because it gives them visibility to top talent while also promoting their brands to students, faculty, and judges from around the country,” Swink said. “The sponsors also want to help grow future leaders. Most of them participate as judges and they just love interacting with the students."
Esri joined Frito Lay as a Platinum Partner in this year’s competition, a key collaboration for the competition, said Cindy Elliott, Esri’s director of business industry sector.
“Using geospatial intelligence technology as the cornerstone, all 20 teams were asked to solve a complex business challenge spanning demand forecast, production planning and regional distribution across 16 geographies and 104 games in anticipation of the upcoming FIFA 2026 tournament,” Elliott said. “This is an opportunity to showcase Esri’s ArcGIS mapping and analytics products to the brightest emerging supply chain leaders. In our sixth case competition collaboration, the TCU Center for Supply Chain Innovation continues to be a proven strategic partner in developing innovative leaders to solve the world’s most complex problems.”
Among the case competition student teams participating was a group of TCU graduate students - Rishabh Badyal, Pritam Rath, Lacey Jackson, and Kaitlyn Adkins.The students said they gained more than they expected in the form of new professional connections and the hands-on, experiential learning that allowed them to stretch their skillset.
“I learned so much from my teammates and gained the confidence to voice my insights on strategic areas of importance,” said Jackson.
Swink, said part of the popularity of this event is rooted in the benefits of competing.
“Not only do they get to network and benchmark their abilities against other top students from around the country, but with the case they gain insights into the types of challenges supply chain executives face,” Swink said. “Students also interact with executives who are looking for top talent and they have the opportunity to have fun and win big money prizes.”
The 2025 TCU’s Graduate Supply Chain Case Competition Winners:
First Place – Rutgers University (Team Dunaway) $14,000
Second Place – Iowa State University (Team RTX) $10,000
Third Place – University of Minnesota (Team AMT) $6,000
