Thomas College students won top awards at the Society for the Advancement for Management Conference March 27-30 in Orlando. The organization is the oldest, most premier business organization in the U.S., according to a news release from the college.

The Thomas College team members are Kerri Abbott, of Starks; Kaitlyn Rourke, of Lewiston; Amanda Landry, of Madison; Alyssa Joubert, of Methuen, Massachusetts; and Emma Dimock, of Madison.

They won multiple awards in SAM’s Open Division, consisting of both undergraduate and graduate students from across the country.

The team placed first in the Case Study competition, where they were responsible for analyzing the current business situation faced by the Hard Rock Café and then presenting their recommendations for the company to move forward.

The team also placed first in the Knowledge Bowl, and second for overall recognition among the business programs at the conference. The team competed against other major business programs from colleges such as Florida State University and the New England Institute of Technology.

“Our student team showed that Thomas College provides an education that allows our students to compete with anyone in the country. The team members thoroughly impressed the judges of the national competitions and the professional members who attended the conference,” said Rick Saucier, Professor of Marketing at Thomas College and the team’s advisor, according to the release.

The team’s travel funding was supported by the Harold Alfond Institute for Business Innovation at Thomas College.