Community Bank Competition

A team of students from JMU’s College of Business participated in the Community Bank Case Study Competition, sponsored by the Conference of State Banking Supervisors (CSBS). They partnered with Blue Ridge Bank, based in Luray, Va., to conduct an original case study focused on the bank’s financial performance and succession planning strategies. Competing against 33 undergraduate teams from colleges and universities across the U.S., the JMU team advanced to the second of three rounds of judging. 

JMU’s team comprised finance majors Tanner Leininger, ’17, and Ashley Mills, ’17, and management majors Elizabeth Maiorana, ’17, and Brooke Pearson, ’17, (who also majored in accounting). Finance professor Carl Larsson was the faculty adviser. The team worked closely with JMU 2017 MBA graduate Jonathan Comer, market president at Blue Ridge Bank, Harrisonburg, and collaborated with JMU video production major Sydney Their, SMAD ’18, to produce a video summary of their case study. 

Participating in the competition gave students the opportunity to engage with local business leaders and collaborate across academic disciplines - experiences that are beneficial in the workplace.

“The CSBS Case Study Competition was a great opportunity to work closely with a local community bank and gain valuable experience outside of a classroom setting,” says Tanner Leininger. “I highly encourage others who are interested in pursuing commercial banking to join this competition in future years.”

Watch the case study video.