The Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce awarded Loyola Marymount University the Bob Kleist Award at the kickoff of the 82nd annual World Trade Week on May 7.
LMU was chosen to receive the award due to its dedicated support and participation in the events of World Trade Week. LMU has been home to the World Trade Week Intercollegiate Business University Competition for the past two years. Another contributing factor is LMU’s dedication to the encouragement of learning and the education of the whole person.
“It is very unique that a university is receiving this award,” said Vanessa Pereda, international trade manager at the Chamber of Commerce. “Few educational institutions receive it, because the recognition is coming from the business community.” This honor distinguishes LMU not only as an institution committed to preparing its students for the business world but also as an institution recognized for its own business practices. The award was presented to LMU at a breakfast of 500 business executives, including Antonio Villaraigosa, mayor of Los Angeles, and other officials.
“This award is an outstanding achievement for LMU to receive,” said Dennis Draper, dean of the university’s College of Business Administration. “It shows our success in developing future business leaders who understand the importance of international trade.”
LMU manages and helped found the annual Intercollegiate Business University Competition. Universities throughout the Southern California region bring teams to LMU to compete in a business plan competition. For two days, students study a business issue and meet with real-world professionals in international business. The students are challenged to test their research and knowledge skills, as they have to find and synthesize information, then produce a business plan. The most recent competition was held in October and featured a scenario involving Dole Foods, Inc. Students were asked to develop a strategy for company growth over the next 3-5 years.
“In those two days, this competition deepens students’ understanding of what it takes to win in such a competitive world,” said Anatoly Zhuplev, competition coordinator and professor of management at LMU.
The Bob Kleist Award is presented to a leading organization or company that has impacted the international community. The award honors Bob Kleist, whose life and work was dedicated to international trade. Kleist was a director of the Greater Los Angeles World Trade Center Association and chairman of the board. He died in 2003. Kleist believed that public service and a world without war could be well-served through world trade.