Stetson’s RGIP Showcase 2024, as promised, was all about sustainable energy — powered by talented students in a battle of business intellect and investment strategy.

On Wednesday, Nov. 6, in the Warren and Barbara Carr Stetson Room on campus, students from the Stetson’s School of Business Administration’s Roland George Investments Program presented comprehensive research findings to RGIP trustees, fellow students, faculty, staff and the DeLand community.

For at least a month, their assignments were to identify companies that are working to make their business operations more environmentally sustainable. Plus, on this day, the students were prompted to share their insight through “captivating storytelling,” as described by Matthew Imes, PhD, RGIP director and assistant professor of Finance.

In the end, the five teams, each consisting of three or four students, delivered deep-dive company analyses and, ultimately, made stock recommendation to become part of RGIP’s $6.5 million investment portfolio (in real money).

With approximately 250 attendees, both in person and online, the winning companies, as voted by the trustees: Nextracker (trade name NXT — presented by Max Miller, Sydney Jenkins, Cooper Smith and Caitlyn Kulczyski); First Solar (trade name FSLR — presented by Steven Vetter, Andrew Permenter and Joseph Despard); and Sempra (trade name SRE — presented by J. Patrick Pitts, William Brooks, Kaitlin Pani and Seth Singer).

In addition, presenters William Hubbard, Keith Ohanian, Gigi Kiniyalocts and Nicolò Radaelli won first place and a $2,000 cash prize for their compelling pitch on another company, Constellation Energy. The second-place prize of $500 went to students Vetter, Permenter and Despard. The $300 third-place prize was awarded to Miller, Jenkins, Smith and Kulczyski.

Following the event, Imes praised the student participants.

“The Roland George Investments Program empowers students through hands-on experience in managing a real $6.5 million investment portfolio, preparing them for successful careers in asset management,” Imes commented  “Tonight, we celebrate their hard work and innovation in sustainable energy investments, showcasing their growth and the vibrant community we have here at Stetson.”

Established in 1980, RGIP is among the nation’s top Student Managed Investment Funds, based on assets under management. As part of the program, students function much like an investment management firm. They develop investment goals and objectives for managing a real portfolio, using research tools such as Bloomberg. And, not surprisingly, these students enjoy a 100% success rate after graduation, and many of them field multiple job offers.

At RGIP Showcase 2024, they displayed exactly why they possess such promising futures — and with energetic flair.

-Michael Candelaria