Accounting team takes 8th spot in national competition

PSU Accounting Team members, from left, Zach Rosa, Lynnette Faure, Kyle Saunders, Brooke Wells, Zac Hofland (Courtesy photo)

DOVER - Leone, McDonnell & Roberts, PA intern Brooke Wells, along with her accounting teammates from Plymouth State University (PSU), placed in the top eight nationally in the 2018 6th Annual Business Valuation Challenge earning them a trip to present their work to a panel of valuation experts at Georgia State University.

Ms. Wells and her project partners were notified in early November that they were among the select few teams chosen (out of 24) to participate in the competition held in Atlanta, Ga.

In an effort to increase educational opportunities in the theory and practice of valuation, the Business Valuation Challenge is an undergraduate and graduate student competition where a team of students assess the stand-alone value of an actual private company, prepare a video presentation, and submitted them for evaluation by the competition. As one of the eight teams selected to participate in the national competition finals, the PSU accounting team was selected to present their findings and assessments in person to a panel of valuation experts.

While the PSU team was not the overall winner of the challenge, Ms Wells indicated she and her team had an amazing experience.

"I learned that winning isn't everything in a competition like this," she explained, "although that would have been the icing on the cake! It was just amazing to be afforded this opportunity. There were teams in the competition whose entire college curriculum is based on business valuation, something that we have seen very little of in our classes. Being one of the first students from Plymouth to participate in an accounting competition at this level was an amazing experience!"

Originally from Morrisville, Vt., and currently living in Plymouth, Ms Wells works in both the North Conway and Wolfeboro offices. She will graduate from Plymouth State University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting in May 2019. Brooke is also the Secretary of the PSU Student Accounting Society.

"We are thrilled that Brooke and her fellow PSU students had the opportunity to compete in such a remarkable competition," said Partner Evan Stowell. "The integration of such meaningful real world experience with their academics will help ensure the students are ready to succeed in our dynamic profession."