BLOOMINGTON – The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce’s partnership with the 4th annual Kelley Impact Competition (KIC) hosted by The Kelley Institute for Social Impact (KISI) concluded on April 1, 2022.
The winners of the competition, Spades Consulting, will implement their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) plan in the 2022-2023 school year.
The annual case competition brings together socially-minded students at Indiana University and is made possible by a gift from Kelley School of Business alumnus Lance Breitstein, BS’11. In addition to $15,000 in student prizes, $10,000 in seed money supports the implementation of the winning idea to create lasting social change in the community.
The winning team consisted of four Indiana University sophomores, Naina Prabhakar (majoring in Marketing and International Business), Kayla Oxley (majoring in Marketing and Business Analytics), Katie Cole (majoring in Marketing, Business Analytics, and Sociology), and Ashwin Ramesh (majoring in Finance and Business Analytics). The Spades Consulting team said they decided to participate in KIC so they could make an impact on the community and grow as leaders.
“Spades Consulting took the win with their innovative recommendation for a “B is Belonging” campaign, revenue-generating coupon books, and DEI certification for Chamber businesses,” said Associate Director for the Kelley Institute for Social Impact, Shawna Meyer-Niederman.
With Spades Consulting’s plan, the Chamber will be able to improve the members’ DEI resources, awareness, and best practices, ultimately benefiting the greater Bloomington community.
“This case is a great example of positive community impact that will make Bloomington a better place to live and work,” said Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce President Eric Spoonmore. “None of this would be possible without the partnership of Indiana University, and especially Kelley School of Business alumnus Lance Breitstein whose vision and leadership will make a huge difference to the Chamber of Commerce and to the Bloomington-Monroe County community.”
