ABOVE PHOTO: From left, Trever Davern, Lisa Jevne and Emily Mettner, students in the Supply Chain Management program at Chippewa Valley Technical College, participated in a case competition at the University of St. Thomas recently. Their team took third place of six. This was the first competition CVTC has competed in of its kind, and the only two-year college in the competition.
Lisa Jevne doesn’t love the spotlight. She’s not keen on speaking in front of a crowd.
“I believe that the possibilities of different careers involving supply chain are endless.”
When she agreed to represent Chippewa Valley Technical College in an Association for Supply Chain Management case competition recently, she had to calm her nerves.
The competition is the first for a team from CVTC. Justin Baker, Supply Chain Management program director for CVTC, said the College’s team of three was the only team from a two-year college to compete. Other colleges included UW-Eau Claire, UW-Superior, Southwest Minnesota State University and two teams from the University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minn., who hosted the event.
That’s why it’s so impressive that the team took third place, Baker said.
“It was a lot of work for them. I think it was a good experience,” he said. “We do projects like this in class – they have to design a supply chain and make it profitable – but we don’t do anything that is time-bound and make decisions with raw data. They were literally looking at a spreadsheet full of data.”
Jevne, 45, and her two classmates who comprise the CVTC team were in Baker’s Principles of Inventory Management and Logistics and Distribution classes. In those classes, students learn about the logistics and cost-saving measures that benefit companies by having a more efficient supply chain.
The students didn’t know exactly what to expect, Jevne said.
“The fact that CVTC was the only two-year school never crossed my mind,” she said. “The fact that concerned me the most was that the other schools had participated in the competition before, so that gave them an advantage right from the start.”
But the students got right to work on the case. The teams were given a brief overview of a real company that was having problems with logistics and cost, Jevne said.
“We basically had to comb through the data and figure out how to best make improvements for the company and how products were being shipped,” she said. “We felt like we were the definite underdogs, but we used our different strengths, never gave up and were able to come up with a finished presentation that the judges appreciated.”
Competing in this manner might seem like a fun Saturday, but even more, these students are the future of supply chain management and will keep the world moving.
“I have always held positions in manufacturing, and I have seen how the supply chain can affect the survival and success of a business,” she said. “I believe that the possibilities of different careers involving supply chain are endless.”
Jevne plans to graduate in 2026 with a degree in Supply Chain Management. Although she’s still considering her options, the Cornell woman said she’s thinking about a career in logistics or working as a buyer in a company.
“I think that CVTC offers a great value for students,” Jevne said. “So far, I am enjoying learning more about supply chain and continuing my education.”
