A group of students from the University of Wisconsin-Superior’s transportation and logistics management and supply chain management program competed in the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) 2023 Intermodal Case Study Competition and participated in the IANA Expo 2023 held in Long Beach, California, September 10 to 13.

Students from UW-Superior included Luka Dragovic, Joe Krebsbach, William Krieg, Kyle Weinschenk and Ethan Westimayer. 

“I had a very enjoyable experience at the Expo,” said Krieg, a senior majoring in transportation and logistics management. “I spoke with many of the other colleges and their students, and it helped open my eyes to the opportunities that UW-Superior has over the other schools. I also learned about additional education that I could pursue after graduation. I greatly enjoyed the chance to attend the IANA Expo, and I feel that I learned a lot of valuable information that I will be able to use in my future career. I also appreciated having time to get to know my fellow students better outside of class.”

The Intermodal Case Study Competition allowed students to put classroom learning into a real-world environment.

“The academic competition came in the form of a case study presented to each of the teams,” said Joe Krebsbach, a senior transportation and logistics management major. “In this case study, we were asked to identify and create potential solutions for a fictional railroad company whose intermodal freight volume numbers were sliding. Our team brainstormed and created proposed solutions plus formatted a PowerPoint presentation – all within a five-hour time window.”

The UW-Superior team of students was able to take in the stress of the competition.

“I found this competition to be a fun kind of stress,” said Westimayer, a senior majoring in transportation & logistics management; business administration with a concentration in supply chain management. After the competition, we got to kick back a little bit and go to the expo. Seeing and talking to the companies at the expo was a great experience for me, and seeing some of the new technology on display was neat, too.”

The UW-Superior student team competed against teams from other IANA scholarship schools such as California State Maritime Academy, College of Charleston, Georgia Southern University and the universities of Arkansas, Maryland, North Florida, and North Texas, which secured the top position in the competition. 

“In addition to the case competition, the expo was just incredible. With so many industry leaders walking around and vendors trying to sell their new ideas, it was really cool to be a part of that world for a few hours,” said Weinschenk, a junior transportation and logistics management; business administration major with a concentration in supply chain management. “I was able to talk with and build relationships with many people, both leaders and students. This trip was another highlight of my great experience here at UWS with the T&L major, and I can’t wait to see what next year’s expo will bring.”

For UW-Superior faculty, the trip allowed their students to shine on a national stage.

“I’m proud of how our UW-Superior student team worked together to formulate solutions to questions posed in the case study competition,” said Daniel Rust, associate professor of transportation and logistics management. “Our students consistently excel in applying their knowledge, acquired both inside and outside of the classroom setting, to address challenges faced by the intermodal industry.” 

“Beyond the competition, our students gained invaluable experience by participating in the breakout sessions, embarking on a boat tour of the Port of Long Beach, learning about trends and new products at the Expo, and leveraging the opportunity to expand their professional networks,” said Mei Cao, professor and director of Transportation and Logistics Research Center.

The students and faculty thank IANA for prioritizing the development of the next generation of intermodal leaders.

“The networking events at the expo were my favorite part of the trip,” said Dragovic, a junior transportation and logistics management major. “It was a unique experience to meet and have genuine conversations with key people in the industry. It was also great to learn how big the industry really is. Until I attended the expo, I thought of the transportation and logistics industry as only trucks and warehousing.  As a new T&L major, I now better understand how much wider the industry is.”