Future business leaders succeed at national competition.

After a stellar showing at a state competition in March 2010, the Florida International University (FIU) chapter of Future Business Leaders of America–Phi Beta Lambda (FBLA-PBL) was victorious in the national competition this summer, including winning three first-place awards.

The group of 19 students, the majority of them from the College of Business Administration, attended the 2010 FBLA-PBL National Leadership Conference held July 8-12, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. They were among 3,500 participants at the event, including students from 150 universities nationwide.

Chapter members display their awards earned at the 2010 FBLA-PBL National Leadership Conference.

“Our chapter members proudly represented the university in written examinations and performance events,” said chapter president Bruno Cevallos. “Our Golden Panthers earned awards in finance, international business and other competitions.”

Lilian Dennis, Abdel Perera and Megan Lee celebrate their first-place win for the Community Service Project.

The FIU chapter was recognized as the fifth best in the nation, based on a variety of achievements including earning the top spot for its two chapter projects, which had also won at the state level: the Community Service Project, “Tribute to Children” week, and the Free Enterprise Project, the “FIU Business Olympics.”

FIU Business Olympics, the chapter's Free Enterprise Project, placed first in the nation. — FIU Business Olympics, the chapter’s Free Enterprise Project, placed first in the nation. Jose Betancourt and Angelica Navarrete proudly display their awards.

“It was gratifying to beat schools like University of California-Berkeley and University of Pittsburgh in the process,” Cevallos said.

Abdel Perera, Louis Castillo and Saul Perez showcase their second-place awards for Digital Video Production.

At an awards gala on the concluding evening of the conference, FIU participants were presented with prestigious awards:

First Place: Community Service Project

Team: Abdel Perera, Lilian Dennis, Megan Lee

First Place: Free Enterprise Project

Team: Angelica Navarrete and Jose Betancourt

First Place: Future Business Executive

Jose Betancourt

Second Place: Digital Video Production

Team: Abdel Perera, Saul Perez, Louis Castillo

Fifth Place: Financial Concepts

Bruno Cevallos

Fifth Place: Local Annual Business Report

FIU Chapter

Sixth Place: Database Design and Applications

Saul Perez

Sixth Place: International Business

Riquet Caballero

Sixth Place: Macroeconomics

Daniel Fernandez

Jose Toscano (BA ’97) serves as the advisor of FBLA-PBL at FIU. The organization retains Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), the parallel high school group, in its name so incoming FIU students will recognize the group and to distinguish it from a fraternity.

FIU student is chosen for national office.

Jose Betancourt campaigns for national secretary at the 2010 FBLA-PBL National Leadership Conference.

At the national conference, former FIU chapter president Jose Betancourt campaigned and was elected to serve as national secretary on the 2010-11 FBLA-PBL National Executive Board.

Betancourt also is state president for the 2010-2011 FBLA-PBL Executive Council for Florida.