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SALISBURY, MD---Ninety students from 45 colleges and universities throughout the U.S. compete in the inaugural National Shore Sales Challenge (NSSC), hosted by the Mid-Atlantic Sales and Marketing Institute (MASMI) at ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥, March 25-27.

Presented by Perdue Farms, the event was postponed from 2020 due to precautions against COVID-19. It will be held virtually this year, with a goal of in-person competition beginning in 2022.

The NSSC represents the third-largest sales competition of its kind in the U.S. Representatives from sponsoring businesses throughout the region will serve as judges, providing them with an up-close look at up-and-coming future sales professionals as they complete their degrees.

“The NSSC ties into our goal of experiential learning and connecting students to employers,” said Dr. Christy Weer, dean of SU’s Franklin P. Perdue School of Business, which includes the MASMI. “This likely is one of the best recruiting opportunities in the Mid-Atlantic and certainly the largest sales competition in our area.”

Participants compete in two categories. In the first, they are paired with a potential buyer to role play a 12-minute sales scenario. In the second, they must develop a 60-second elevator pitch to deliver to business executives at an NSSC-hosted career fair, answering the question, “Why am I the right person for the job?” Competitors will advance through multiple categories in each round.

“Students will vie for up to $1,000 in individual prizes, but more importantly, they will have the opportunity to network with other sales professionals and demonstrate their skills to potential employers,” said Dr. Amit Poddar, MASMI director.

The public is invited to view finalist presentations online during the event. A link to those presentations will be posted on the NSSC webpage.

, scheduled 5 p.m. Thursday, March 25, and the , scheduled 1:30 p.m. Saturday, March 27, also may be viewed live online.

Choptank Transport of Preston, MD, is the competition’s platinum sponsor. Silver sponsors include APPI Energy; Breakthru Beverage Group; Comcast Xfinity; Cvent; Enterprise Rent-A-Car; Freedom Mortgage; GIS Benefits; Orkin; Paycom; Pohanka of ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥; Risk Placement Services, Inc.; Sherwin-Williams; Stanley Black & Decker; Sunbelt Rentals; Toyota; and Unum.

Additional sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information call 410-548-7756 or visit the NSSC webpage.