Smaller internationally accredited business schools dominated the fourth annual Private Business Valuation Challenge Competition in Seattle on April 24-25. The competition involves student teams from universities around the nation valuing an actual company provided by Moss Adams LLP. Teams of three to five students have access to data from BVR and volunteer mentors from the AICPA, ASA, and NACVA to assist them.

Teams create video presentations of their findings and upload them to the Internet. Panels of valuation professionals review the presentations and recommend which of the participating teams should be invited to a second face-to-face round in Seattle. The judges are drawn from a large pool of senior valuation professionals who volunteer their time to the program. Because the number of competitors grew significantly from the previous year, the second round of judging spanned two days instead of one and grew to nine teams.

Top teams: In Seattle, the teams made presentations to a panel of three judges who selected first-, second-, and third-place winners. These teams were awarded prizes of $5,000, $2,500, and $1,500, respectively. First place went to Southern Indiana University and second place to Northern Iowa University. Middle Tennessee State University and Lynn University tied for third.

The presenting sponsors of the challenge are BVR and Seattle Pacific University. Synergy Financial Management and the BV placement firm of Borrowman Baker are sponsors. A special attraction of the event was the presentation by John Borrowman titled "Business Valuation Careers: A 30,000-Foot View." He later did a webinar of this presentation.