NMCC senior earns first place at Missouri FBLA State Leadership Conference

Austin Eddy of New Madrid earned first place in the political science event at the Missouri FBLA State Conference. He will compete at the national conference this summer in Chicago.

Submitted photo

NEW MADRID, Mo. - A New Madrid County Central High School senior will compete nationally after a top place finish at Missouri’s FBLA State Leadership Conference.

Austin Eddy earned first place in the political science event. He will advance to the National Leadership Conference scheduled for this summer in Chicago, Ill.

Eddy was among 4,000 registered attendees from 354 chapters to attend the Missouri Future Business Leaders of America’s Leadership Conference from April 10-12 in Springfield. It was the largest state leadership conference in the nation.

For the first time in two years, members and advisers gathered in person to expand their leadership, compete in various events and connect with members from across the state. Throughout their time at the conference, members engaged in specialized leadership academies led by professional trainers in various topics such as mastering self-awareness, creating their elevator pitch for their career, learning how to lead high performing teams, strategizing time-management and more.

FBLA members competed in over seventy-five events ranging from accounting and agribusiness to social media strategies and UX design. The Top 10 individuals/teams in each event were awarded medals onstage at JQH Arena. The Top four in an event took home trophies and advanced to the National Leadership Conference.

The Leadership Expo had nearly 20 exhibitors including universities and military partners for members to connect, leadership activities for members to engage, and tours of the College of Business at Missouri State University. Brand new for this year, leaders enjoyed a movie night on Hammons Field where FBLA members had the stadium to themselves to celebrate their hard work over the years.

Missouri Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda is a non-profit 501(c)(3) student business organization with over 11,000 members making it the second large membership in the nation. Its mission is to bring business and education together in a positive working relationship through innovative leadership and career development programs. The association is headquartered in Jefferson City, Mo.

For more information visit www.missourifbla.org.