A winning combination of know-how and fresh ideas--that's the value real-life businesses and organizations find when they work with the student consulting teams in senior instructor Beth Hjelm's business strategy and planning course. Numbering among this fall's clients were a national printing house looking to expand to the Middle East; an organization weighing the pros and cons of starting Oregon's first large-scale commercial mussel farm; ski and hiking boot manufacturer Garmont USA in need of distribution and logistics models as they move from Vermont to new headquarters in Portland, Oregon; and RideAble, a Eugene-area nonprofit seeking ways to grow their therapeutic horseback riding program. Wrapping up the term, the student teams present their findings to an audience composed of their classmates, Hjelm, and at least one representative of the client organization—who attend in person or via the conferencing technology of the college's Business Research Institute. "This course challenges our students to use everything they've learned here to find meaningful solutions for real clients," said Hjelm. "It's the capstone of our students' undergraduate business education."