America’s future business leaders will test their mettle against their peers in a competition at MTSU this week.

Maria Kirstiens of Summertown (Tenn.) High School accepts her prize, a Samsung Galaxy 2 tablet, from MTSU professor K. Virginia Hemby-Grubb at the 2013 Future Business Leaders of America Region 4 Conference competition at MTSU. (File photo by MTSU News and Media Relations)

The Future Business Leaders of America’s Region 4 Conference is slated for Thursday, Feb. 6, in the Student Union ballroom.

Some 150 youngsters from nine counties will vie all morning long for top prizes in categories such as business ethics, global business, management decision-making, entrepreneurship, marketing, client service, impromptu speaking, job interviews and public speaking.

“This is an opportunity for these students to learn about business in high school, see what business is all about and determine if they’d like to enter the business world,” said Kay Blasingame-Boike, lecturer in the MTSU Department of Business Communication and Entrepreneurship.

Dr. David Urban, dean of the Jones College of Business, will address the students at 1 p.m. Following Urban’s speech, there will be a drawing for two Samsung tablets and a number of Walmart gift cards for students. All teachers who attend also will receive Walmart gift cards.

For more information, contact Blasingame-Boike at 615-898-5687 or kay.blasingame-boike@mtsu.edu or Dr. Martha Balachandran, professor in the Department of Business Communication and Entrepreneurship, at 615-898-2036 or martha.balachandran@mtsu.edu.

— Gina K. Logue (gina.logue@mtsu.edu)