Alan Switas (Business '25) confidently walked up to a representative of , a Fortune 500 company that sells industrial products and solutions throughout the world. The two had discussed a potential business deal earlier in the day, and now Switas was eager to close the sale.

"Sorry, we're no longer interested," came the reply. Still, Switas wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"I think a lot of people in sales get nervous or scared when it's time to close," Switas says. "But my professor had taught me that if a customer says no, it's not a problem; just counter with something that shows the value you add through your product or service, and that's what I did. The customer said 'OK, fair enough, let's do business.'"

The interaction ��� met with applause from people who were watching ��� was part of a business simulation, but there was still plenty on the line. In fact, it might have been what sealed the victory for Switas and Pilon School of Business (PSB) classmate Hannah Braz at this year's at Durham College, earning the duo a cash prize and an all-expenses-paid trip to the Fastenal Corporate Expo in Nashville, Tenn.

Switas credits Sheridan marketing professor Anish Bhandari as a key to the team's success at the competition, noting how Bhandari gave his own time to coach and mentor them when classes were paused for Reading Week. However, the students' familiarity with Fastenal ��� which provided case studies and judges as the competition's primary sponsor ���also helped Switas and Braz prepare for the event, including building a vending machine prototype tailored specifically for Fastenal's needs.

For the past three years, Fastenal representatives have visited Bhandari's professional selling class each semester to discuss sales strategies, answer questions about their company and scout for promising talent. "Since we're a B2B company, a lot of people don't know much about us," says Emma Carrique, Fastenal's Regional Recruiter for Central Canada. "But I'm also eager to help students who want to know how to optimize their resume or develop their interview skills. And I'm always on the lookout for people who have soft skills and are motivated; people who don't give up when they hear the word 'No'."

���My last class was on a Thursday, and I started my full-time job the following Monday. How awesome is that?���

��� Sheridan Business graduate and Fastenal sales associate Alan Switas

"Our students benefit from the opportunity to learn more about a real-world company, and they also learn what it takes to be hired for a B2B sales job," Bhandari adds. "Meanwhile, Fastenal benefits from the opportunity to hire young talent that has been groomed by Sheridan."

The partnership has led to numerous PSB students landing part-time jobs with Fastenal, and four of those students have been hired full-time by the company after graduation ��� including Switas and Braz.

"My last class was on a Thursday, and I started my full-time job the following Monday. How awesome is that? How many people can say they got a job right out of school?" Switas says. "That's thanks to Sheridan, to professors like Anish, and to Emma and others at Fastenal for giving me opportunities while I was still in college."

��� Pictured in body of story are (top photo) Sheridan Business graduates Hannah Braz (left) and Alan Switas (right) with Fastenal CEO Dan Florness at the Fastenal Corporate Expo, and (bottom photo) a summary of features and benefits of a vending machine the students 'sold' during the Intercollegiate STAR Sales Competition.

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