The Associate competition resumed on April 5 after a two week break. The final four contestants, Kyle Harrer, Marie Zoscak, Rachael Pashkevich and Stacy Ruddy, met in the boardroom to hear Ken DeFontes, the “Donald” of the Associate, announce the two finalists.

There was no case presented this week.

Instead, DeFontes spent the time addressing the strengths and weaknesses of each contestant, which he gathered from the private interviews held last week. Interviews examined each contestant’s skills and cultural fit.

The two strongest contestants, and the finalists in The Associate competition, are Harrer and Ruddy.

“Stacy is a very strong candidate across the board. [She] is articulate and has high confidence, has good marketing and analytical skills, and responds to questions with great clarity,” DeFontes said. “Kyle’s previous work experience shows [he] is great team work and has leadership potential. [His] humor is an endearing quality, which we believe is a good fit for interacting with the customers. He is an overall strong candidate.”

The final challenge was announced: They will act as employees of Constellation Energy and work on a real-time project.

The project consists of how to attract “Millennials,” or people born after 1982, and get them to choose Constellation Energy as their energy supplier.

“You’re not only considering how to do it, but should we do it. There is an added element of cost benefit, which should make this last case interesting,” DeFontes said.

The teams must present a full-fledged business case to the judges.

“I’m so excited. It’s been great to work with so many hard-working people,” Ruddy said. “Winning will certainly make all the hard work pay off.”

Ruddy and Harrer were allowed to select two of the original eight contestants to assist them with their final task. Ruddy chose Rachel Pashkevich and Katie O’Riordan to come back. Harrer chose Ross Friedman and Giovanna Lamartina.

“I’m really excited. I’m excited to work with Ross and Giovanna again; they’re extremely capable people,” Harrer said. “I’m excited to bounce ideas around and see what I can come up with for Constellation Energy.”

The final Associate competition will be held on Tuesday, April 12. The event will take place in Stephens Hall, Room 310, at 5 p.m. where the winner will be announced.