May
06
It’s been a very busy Spring Term here in the Oregon MBA. First year students are reaching the halfway point in their MBA careers, and finding internships for the summer, while our second year and accelerated students rapidly approach graduation and their return to the work force. Here are a few highlights from each of the four centers this term:
- Center for Sustainable Business Practices: After a fantastic trip to the Bay Area to learn about sustainability at a variety of startups (including Facebook), CSBP students finished off the month of April with a series of great events and guest speakers during Earth Week. In the classroom, courses such as Impact Investing and Advanced Strategy (with Professor of Practice, Michael Crooke) have continued the dialogue about responsible business and continue to prepare students for the ever-evolving landscape of impact business.
- Finance and Securities Analysis: FSAC also enjoyed the opportunity to visit the Bay Area, and reaped the benefits of some really impactful meetings with Wells Fargo and Equilibrium Capital. A recent update of the Emerging Markets Fund has shown growth in the portfolio since last quarter, and the group continues to identify new investment opportunities as second-year students mentor first-years in the EMF process.
- Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship: Spring has been especially hectic for LCE students, as they have volunteered at the perennially successful New Venture Championship, visited San Francisco with their CSBP and FSAC classmates, and competed in a variety of venture-launch competitions. Of particular note is the (well documented) success of Red Duck Ketchup, who have entered production and launched a KickStarter campaign to help raise capital for future operations.
- Warsaw Sports Marketing Center: The Warsaw Center celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, and once again hosted an incredibly successful Women in Sports Business Symposium that focused on branding athletes in the digital age. First year students visited San Francisco during the first week of the term, and as we speak, the second year students are working to finalize their two-term Strategic Planning Projects for their clients.
Check back soon to see what else is going on within the program!
Written by Andrew White
Apr
24
After a busy day of business meetings, we had the wonderful opportunity to spend the evening in great company with business leaders at the Century Club in San Francisco, hosted by Mark and Martha Greenough. The evening opened with drinks and appetizers providing ample opportunity to introduce ourselves to our hosts (and other guests) and begin learning more about their various business ventures. The variety of our guests gave us insight into small business management, financial advising, capital investment, entrepreneurial startups, and general business advice.
The evening continued to the dining room where our first course and main course were served over more intimate conversations between the students and our business guests. Topics of conversation ranged from football allegiances to work-life balance and entrepreneurial advice, to name a few. We students were then offered the opportunity to introduce the guests at the table to the entire group, giving everyone a chance to see the great talent, success, and achievements made by those in our company.
As we made our way upstairs for drinks and dessert, Mark Greenough prepared a networking activity to offer additional time for small groups to ask questions and glean as much as we could from our guests before the evening drew to a close. In small groups, we spoke with 2-3 guests about their great achievements, biggest challenges, and highest aspirations. The intimate setting provided for a honest discussion of the highs and lows of business, focusing on how the journey is the exciting part, not the destination.
To say the least, the evening was motivational as we had the honor to hear about real world business success from the mouths of those who achieved it. The variety of personalities and careers afforded us a myriad of examples of what success really looked like and how it could be achieved. As young men and women at the beginning of our career adventures, this dinner provided us a unique look at the paths taken of those who were once in our shoes. The Oregon MBA is grateful for the following guests, especially Mark and Martha for offering us their time, energy, and wisdom:
- Mark Greenough (Greenough Consulting Group)
- Martha Greenough (Independent Bookkeeper)
- Joshua Greenough (Capital One Innovation Center)
- Brian Connolly (Connolly Advisors)
- Ben Keighran (Chomp)
- Lauryn Agnew (Seal Cove Financial)
- Geoff Dolan (Makani Power)
- Claire Herminjard (Mindful Meats)
- Robert Simon (IDC Ventures)
- Ken Pearlman (Oceanshore Ventures)
- Eli Janin (Capital One Innovation Center)
- Bob Komin (TicketFly)
Written by Andrew White
Apr
23
The second day of the combined FSAC/LCE/CSBP trip to the Bay Area began with chocolate. A factory FULL of chocolate. We visited the Guittard Chocolate Company at their HQ and manufacturing facility in Burlingame. After a great discussion about quality control and the importance of sustainable agriculture to their supply chain, we were fortunate to be able to take a tour of the factory and see exactly how chocolate is made. The production floor was hot and it didn’t always smell like fresh chocolate, but our perseverance paid off in the end as we were all sent home with a massive box containing a variety of amazingly delicious treats!
Next, we were off to visit 500 Startups, which is a business incubator/accelerator (with heavy focus on mobile applications) located in Mountain View. The laid back environment was completely open, and focused totally on allowing new ideas to flourish and develop into potential businesses. Everything seemed acceptable here, as evidenced by the sign on the front door that read “Warning: Ninjas and Pirates and Lasers and S[tuff]“. Unfortunately our time here was a bit limited by our schedule, so we asked a lot about the current tenants and the funding structure (the incubator provides seed funding and guidance, and maintains relationships with larger organizations in the area) before heading to our much anticipated meeting with Facebook.
Looking at the campus from afar, you’d barely be able to distinguish Facebook from a series apartment buildings, until you spotted the gigantic “Like” button right outside the driveway entry. At Facebook we met with Lyrica McTiernan. Lyrica is a Sustainability Program Manager at Facebook, which means that a great deal of her time is spent analyzing the performance and developing programs for the company’s data centers. Because of their massive energy demand, data centers make up very large portion of Facebook’s environmental impact, and have dedicated team that works tirelessly to balance maximum reliability and minimal energy usage. While the discussion of energy efficiency and green building practices was interesting, I think it’s safe to say that most of us were a bit preoccupied trying to get our names on the signature wall (Shaq’s autograph is obviously at the very top) and take in the beauty and eccentricity of our surroundings (complete with a mural of Yoda!).
After “checking in” at the Facebook HQ, we moved north again on US101 to visit Pinnacle Engines. This was another short visit, but allowed us the opportunity to observe an engine durability test in progress, and learn about a potentially massive upgrade in fuel efficiency for internal combustion engines. Using Pinnacle’s patented and innovative engine design, small vehicles (mopeds, motorcycles, cars) can experience over 50% more efficient use of fuel. Pinnacle’s VP of Marketing and Special Projects, Tom Covington, explained the importance of selecting the right markets for initial adoption, and outlined the company’s plans to build a strong customer base in emerging markets such as India and China, where sensitivity to fuel prices and an abundance of smaller vehicles combine to create favorable market conditions.
The last visit of our trip was at Stanford Hospital with the Executive Director of Emergency and Medicine Services, Janet Rimicci, and a panel of Stanford Hospital executives. Our discussion here was centered on the important role that logistics can play in a hospital that continually needs to move patients in and out of various services, as well as sustainability at a facility that requires redundant systems and constant access to electricity to support its systems. Overall it was a great visit that provided a nice finale to our busy trip to the Bay Area!
Written by Andrew White
Apr
18
San Francisco, Day 1
Center for Sustainable Business Practices Blog / Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship Blog / Oregon MBA Blog Posted by Andrew White
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Our trip to the Bay Area last week was action packed, to say the least. After a long drive from Eugene to San Francisco, we had an evening to rest up before our first day of business visits. FSAC split from the main group to conduct their own visits (look for another post soon!), LCE and CSBP hit the ground running with the executives from Ticketfly. CFO Bob Komin is a relatively new addition to the Ticketfly team, but as a UO undergrad alum, he was more than happy to share his experience with our group, and give us advice on how to maximize the power of our MBA.
Klout was second on our agenda, and provided us with a fantastic visit that helped us understand what it’s like to be part of the San Francisco startup scene. Students enjoyed learning about Klout’s mission of “empowering every person by unlocking their influence.” During our visit, we also learned about the company’s formation, and its goals for the near future. Students also learned about the importance of social media in today’s society and the influence each Facebook and Twitter user can generate through sharing content. The reward-based gamification of social media via Klout was also very interesting, as it provides incentive for individuals to target their online interactions in order to achieve personal gain.
The next startup on our schedule was Dropcam. At Dropcam, we observed a great example of “recognizing business opportunities”, as the co-founders explained how they sort of fell into their company by initially trying to help out their parents. They then went on to explain the challenges of ensuring that their product could add value for their customers, and the difficulties they faced as they tried to segment markets, and straddle the line between producing hardware and providing software for their customers.
After Dropcam, we visited Equilibirum Capital, a visit that has been highlighted in detail here. Then we were off to the Capital One Innovation Center for an interactive group exercise with Josh Greenough, another UO alum. Josh focused a great deal on the innovation that is taking place nowadays with the increasing prevalence of mobile technology and transactions. He also discussed the role his team plays at Capital One, which is intriguing because they serve as an incubator inside of a much larger banking entity– two groups with very different levels of risk tolerance.
Although our first day was not finished yet (still on the docket was a wonderful dinner at the Century Club), our official business visits were complete. And in spite of the hectic scheduling, I think that everyone felt stimulated by the fast pace and excitement of San Francisco and its rapidly evolving tech environment, and hungry for more (and also that dinner at the Century Club!).
Written by Andrew White
Apr
16
Students from the Center for Sustainable Business Practices, the Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship, and the Finance and Securities Analysis Center found common ground last Thursday in a visit to Dave Chen at Equilibrium Capital’s San Francisco office. Back in September, we visited Dave at his Portland office, and he has been a wonderful host on both occasions. He is full of wisdom and speaks eloquently on all matters of finance, something not easily accomplished.
Dave’s firm, Equilibrium Capital Group owns a platform of real asset managers focused on the areas of water, distributed and renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and integrated land management green real estate. It’s a mouthful but the concept was born from Dave boldly saying YES to the question, “Could finance be a solution for global issues such as famine, abuse of resources, and global warming?” Dave sets out solving these problems by channeling funds into real assets that are managed using sustainable practices, which results in growing value and consistent returns. After all, Dave says “Investing, no matter what word you put in front of it is still investing, even impact investing. Everybody in investing wants to get paid.” Often times sustainability gets criticized for being a fluffy concept that is difficult to define. But according to Dave there is nothing fluffy about sustainability. Through his experience he can see that it is an economic shift. With 4 billion humans entering the middle class “wanting to eat chicken and drive cars”, our methods for farming, development, and energy generation are going to have to change to be able to support the stresses put on the system. Sustainability is essential for our global economy moving forward.
Where do MBAs fit into all of this? Dave shared some knowledge and skills we must possess if we want to be in impact investing.
- Know your way around a spreadsheet (be able to trace benefits flows- dissecting benefits flows can lead to financial innovation)
- Risk management and assessment
- Valuing of externalities
- Willingness to roll up your sleeves and figure stuff out
Visiting firms like Equilibrium Capital gives students like us a first hand account of the skills desired by our future employers and adds significant value to the education we are receiving at the Oregon MBA.
Written by Eric Ringer
Apr
01
Winter 2013 Graduation!
Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship Blog / Oregon MBA Blog / Warsaw Sports Marketing Center Blog Posted by Andrew White
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We would like to (belatedly) congratulate those students who graduated at the end of Winter term. We are extremely proud of Paul Chun, Christina Early, Katrina Galas, Mitzi Ing, and Amy McCann, the most recent graduates of the Oregon MBA. While we will miss your presence on campus, we wish all of you the best in everything that you do, and look forward to keeping in touch as you progress through your careers. Congratulations on a job well done!
Written by Andrew White
Mar
12
Natural Products Expo West a learning experience for Red Duck Ketchup
Center for Sustainable Business Practices Blog / Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship Blog / Oregon MBA Blog Posted by Andrew White
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Shannon Oliver offers Lessons Learned from Natural Products Expo West, as Red Duck Ketchup looks back at a whirlwind weekend of business development as they prepare for their May launch:
- Bring a bigger suitcase – you’ll end up with more samples than you anticipated.
- When Michael Besancon introduces you to the people who come up to talk to him, they are important. Pay attention.
- Do not try every sample offered to you (vegan fishsticks?).
- Go hang out at the Marriot bar – that’s where the real stuff happens.
- Practice your swooping tactics ahead of time – you never know when you’ll have to grab Dave Dahl by the shoulder to get a chance to talk to him.
- In the natural foods world, there is an inverse correlation between the professionalism of attire and the status in the industry – if someone is dressed like a bum, they’re usually well-connected or a CEO.
- Park near the event, even if it costs more than you think is reasonable.
- All of Bob Marley’s relatives seem to have started natural product companies – Ziggy Marley Organics, Marley Coffee.
- Kale, Greek yogurt, chia, quinoa, fermented foods, salted caramel and non-GMO are HUGE in 2013.
While using our tetris skills to get all our free samples in our luggage, Karen Bonner and I began reflecting on the amazingly productive two days we’ve had here at the Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, CA. We’re here building our business, Red Duck Ketchup, and followed the recommendations of those in the natural foods industry to attend the event and soak in the knowledge from the wealth of companies and individuals attending. Expo West is one of the largest natural products trade shows in the world with representatives from companies far and wide.
We’ve had meetings with the former Global Director of Purchasing for Whole Foods, the Regional Buyer for Costco, and the CEO of KeVita Probiotic Beverages. We chatted with the co-founders of Madecasse (an awesome mission driven chocolate company using the power of business to make an impact in the world), distributors, suppliers, and a whole lot of folks making kale products of every shape and form. We also had the chance to see other Eugene companies that have grown and succeeded: Nancy’s Yogurt, GloryBee foods, Larry & Luna, Good Clean Love, and Emerald Valley Kitchens (now owned by Wildwood). We even spoke to a sauce company out of San Francisco who had heard of our company through a recent news article (possibly this bizjournals article).
All this came as Whole Foods announced, during one of yesterday’s keynote addresses, that it would be completely GMO transparent by 2018 – a huge commitment that stands to create lasting effects in the food industry, much the same way WalMart’s sustainability initiatives are shaping global supply chains. Whole Foods said, “all products in our US and Canadian stores containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) must be clearly labeled within five years. We heard our customers loud and clear asking us for GMO labeling and we are responding where we have control: in our own stores.” This is tremendously encouraging for us, both as individuals interested in sustainability and as a company launching a non-GMO product. As we finish packing our bags, setting our watches ahead an hour, and getting ready for our 3:30am wake up call, we realize we have one final thought about this weekend:
10. Sometimes it can be overwhelming but in the end you just have to go with the FLOW
Written by Andrew White
Mar
11
The following post was written by Rob Woltil (LCE 2013), regarding the trip he took to Thailand with for the Bangkok Business Challenge, with his Real Energy teammates, Joe Wright (LCE 2013) and KaLynn Alley (Law, 2013).
Coming to the University of Oregon to get my MBA, I knew that there would be fun times and extraordinary opportunities awaiting me over the next two years. However, I did not foresee that I would be in Bangkok, delivering a passionate monologue about an investment vehicle that specializes in energy efficiency retrofits to a room that consisted of over 300 Thais and an assortment of business school professors and students that covered over 20 countries and an equal amount of languages. This was the elevator pitch. It was the first formal introduction of the teams that would be competing in the Bangkok Business Challenge. Ideas ranged from a French bakery chain to floating solar farms for specific use in the mining industry, which was presented by a team of Australian EMBA’s. The crowd loved every part of the elevator pitch competition from the seamless banter provided by our two hosts Tony and Troy to the big clock counting from 99 to zero on 16 teams from all over the world. As a Meyers-Briggs identified introvert without an affinity for public speaking, I was content making it through the pitch without freezing or passing out.
Team members Joe Wright, KaLynn Alley, and Rob Woltil tried out some new ideas while in Thailand
The elevator pitch set the table for the competition as it was fast paced, fun, and competitive. We presented a grand total of three times over the weekend: once as a warm-up round, once for the semi-finals, and once in the wildcard playoff. Despite receiving positive feedback on our team and idea, we failed to advance to the finals. This disappointment was quickly quelled by two of our judges giving us contact information to several international investment companies and hedge funds that they believed would be interested in our idea and an opportunity to attend the awards ceremony.
Real Energy Presenting to the judges in Bangkok
And this was no ordinary awards ceremony. To begin, every team gathered at their venture’s trade show booth, and a representative of the King of Thailand himself came around to every team to get a one minute pitch of what it was that we do. Thankfully, my teammate Joe Wright took the lead and nailed the explanation. The King’s representative walked away nodding his head, I’d like to think it was a nod that said, “Well done Oregon, well done.” The second part of the awards ceremony was held on the Chao Phraya River as part of a river cruise. Prizes were passed out as we dined, danced, and admired the great city of Bangkok with 200 of our newest friends.
The Real Energy team received a trade show visit from a representative of the King of Thailand.
Words cannot express how amazing this trip was for us. We owe a debt of gratitude to Sasin Graduate Institute of Chulalongkorn University, the Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship, and our vast Oregon network of people who helped, critiqued, and mentored us through this process. While we missed out on the finals this time, we will be working our tails off to see them in a month at the New Venture Championship in Portland. Until then…GO DUCKS!!!
Written by Andrew White
Feb
27
EndorsEase on the Competition Circuit in Cincinnati
Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship Blog / MAcc Blog / Oregon MBA Blog / Warsaw Sports Marketing Center Blog Posted by Andrew White
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The following post is synopsis of a brief interview with EndorsEase cofounders David Fishel (WSMC 2013) and Lauren Berkema (MAcc) following their trip to Cincinnati for the Spirit of Enterprise Competition. Teammate (and cofounder) Tony Cresta (WSMC 2013) was not available at the time.
Last week, two OMBA’s and a MAcc student had the opportunity to travel to the University of Cincinnati to compete in the UC Center for Entrepreneurship Spirit of Enterprise Graduate Business Plan Competition. David Fishel, Tony Cresta, and Lauren Berkema had a tough journey to and from Ohio thanks to some winter weather, but ultimately the team arrived on Thursday night eager to present their business, EndorsEase, to the judges at hand.
According to the Facebook page, “EndorsEase is the Match.com for underrepresented athletes and businesses to create endorsement opportunities.” In a nutshell, the team wants to help professional athletes and businesses create meaningful and mutually beneficial relationships that may otherwise go unnoticed. What the team learned during their time in Cincinnati was that quantifiable data can be difficult to come by, but are essential to proving yourself to investors. While judges loved the team’s presentation and concept, they wanted more clear evidence to measure business applicability and revenue generation. This unfortunate hangup led EndorsEase to finish 2nd in their group (to the eventual champion of the competition) and miss out on the finals.
Despite the disappointment of missing finals, and the 22 hour trip back to Eugene, the team left the weekend on a positive note. It was a great bonding experience outside of the typical routine of classes and team meetings, and the team is optimistic about their chances at the Stuart Clark Venture Challenge in Winnipeg next month. Lauren Berkema noted that “…we all learned a lot about what it takes to be in the competition space, and what other teams are bringing to the table… We were able to get feedback that let us know what we need to work on with our business model, and how we can better present information in the future. Besides it taking 22 hours to get back to Eugene from Cincinnati it was fun learning more about our business and each other!”
Written by Andrew White
Feb
26
Starbucks Wows Students in Seattle
Center for Sustainable Business Practices Blog / Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship Blog / Oregon MBA Blog Posted by Andrew White
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First year CSBP student Eric Ringer chronicles an outstanding visit to Starbucks headquarters in Seattle.
One of the great things about the Oregon MBA program is the amazing trips we take to see business leaders in action. We really know how to leverage our student status around here to open doors that aren’t even cracked for the average person. This weekend the CSBP and LCE first years drove up I-5 to Seattle, home of Starbucks, REI, Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing, among many others. We visited with businesses as diverse as a motor boat company, venture capitalists, geocachers, and coffee fiends.
While each stop had its nuggets of wisdom, the conversation we had with the great folks at Starbucks was my favorite. As someone who moved to the Pacific Northwest for its position in sustainability leadership I loved hearing about the complex issues Starbucks faces on a global scale and what they are doing to use their size for good.
As soon as we entered the gigantic 4 million square foot headquarters (it takes up about 3 square blocks) it felt like we had just walked into a Starbucks ad. Stylish people were casually scattered in comfy chairs lost in conversation, coffee cup in hand and smiling genuinely. It seemed like Starbucks truly was an enjoyable place to work. We strolled past the expert quality checkers that swish sip after sip of brewed coffee to ensure each batch of coffee beans coming through is of consistent quality, photographers strategically positioning products in a studio to get just the right light for the new ad, and the innovation room where employees can sign up to taste and provide feedback on new product ideas, both good and bad.
We landed in a conference room where we met with Jim Hanna, Director of Environmental Affairs, and OMBA alum Mark Brown, Director of Operation Support Services and Project Management. Jim made a big impact on me when he discussed the common topic of making the business case for sustainability. He covered a lot of the major reasons for incorporating sustainability into decision making: reduces operations costs, mitigates environmental risks, greater customer loyalty, larger share of emerging market, negotiating tool with policy makers, impacts the brand “halo”, prouder employees that stick around, and impacts on license to operate. But what struck me most was his position on the triple bottom line. Jim emphasized to us that for all business, the number one priority is to earn a profit. You can’t survive without it. The legs of social and environmental responsibility are incorporated into the profit column, they aren’t separate and conflicting priorities. Treating employees and customers with respect leads to loyalty and a better product. Considering the impacts of your operations and supply chain on the environment and mitigating risk allows you to continue to function as efficiently as possible to make a profit. With that mind set, sustainability becomes a competitive advantage.
Jim also highlighted a couple initiatives Starbucks is implementing that embody their values.
- LEED Construction- every building they construct, including stores, is LEED certified. While this does not include stores that already exist because it is more environmentally damaging to gut a perfectly good building, they have additional efforts to reduce energy consumption in those stores.
- C.A.F.E. Practices- currently 85% of Starbucks coffee beans come from farms that follow Starbucks’ Coffee and Farmer Equity program (C.A.F.E.). C.A.F.E. is a set of guidelines that help their farmers grow coffee in a way that’s better for both people and the planet. You can read more about it here. Starbucks’ goal is to have 100% participation in the program.
The most relevant piece of advice Jim communicated to us is that a lot of students coming out of school eager to make a positive impact through sustainability equate passion with experience. He assured us that they are not the same and that all organizations need employees with skills in specific areas such as marketing, finance, and operations as well as technical skills from science and engineering backgrounds. If businesses are trying to incorporate sustainability principles into all decision-making processes then the decision-makers better be equipped with the skills necessary to make those decisions. Passion alone won’t cut it.
Finally, Jim and Mark confirmed the belief I have that led me to the Oregon MBA program. Of the three organizations essential for a thriving society, business, NGO, and government, business has the greatest potential for impact in this world. To live up to that potential we have to take the skills we have and turn the language from “How can we meet our sustainability goals?” to “I can help you meet that goal through sustainability.” Sustainability is not a separate branch of a business, it is a better way of operation that infiltrates all aspects of a business.
Written by Andrew White
