Category: Student Organizations

2022 Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society Inductees

Published May 5, 2022

Group photo of Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society Inductees — 2022 Michigan Tech College of Business Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society Inductees

The Michigan Tech College of Business (COB) inducted 21 Huskies into the Beta Gamma Sigma (BGS) honor society on April 4. Founded in 1913, BGS is the international honor society recognizing business excellence. The top 10% percent of undergraduates and the top 20% of master’s students receive the accolade; it’s the highest recognition a business student anywhere in the world can receive at institutions accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

View additional photos of the induction ceremony in COB’s Facebook album.

Congratulations to our newest members of the Michigan Tech chapter of Beta Gamma Sigma:

Chris Arbuckle	Management Information Systems	Lake Orion, MI	Senior
Brendon Cook	Management Information Systems	Hancock, MI	Senior
Ezra Cotter	TechMBA®	Houghton, MI	Graduate student
Jay Czerniak	TechMBA®	Medford, WI	Graduate student
Joseph Gherardi	Accounting	Plainwell, MI	Senior
Josh Golimbieski	Master’s in Engineering Management	Houghton, MI	Graduate student
Anthony Harris	TechMBA®	South Range, MI	Graduate student
Vitor Jordao	Engineering Management	Recife, Brazil	Senior
Michael Karow	TechMBA®	Green Bay, WI	Graduate student
Cedric Keller	Management Information Systems	Gonten, Switzerland	Junior
Emily Kughn	Marketing	Horton, MI	Senior
Benjamin Leinonen	Management	Atlantic Mine, MI	Junior
John Paul Moody	Accounting	Houghton, MI	Junior
Hillary Prout	Accounting	Rosebush, MI	Junior
Henriette Semb	Engineering Management	Asker, Norway	Junior
Jacob Stadwick	Accounting	Auburn Hills, MI	Senior
Ivy Stoller	Accounting	Lowell, MI	Junior
Mehdi Torbat Esfahani	Master’s in Engineering Management	Houghton, MI	Graduate student
Erin Vandenbusch	TechMBA®	Green Bay, WI	Graduate student
Jaxon Verhoff	Marketing	Menasha, WI	Junior
Adam Witkowski	Economics	Victor, NY	Junior

About the College of Business

The Michigan Tech College of Business offers undergraduate majors in accounting, construction management, economics, engineering management, finance, management, management information systems, and marketing, as well as a general business option. Graduate degrees include the TechMBA®, a Master of Engineering Management, a Master of Science in Accounting, and a Master of Science in Applied Natural Resource Economics.

Finance Club Inaugural Investment Competition Concludes, Mattila Takes First

Published April 30, 2022

During spring semester, the Michigan Tech Finance Club hosted a 10-week stock competition open to all College of Business (COB) majors and minors. Each of the 29 participants received $100,000 in virtual dollars to use on the Investopedia simulator. At the conclusion of trading on April 12, the top three winning portfolios received cash prizes from the COB Dean’s Office.

Madison Mattila, accounting with analytics major

First place $500—Madison Mattila

“I really enjoyed the competition! It was fun to compete against classmates. It also was valuable to spend time watching the market and using the simulator. I’ve been working on a strategy for a while, which I’ve yet to perfect, so I don’t want to spread too much about it right now.”

Second place $300—James Zuzelski

James Zuzelski, economics minor

“This was an amazing experience. It motivated me to try new things. My strategy was to capitalize on medium- to high-risk stocks that were trending due to current and near-future geopolitical factors. Due to the short time frame I went with a high-risk, low-diversity, individual stock portfolio.”

Third place $200—Bill Rautiola

Bill Rautiola, finance major

“I consider myself an experienced trader, having done a fair amount of trading on my own. My strategy for this game was to invest in energy sectors, including oil. I also placed a couple option trades.”

The Finance Club at Michigan Tech, advised by Xin Li and supported by the Undergraduate Student Government and the COB, promotes the interest in and knowledge of the field of finance. Members have access to career development opportunities, guidance from Applied Portfolio Management Program (APMP) members, and resources within the APMP Lab. In addition, club members take annual trips to visit mutual funds, the Federal Reserve, investment firms, and the futures and options exchange market in the Midwest.

Assistant Professor Xin Li — Xin Li, assistant professor of finance

Club President Elisabeth Mattson said plans are in place to hold the competition next year and interested participants can connect with incoming President Kevin Hoefer (kdhoefer@mtu.edu) for more information.

“The Finance Club Stock Competition allowed students across the College of Business to try out new investing strategies in a low-risk environment, while competing with their peers.

The winners had different strategies and were able to share knowledge and skills with participants, many of whom are excited to try again next year.”
Elisabeth Mattson, 2021-22 Michigan Tech Finance Club President

About the College of Business

It’s on to Nationals for MTU DECA

Published February 24, 2022

DECA students standing in a group with their advisor to the left — Left to right: Jenny Apriesnig (faculty advisor), Zach Hooper, Sammy Perrone, Ethan Semenchuk, Jaylen Body, Lexi Dembrowski, Madelyn Carey

Back from the Michigan Collegiate DECA Career Development Conference in Kalamazoo, Michigan, the business Huskies of Michigan Technological University made a strong first appearance, participating in and winning competitions while earning a spot to nationals.

Student competitors included:

Jaylen Body (management)—first place, hotel and lodging
Sammy Perrone (marketing)—first place, fashion merchandising and marketing
Lexi Dembrowski (accounting with data analytics)—first place, financial accounting
Ethan Semenchuk (engineering management)—third place, corporate finance
Madelyn Carey (accounting and finance)—third place, financial accounting
Zach Hooper (management information systems)—third place, entrepreneurship operations
Lexi Dembrowski and Madelyn Carey—second place, event planning

Students standing in a group with DECA plaques

Their successful showing qualifies the team for the national competition in April at the International Career Development Conference in Baltimore, Maryland.

In addition to the competitions, students contributed to roundtable discussions where they chose from topics including: Global citizen strategy, career tips and tricks, nonverbal communication, and conflict resolution.

The conference was attended in person by Collegiate DECA groups from Cleary University, Davenport University, Michigan State University, and the University of Michigan. Eastern Michigan University, Kettering University, and Northwood University competed virtually.

Between functions, the Huskies explored downtown Kalamazoo and visited with downstate-based parents (and enjoyed home-baked cookies!). Other social highlights included singing carpool karaoke and navigating fresh snow to the Mackinac Bridge.

It was a fun and successful trip!
Jenny Apriesnig, assistant professor of economics and DECA advisor

To support Michigan Tech DECA’s goals and travels, connect with Advisor Jenny Apriesnig. Follow the group on Instagram @mtu_deca.

About the College of Business

Collegiate DECA at MTU: Reactivated and Ready to Go!

Published February 3, 2022

By jobody

(*Photo: Left to right: Jaylen Body, Madelyn Carey, Rachel Weyenberg, Lexi Dembrowski, Katie Draves, Madison Mattila, Zach Hooper, and Sammy Perrone)*

By Jaylen Body, Michigan Tech management student and DECA club president

After a five-year hiatus, Collegiate DECA has been reactivated on the campus of Michigan Technological University, and members are gearing up to hit the road for their first State Career Development Conference February 4-6.

Collegiate DECA is a program that prepares emerging leaders in the areas of finance, marketing, hospitality, management, and entrepreneurship. It’s for students interested in not just problem solving, but business problem solving. Participants engage in competitive events where they’re faced with business problems reflective of real-life situations in industry, and are challenged to develop innovative solutions before presenting their ideas to industry professionals. In addition to competitions, students can dive into Collegiate DECA challenges, like the Stock Market Game or the Virtual Case Simulation—an interactive, browser-based simulation allowing students to take charge of a virtual business environment.

This month, members of MTU DECA, advised by Jenny Apriesnig, assistant professor of economics, are preparing to attend the State Career Development Conference in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where six Huskies will participate in individual and team competitive events. To kick off preparations, the group invited College of Business accounting and DECA alumna Katie Draves to inspire current members.

Detailing her experiences, Draves credits DECA for being an organization that has “something for everyone,” explaining that no matter the area of study, DECA is an organization anyone can get involved in.

Speaking on the career benefits of being in DECA, she promises students that they’ll learn to be well rounded and prepared for different situations, and will gain exposure to valuable networking opportunities.

When asked for tips and advice on how members participating in the state conference can succeed, Draves says, “Get to know your strengths and weaknesses,” but most importantly, she encourages students to learn from their unique experiences while competing.

“Get to know your strengths and weaknesses.”
Katie Draves, Michigan Tech alumna

Thinking about the upcoming opportunity, first-year marketing student Sammy Perrone says: “I hope to make connections, build relationships, and gain knowledge and skills that will help me build a foundation for my college and career endeavors.”

“I hope to make connections, build relationships, and gain knowledge and skills that will help me build a foundation for my college and career endeavors.”
Sammy Perrone, Michigan Tech marketing student

Michigan Tech Collegiate DECA welcomes new members of all majors. The group is a good fit for students looking to get involved in a professional organization that applies classroom material to real business problems. Follow along on Instagram @mtu_deca.

About the College of Business

Marketing Internship Success Story

Published January 17, 2022

Third-year Michigan Tech marketing student Jaxon Verhoff has received four internship offers from industry-leading companies—General Motors, Kimberly Clark, Caterpillar, and Dow Chemical.

“My offers are due in large part to the opportunities the College of Business has made available to me,” Verhoff says. Some of the most valuable career-shaping experience, he says, has been interacting with alumni, student organization activities and competitions, projects, and technology incorporation into curriculum.

While all four companies would offer valuable marketing internship experience, Verhoff settled on Dow Chemical, where he’ll serve as a digital marketing analyst intern, because of its proximity to his hometown of Appleton, Wisconsin. His top internship goal? Soaking in all that working at a large company has to offer.

“I am going to have the opportunity to meet and interact with many people company-wide, so I will be asking questions and learning from professionals.”
Jaxon Verhoff, Michigan Tech marketing student

In addition, Verhoff will have his hand in projects, getting to apply and build upon classroom knowledge.

Verhoff participated in Michigan Tech’s Career Fairs to gain the internship opportunities. In fall 2020, he met virtually with as many companies as possible to get his name out there. By fall of this year, he met again with some of the same recruiters who remembered him and were able to track his personal and professional growth.

“Jaxon has followed our success formula. He has continued to apply for an internship until he gets it.”
Junhong “Jun” Min, Michigan Tech professor of marketing

Jaxon, second from top left, chilling post-class with his broomball team

Long term, Verhoff is after a sense of career fulfillment. The people he surrounds himself with, the company culture he immerses himself in, and the projects he leads, he says, all lend themselves toward the feeling of making a difference, making an impact—that he’s ultimately looking to achieve. “Success and a great salary are important, but feeling fulfilled is what’s most important to me,” he adds.

Before he heads off to Dow, Verhoff, who is a senior residential assistant, is eager to continue working toward goals as president of the American Marketing Association group on campus. “We are developing meaningful connections with industry professionals, faculty, and students, while deepening our digital marketing skills through data analysis, case studies, and competitions.”

About the College of Business

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