On October 20, 2021, 20 Huskies pitched their innovative concepts to a panel of judges and audience members. Congratulations to the 2021 Michigan Technological University Idea Pitch Competition contestants and winners!
First ($200)—Nicholas Peterson with NOMAD
Second ($100)—Ella Faulk (math w/business analytics, and business and Spanish minors) with Parkinson’s Symptom Monitoring App 
Third ($50)—Nathan Vogler (engineering management) with Dorm Racks
Honorable mention ($25)—Mary Stevens (marketing) with HuskyBox
Honorable mention ($25)—Isaac Swanson (general business) with Snowmobile Guiding Service 
Audience favorite ($25)—Mary Stevens (marketing) with HuskyBox
Social impact award ($100) presented by Elham Asgari (College of Business Gates Professor)—Ella Faulk (math w/business analytics, and business and Spanish minors) with Parkinson’s Symptom Monitoring App
The Idea Pitch Competition is part of Husky Innovate, a series of experiences and opportunities that guide students through phases of business development while emphasizing success strategies. Up next is the Bob Mark Business Model Competition, to be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, January 27, 2022. The legacy event celebrates the Husky entrepreneurial spirit while paying tribute to the late College of Business Professor of Practice, Bob Mark. Contestants will pitch key components of their business model, including value proposition, customer segment, and product market fit. Registration is open. 
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.
The Michigan Tech College of Business (COB) welcomed Paul Stinson on September 28, 2021. Since he graduated with his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Michigan Tech in 1984, Stinson has held multiple VP and C-suite positions for leading healthcare IT companies.
Stinson is an accomplished executive with 35 years’ experience in the field of Healthcare Information Technology, having held roles with Sunquest, Sage, and MediQuest. He has delivered hundreds of global products and services to the healthcare community from conception to commercialization. Stinson is currently a member of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society and the Product Development and Management Association.
During his campus visit, he weaved his expertise and passion for business education into a learning experience for the students and faculty, sharing real-world business anecdotes and opportunities in the field of Healthcare Information Technology. 
While on campus, Stinson interacted with the COB students in three classes—Operations and Supply Chain Management; Project Management; and Sales and Sales Technology. Dr. Junhong “Jun” Min, associate professor of marketing, pointed out, “Students learned how data makes sales work, and his thoughts on the future really inspired them.”
Third-year marketing major Jaxon Verhoff said, “Mr. Stinson took the time to give me direction and advice on how to maximize the value of my MTU education in my career.”
Stinson’s experience complements new COB faculty member Tripti Singh’s expertise on healthcare information systems; her work includes the adoption of healthcare technology, information privacy, and health information disclosure issues among patients in the healthcare domain. Research in this area enriches the application of MIS and could benefit future multidisciplinary projects with the development of Tech’s H-STEM complex.
Paul Stinson currently serves on COB’s Dean’s Advisory Council.
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.
The Michigan Tech College of Business (COB) boasts more than 50 donor- and industry-sponsored scholarships reserved exclusively for new and returning business students. These awards are offered in addition to competitive, merit-, and need-based aid. For 2020-21, total scholarships and grants awarded to undergraduate students in the College of Business exceeded $4.6 million.
This month we highlight the Global Elite Bridge Scholarship.
For donor Peipei Zhao ’09, giving back to his alma mater was an easy decision, particularly when it helps students make connections. The Global Elite Bridge Scholarship, founded in 2020, is allocated for both undergraduates and graduate COB students with a global or international focus. Both domestic and international students are eligible for this renewable award. The inaugural recipient was Asriel Haines (management major with entrepreneurship concentration), who says it was an important factor in making MTU possible.
“Because of the Global Elite Bridge Scholarship I’ve been able to focus more on what I want to do for myself and my career. I’m going to be able to go far—not only because I want to—but because of all the support I’m getting,” says Haines.
The MTU esports competitor is also looking forward to taking on the broomball rink and the slopes of Mont Ripley.
Undergraduate recipients of the Global Elite Bridge Scholarship must earn a minimum 2.75 GPA, while graduate recipients must earn at least a 3.0. Questions related to the Global Elite Bridge Scholarship may be directed to business@mtu.edu.
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.
The Michigan Tech accounting major and the Kappa Sigma Iota Club welcomed Kevin Wampler ’86 on September 27, 2021, as part of the College of Business Distinguished Guest Speakers Series. Mr. Wampler is the chief financial officer (CFO) of Dollar Tree Inc. Prior to joining Dollar Tree, he served as chief financial officer of The Finish Line, Inc. A certified public accountant, Wampler began his career at Ernst & Young after graduating from Michigan Tech.
First-year accounting and management dual major Jaylen Body was in attendance and he says that one of the takeaways he learned from Kevin’s presentation is to venture into different areas of a company to gain insight into what’s working—and what’s not. ”I learned the importance of seeking opportunities that’ll challenge me and benefit the company,” Body says.
While on campus, Wampler also paid Sheila Milligan’s ACC2000 Principles of Accounting class a visit where he emphasized the importance of lateral moves within a company. He described the impact data analytics can have on decision-making and he challenged students to develop solid people-management skills, which can dramatically impact career advancement.
Wampler has served on the Indianapolis 500 Festival Board, as a trustee for the Norfolk Botanical Garden, and as a Boy Scouts of America leader, and was inducted into the School of Business and Economics Academy of Business in 2017. He also serves on the College of Business Dean’s Advisory Board and resides in Virginia Beach with his wife, Renee. Together they have two adult children.
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.
The campus community is invited to hear Laura Connolly, assistant professor of economics, present ‘Labor Mobility and the Affordable Care Act: Heterogeneous Impacts of the Preexisting Conditions Provision,’ as part of our Brown Bag Research Seminar Series, Noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, September 29 in Academic Office Building room 101.
“The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) preexisting conditions provision ensures that insurance companies cannot deny coverage or charger higher premiums to individuals due to a prior health condition. We evaluate the impact of this provision on job mobility in the U.S. to determine whether the provision reduced job lock for individuals with chronic conditions. Our results highlight the heterogeneous impacts of the policy on different subgroups of the population. We find significant improvements in labor mobility among male household heads with prior health conditions, but no significant change in labor mobility among females. Declines in job lock are largest among families with children and household heads with relatively low levels of education. The results are consistent with the policy improving access to healthcare, and both mental and physical wellbeing, which ultimately increased labor market flexibility for some workers.”
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.