Michigan Tech College of Business Newsblog

Michigan Tech Students Compete for $60,000

Published March 29, 2012

Michigan Tech students, Ben Mitchell and Wade Aitken-Palmer practice in the last few hours before pitching at the New Venture Competition and their chance at $60,000 to fund Baisikeli Ugunduzi, a bicycle components business for rural Africa.

On March 30, 2012, six Michigan Tech teams will compete for $60,000 as part of the New Venture Competition. A joint partnership between Michigan Tech and Central Michigan University, the competition aims to support and promote Michigan entrepreneurship by showcasing talents and the passion of students.

Since September 2011, students have been developing and honing their entrepreneurial savvy through educational broadcasts, meetings, and mentor support to arrive at the competition in Mount Pleasant.

“Working with students to develop and push their ideas into the marketplace is one of the most innovative educations one can receive,” said Darrell Radson, dean of the School of Business and Economics. “We’re excited and thankful for the opportunity to partner with Central Michigan University and push entrepreneurial innovation for our state and our country.”

The competition includes three rounds of single elimination presentations and is punctuated by a luncheon panel featuring entrepreneurial experts from the state of Michigan. A business pitch competition will round out the day’s events and end with an awards banquet and reception.

Teams will be judged on key criteria including: quality of an idea, strength of the management team, clarity and persuasiveness of the written plan, and the oral presentation.

The competition includes a first place prize of $30,000 followed by $10,000 second place and $5,000 third place finish. Other awards also include Best Social Venture, Best Technology, Venture Shaping and a first and second place for Best Business Pitch.

Representing Michigan Tech

AsfalisMed: Travis Beaulieu and Joel Florek
Develop a medical record platform for individuals to store emergency medical information and medical history in an online profile that can be accessed by any EMS, clinic, or hospital.

Baisikeli Ugunduzi: Ben Mitchell and Wade Aitken-Palmer
Designs and produces high quality, non-puncturing bicycle components for rural people in Kitale, Kenya and serves sub-Saharan Africa.

G&A’s Farmer’s Market: Amber Campbell and Jeffrey Squires
A production, distribution, and retail facility for fresh produce, organic foods, and garden center products to be located in Houghton, Michigan.

Picket Books: Kyle Johnston and David Shull
A rental company that connects students around the world to facilitate peer-to-peer rental transactions for college textbooks.

Two Bows, LLC: Jessica Tompkins, Walker Derby, Shawn Peterson, and Christina Ruth
Provide women hunters with fit and functional apparel that is warm, quiet, and minimizes bulk.

Unoja Engineering: Bailey Gamble and Benjamin Savonen
Produces fluoride filitration systems that eliminate harmful pathogens by using bone char technology in Tanzania.

Stay informed of the competition progress by following #nvc2012 on Twitter or by visiting the School of Business and Economics facebook page: www.facebook.com/Businessattech.

Anne Herron Visits MIS Students

Published March 28, 2012

By

Seminars and Events

Associate Professor Mari Buche and Anne Herron collaborate to benefit MIS students.

The School of Business and Economics got a visit from Anne Herron this week, who came to campus to speak with Associate Professor Mari Buche’s Business Intelligence class. Having graduated from Michigan State with a B.S. in Chemistry, Anne started her professional career working for DOW Chemical as an analytical chemist in polymer sciences. After leaving DOW, Anne has remained at Allis Information Management, Inc. (AIM) for fifteen years and has climbed the ladder to the role of Vice President and co-owner of the company. Her responsibilities include work in client/project development, and managing a team of information researchers and analysts.

Anne said that her background in chemistry developed her analytical thinking skills, which translated well into the business world. She was able to offer the perspective of someone working in the industry, coveted by students interested in ways to apply what they learn in their classes. Under the umbrella of business intelligence, Anne discussed competitive intelligence and how crucial it is to offering companies competitive advantages. She discussed her company’s focus on guidance for good business practices to optimize opportunity and minimize threats; noting that external and internal information is assessed through research, analysis, and dissemination of information affects everything in the marketplace. This emphasis on competitive intelligence for companies is something that is leading to an increase in career opportunities for students with degrees in the area of management information systems and related fields.

Management Information Systems students are employed in some of the following professions upon graduation: business data analyst ($55,626), business intelligence specialist ($108,937), and application systems architect ($97,000). The salaries for the aforementioned jobs are the median national salaries for each position according to salary.com.

After Anne’s lecture, Mari Buche said, “Having a representative from a successful intelligence company come in and talk to our students about career opportunities and industry expectations is a great supplement to coursework for our students.” AIM boasts a 98% client re-engagement rate which is evidence of their superior performance and customer satisfaction. Guest lecturers such as Anne Herron offer Tech students a great opportunity to pick the brains of successful people working in their desired field.

The School of Business and Economics got a visit from Anne Herron this week, who came to campus to speak with Associate Professor Mari Buche’s Business Intelligence class. Having graduated from Michigan State with a B.S. in Chemistry, Anne started her professional career working for DOW Chemical as an analytical chemist in polymer sciences. After leaving DOW, Anne has remained at Allis Information Management, Inc. (AIM) for fifteen years and has climbed the ladder to the role of Vice President and co-owner of the company. Her responsibilities include work in client/project development, and managing a team of information researchers and analysts.

Anne said that her background in chemistry developed her analytical thinking skills, which translated well into the business world. She was able to offer the perspective of someone working in the industry, coveted by students interested in ways to apply what they learn in their classes. Under the umbrella of business intelligence, Anne discussed competitive intelligence and how crucial it is to offering companies competitive advantages. She discussed her company’s focus on guidance for good business practices to optimize opportunity and minimize threats; noting that external and internal information is assessed through research, analysis, and dissemination of information affects everything in the marketplace. This emphasis on competitive intelligence for companies is something that is leading to an increase in career opportunities for students with degrees in the area of management information systems and related fields.

Management Information Systems students are employed in some of the following professions upon graduation: business data analyst ($55,626), business intelligence specialist ($108,937), and application systems architect ($97,000). The salaries for the aforementioned jobs are the median national salaries for each position according to salary.com.

After Anne’s lecture, Mari Buche said, “Having a representative from a successful intelligence company come in and talk to our students about career opportunities and industry expectations is a great supplement to coursework for our students.” AIM boasts a 98% client re-engagement rate which is evidence of their superior performance and customer satisfaction. Guest lecturers such as Anne Herron offer Tech students a great opportunity to pick the brains of successful people working in their desired field.

Annual APMP Scholarships Awarded

Published March 27, 2012

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The School of Business and Economics awards annual scholarships to students who participate in the Applied Portfolio Management Program (APMP). The scholarships are made possible by generous donors who have setup funds to recognize specific skill sets and characteristics in the recipients. Each scholarship is awarded in the Spring of the academic year. We are very grateful to the generous donors that provide excellent opportunities to stand-out APMP students at Michigan Tech.

2012 Scholarship Recipients

Clarence Fisher APMP Scholarship – Jessie Patrick

Chester Reault APMP Scholarship – Todd Storm

Norb Verville APMP Scholarship – Mike Harri

Joe Dancy LSGI Scholarship – Dan Eskola

Hugh Makens APMP Scholarship – Pat Carroll

Jeff Call Memorial APMP Scholarship – Rachael Ristau

Scholarship Descriptions

The Clarence Fisher, Chester Rheault, and Norb Verville APMP scholarships recognize the impact these three former Advisory Board members had in founding APMP. Recipients of these scholarships this year were: Jesse Patrick, Todd Storm, and Mike Harri, respectively.

As an APMP Board member from origination through today, the Hugh Makens APMP scholarship honors Hugh’s continual support of the students and the program. Pat Carroll is the 2012 recipient.

Dan Eskola was the recipient of the LSGI Fund Scholarship, also known as the Joe Dancy LSGI Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to the student who displays excellent academic achievement, expresses an interest in finance or applied mathematics, and demonstrates high moral and ethical characteristics. The LSGI Fund is a hedge fund managed by Joe Dancy, a Michigan Tech alumnus from Dallas, TX.

Finally, the Jeff Call Memorial Scholarship was given to Rachael Ristau. Jeff Call, a 2002 graduate of the School and the APMP, passed away unexpectedly in 2006. To honor Jeff’s contributions to the School and the APMP Advisory Board, together with Jeff’s parents, the groups established the Jeff Call Memorial Scholarship. It is awarded annually to the senior who demonstrates the highest degree of commitment to APMP—a commitment Jeff displayed every day during his time at Michigan Tech.

Duo Takes on Resources Policy

Published March 26, 2012

By Tanya Maki

Faculty and Staff

With a prestigious new coeditorship, two professors in the School of Business and Economics will have the opportunity to impact the analysis and public understanding of resources and mineral economics policies around the world.

Gary Campbell and Mark Roberts have been named coeditors of Resources Policy, The International Journal of Minerals Policy and Economics. Established in 1974, the journal is published by Elsevier and is aimed at economists and decision makers in academia, government, and industry. Campbell and Roberts, who are currently acting as associate editors, will take over the position in January 2012 from Philip Maxwell, professor emeritus in mineral economics in the Western Australian School of Mines at Curtin University.

“We are proud to be a part of a strong editorial tradition,” said Campbell. “We’ve been working together for more than twenty-five years, and, as coeditors, we will be able to exchange ideas and dedicate our combined energies to continue Resources Policy’s contributions to the field.”

The coeditorship is an honor that recognizes Campbell and Roberts’ service to the profession and their expertise in minerals policy and economics. Campbell, whose research focuses on metal markets and the urbanization and sustainability of mining, helped establish and now coordinates the master’s program in applied natural resource economics at Michigan Tech and the associated Peace Corps Master’s International program. He is also an adjunct professor with the Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences. Roberts, who is also involved in the Master’s International program, analyzes cycles of metal, energy, and commodity prices and studies the environmental issues and impacts of mining. Both maintain full teaching schedules.

Campbell and Roberts have a long history with Resources Policy as regular contributors and reviewers. Roberts was a member of the editorial board for twenty years. As coeditors, Campbell and Roberts will solicit papers, assign reviewers, communicate with authors, and send papers through the editorial system.

The greatest challenge of the position, said Roberts, will be finding qualified reviewers for each piece. “One of the benefits of working together will be the chance to pool our contacts to find reviewers who have expertise in the topic of each article,” he said.

“We are honored to accept the position,” said Roberts, “and we look forward to the challenge.”

Campbell and Roberts’ first coedited issue of Resources Policy will be published in March 2012.

MBA Students Help Guide Portage Hospital Decisions

Published March 23, 2012

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Students provide guidance for local healthcare provider.

MBA students from Michigan Tech have assisted in optimizing the schedule for Portage Health’s Dialysis Center as published in the Daily Mining Gazette weekend edition.

“The change in hours will increase patient safety, patient satisfaction and efficiency,” said Karen Kelley, dialysis director.

The decision to add new software, Schedule Wise, was suggested by an MBA team including Karen Giddings, Emmett Golde, Heather Richards, and Birong Tao in the spring of 2010.

“The students did a learn project where they examined patient flow, eventually concluding that new software would help,” Kelley said.

For more information about the Portage Health Dialysis Center, visit portagehealth.org/dialysis.

This was originally published by the Daily Mining Gazette March 17/18 weekend edition.