Business School News: Mid-to-Late 2018

Business School Students Consult for Kraft Heinz in Winchester and Learn More About Sustainability at Gat Creek Furniture

This summer students enrolled in the Sustainable Business Strategy class completed real-world consulting assignments for Kraft Heinz in Winchester. Working with David Cress, the plant’s operational risk manager; Associate Professor of Business and Director of Internships Giles Jackson, Ph.D.; and instructor David Baxa, the students proposed practical solutions for improving waste management, energy efficiency, water conservation and recycling at the plant. Top-performing teams were invited to present their findings to the senior management. Students enrolled in the course also learned valuable lessons during their field trip to Gat Creek furniture company in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. Founder Gaston”Gat” Caperton IV,  is living proof that looking through the “sustainability lens,” becomes a lifetime habit. The tour included a stop at the boiler room, where waste sawdust is efficiently converted to factory heat during the winter months. But as Caperton was quick to point out, sustainability really starts with sales, which after all, generate the cash flow needed to invest in waste-to-energy systems.

MBA Students Participate in K2M ‘Shark Tank’

This summer, nine MBA teams, including a number of Pharm.D./MBA students, conducted in-depth industry research for K2M, an innovative supplier of medical devices recently acquired by Stryker for $1.4 billion. Guided by Associate Professor of Business and Director of Internships Giles Jackson, Ph.D., and Jim Bapst, K2M’s marketing manager, the MBA students investigated a wide range of market issues including the use of robotics and 3D navigation in surgery, the growth of outpatient ambulatory care centers, and emerging niches such as patient-specific spine implants. The top-performing teams presented their findings to senior management at K2M’s headquarters and Doc Schulte and Kit Gould took first place. Members of the incoming fall class, which is researching nine international markets for K2M, also attended.

Students Consult with Valley Businesses

Sixty students taking Introduction to Marketing this fall have been assigned one of 15 Shenandoah Valley businesses, all of them clients of Encore Elite Partners (EEP), a local marketing agency. Guided by Associate Professor of Business and Director of Internships Giles Jackson, Ph.D. and EEP owner Nancy Craun, owner of EEP, each student team must address five questions posed by their client and come up with actionable solutions. Spanning a wide range of industries, clients include Doc’s Tea, Schenck’s Foods, Throx Market, Bryce Resort, Harpers Ferry Adventure Center, Winchester Brew Works, and The Family Drive-In Theater. “Our clients are thrilled to be a part of this study. They do not normally have this caliber of professional expertise available to them. We are excited to see their research and conclusions,” says Craun.