May 2008

Welcome to It's All About You : News from the Eller MBA, sharing highlights and insights of the Eller MBA program at The University of Arizona.
 

Eller MBAs Develop Urban Agriculture Venture

50 Mile Farms is a venture developed by four Eller MBAs participating in the McGuire Entrepreneurship Program. The project revolves around the concept of urban agriculture. “Urban agriculture is just growing food in urban areas, close to the end consumer,” says team member Tom Strong, MBA ‘08. “Traditionally, this has been done through community gardens and green roofs. 50 Mile Farms is a development of these approaches on a much larger scale.” 

The 50 Mile Farms MBA entrepreneurship team (left to right): Courtney Martin, Tom Strong, Patricia Ewanski, and Joshua Scott.

Before coming to the Eller program, Strong worked for a natural foods cooperative in Atlanta. Strong joined forces with Joshua Scott, Courtney Martin and Patricia Ewanski to execute the urban agriculture venture. Scott had previously tried developing a food distribution venture based on improved networks between local farmers; Martin had an interest in the alternative-fuels movement; and Ewanski had investigated sustainability in the construction industry. 

Together, the team fleshed out the concept for a venture that would grow food in or near the city to ensure as much local distribution as possible. The team plans to launch the business in the future. “We're hoping that 50 Mile Farms can change the entire model for how food is grown and distributed all over the world,” says Strong.

Learn more about the Eller MBA entrepreneurial experience.
 

MIS Department Participates in the iPlant Collaborative

	At the iPlant Collaborative announcement: McClelland Professor of MIS Sudha Ram, Eller College dean Paul Portney, and BIO5 director Vicki Chandler.

The iPlant Collaborative brings together plant biologists, computer scientists and engineers, information scientists, mathematicians and social scientists, in order to facilitate communication and collaboration. The collaborative, based in the UA’s BIO5 Institute, includes a significant information technology component overseen by McClelland Professor of MIS Sudha Ram.

The iPlant Collaborative will create both a physical center and a virtual computing space where researchers can communicate and work together as they share, analyze and manipulate data, all while seeking answers to plant biology’s greatest unsolved mysteries.

Learn more about UA's exciting iPlant Collaborative.
 

Angel Investors Come to UA for Inaugural Angel Summit

Angel investors — affluent individuals who invest personal capital in startup ventures — came to The University of Arizona campus on April 14th and 15th for the inaugural Southwest Angel Summit. The summit was organized in conjunction with Innovation Day at the UA by the Eller College of Management’s McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship and the Desert Angels of Tucson.

Innovation day is an annual event that celebrates technology development and commercialization by highlighting the research achievements of students, staff and faculty. Over 20 investors attended, coming from California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Arizona.

The summit offered an opportunity for entrepreneurship students to showcase their ventures to the angel investors. Investors evaluated the ventures and then invited selected teams to make formal presentations. Innovation Day culminated with an awards presentation and a reception for the angel investors, entrepreneurship students, faculty, and friends.

Learn more about Innovation Day at UA.
 

MBAs Lead Teams in Deloitte Case Competition

	Deloitte & Touche case competition team leaders: Akshat Gupta, MBA '09 (left) and Lucas Young, MBA '09 (right).

This semester, Deloitte & Touche created a case competition for teams comprised of Eller MBA and undergraduate students to challenge their ability to devise effective business solutions in a condensed timeframe.

Two MBA students headed up teams of undergraduate students to solve real consulting problems. The client was The Galaxy Group, an international retailer headquartered in New York.  MBA team lead Lucas Young explains the case: “It was about aligning the company’s technology, specifically its website, with its overall corporate strategy in the context of a competitive and dynamic industry.”

Akshat Gupta, another team leader, enjoyed working on a real-time consulting case. “It really pushed us to the limits and brought out the best in us.” Young’s team took top honors, splitting a $500 cash prize among the members, and Gupta’s team took second place and a $250 award.

In addition, the students had the opportunity to meet Sharon Allen, Deloitte & Touche’s chairman of the board, in an informal roundtable discussion. “It was very interesting to see the accounting and consulting industries from the perspective of someone of her status,” Young says.

Learn more about experiential learning as part of the Eller MBA.
  

Robin Meeks : MBA '06

Robin Meeks, MBA '06, is now associate brand manager with the Kellogg Company.

“My MBA is a toolbox that I take to my job everyday,” says Robin Meeks, MBA '06. “When faced with a task, I know I can open that box and find an Eller MBA tool that will help me craft a solution. My MBA also provided a much-needed boost to my confidence. While I may not be the flashiest or be the biggest personality, I know that my thought processes are strong and can stand up to scrutiny.”

Meeks came to Eller because she was looking for a program that was quantitative in nature. She also wanted a smaller program to ensure she received enough attention from the instructors. 

After earning her Eller MBA with concentrations in entrepreneurship and marketing, she secured a position with Kellogg Company in Battle Creek, Mich., as an associate brand manager. 

Her current position requires her to lead a cross-functional team and teamwork is heavily stressed. She found that the ability to communicate ideas and craft a message was the most important skill she learned at Eller. “Knowing the quantitative information is very important, but without the ability to communicate the information, the numbers don’t mean much.” 

Learn more about the Eller MBA alumni community.
  

By Nicole Akporiaye : MBA '09

	Nicole Akporiaye, MBA '09, is ready for the summer.

With the end of the semester around the corner, the month of April was a busy one. We completed the last segment of our core classes, as well as our field projects, the experiential learning component of our core curriculum. 

My group prepared a 100+ page research paper on the economic impact of a streetcar in Tucson. We then wrapped up the project by making a formal presentation to our client, the Regional Transit Authority, and invited guests from the transportation sector.

Outside of the classroom, Eller’s student groups have been busy. The Eller chapter of the National Association for Women MBA’s organized a wine etiquette class for all the members and the finance club brought in a guest speaker who is an asset manager from a company here in Tucson.

Nicole Akporiaye and her field project team studied the economic impact of a streetcar in Tucson.

As far as planning for next year, I have chosen the courses and I am looking forward to next semester’s classes. One of the courses I will be taking next fall will be taught by former U.S. Representative (Ariz.) Jim Kolbe. In addition, as the MBA Student Association president, I am working with students to plan next year’s activities, including tailgates, the holiday party, community service events, and other events for MBA students and faculty.  

See you next month with my final update for the year!
 

Articles of Interest

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