Kellstadt Marketing Group Case Competition: Real World Experience with Expert Feedback

Kellstadt Marketing Group Case Competition: Real World Experience with Expert Feedback

On March 2, nine teams of DePaul MBA and MS students participated in the inaugural Kellstadt Marketing Group Case Competition. Working in small three- to five-person teams, the students developed a strategy and delivered a 20-minute pitch that outlined the recommended course of action for the company. The goal of the competition, originally conceived by Mako Kosugi (MS Marketing), was to give students real-world experience of business strategy development and proposal pitching to a panel of expert judges from Microsoft and DePaul.

First Place: Evening Cohorts (Julie Blackhall, Amanda Blumeyer, Eric Acevedo, Jacque Bishop, Katelyn Gimpert)

First Place: Evening Cohorts (Team includes Julie Blackhall, Eric Acevedo, Amanda Blumeyer, Jacque Bishop, and Katelyn Gimpert)

“This competition was designed to enrich student growth through experiential learning, as well as to build greater engagement with the business community,” says Olena Cruz, an MBA student and president of the Kellstadt Marketing Group. “Not only did the students have to work together to conduct research and come up with evidence-based recommendations, but they had to pitch their strategy directly to a panel of expert judges. This experience helped prepare students to handle such project requests of this

magnitude and scope post-graduation.”

Cruz applauded the support of DePaul’s administration and faculty. “It was not only the students who were so motivated and engaged. This event wouldn’t have been possible without the participation of our proud alumni, our beloved professors, and the support of the Kellstadt administration, including DePaul President Dr. Esteban, who also attended the event.”

Second place: DPC Marketing (Team includes Matt Krause, Ellen Kriz, Bob Harbin, Jing Liu, Shweta Gujrathi, and Yibin Wang)

Second place: DPC Marketing (Team includes Matt Krause, Ellen Kriz, Bob Harbin, Jing Liu, Shweta Gujrathi, and Yibin Wang)

A trio of Microsoft executives served as judges for the event, including Joe Veverka, strategy, innovation and analytics program manager; Diran Hafiz, head of advertiser analytics, automotive & careers/EDU; and Teresa Swinton, strategic sales director. From DePaul, Mark Skroch, adjunct professor of marketing, and James Moore, director of online learning, also evaluated the presentations.

“Results of the KMG Case Competition were eye-opening,” Veverka says. “In addition to the huge amounts of innovation displayed by the teams, the diversity of both ideas and team members was exciting to see unfold. Student expertise ranged from marketing to economics and a broad range of age, gender and backgrounds were represented. It was inspiring to witness how the inclusive culture at DePaul translates into exceptionally diverse thought and creative solutions to real business challenges.”

Third Place: WM Consulting (Kevin Natale, Sabrina Keane, Dwain Speese, and Jae Kim- not pictured)

Third Place: WM Consulting (Kevin Natale, Sabrina Keane, Dwain Speese, and Jae Kim- not pictured)

 

 

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What I Learned from Warren Buffett

What I Learned from Warren Buffett

Elise Vinup was among 20 DePaul MBA students invited to join business students from around the nation for a Q&A session with Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett at the company’s Omaha headquarters on Jan. 15. Vinup shared with Inside Kellstadt what she learned from the experience.

Warren sat on stage, in a comfortable lounge chair, talked with us and shared advice with for close to three hours. There were so many incredible takeaways, but I’ll call out a few of the key ones here:

  • Don’t invest in bitcoin or any of those cryptocurrencies. They will crash. If you have to say 100 bitcoin=XYZ U.S. dollars to comprehend how much it is worth, then the U.S. dollar is the currency.
  • Find what turns you on in life, and do that with everything you have. We all work so many hours, so find that thing that you are excited to focus on, hungry to learn about, and give it your all.
  • Don’t wait until you’re 70 years old to do the thing you love. This one really resonated with me. It’s easy to say, “I’ll do that when I’m x age, when I retire, once I’ve saved up enough money.” But the fact is, it won’t be as good if you wait. Live your life now.
  • Choose the people you surround yourself with wisely, for both business relationships and personal relationships. Warren credits a lot of his success to the great relationship that he and (business partner) Charlie Munger have. He says that they have never fought; if they disagreed with each other, Charlie would just say, “Go give it a try, Warren. You’re going to come around to my way eventually!”

This was an incredible experience, and I feel very honored to have been selected and grateful to DePaul for creating this opportunity!

 

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Elise Vinup is a current MBA student in the Walgreens corporate cohort and an associate manager of merchandising initiatives at Walgreens.

December Intersession: More than a Holiday Break

December Intersession: More than a Holiday Break

DePaul University maintains a quarter-based schedule, with four quarters and one December Intersession per academic year. Students can choose to study abroad or take a class in December. For Kellstadt student Tim Duxbury, however, December Intersession is job-hunting season!

Tim says, “During December, my full-time job will be expanding my network, setting up informational interviews, doing research and filling out applications. Learning the material and getting good grades are important, but executing the proper job-search techniques is just as important. As a sustainable management major, I hope to land a job where I can help companies get the most out of the resources they have and reduce the waste they produce. To do this, I need to find which sect of sustainability captures my interest the most and learn all that I can about it. I can utilize Kellstadt’s deep network of alumni to connect with people who are currently doing work that interests me. Informational interviews are a great way to make connections and learn a lot about a particular role, company or industry, as well as make valuable contacts. It will be hard work but if it all pays off with an internship offer, it will be worth it!”

Kellstadt Career Management Center Assistant Director Rabia Baig agrees that December can be a key time to network. “Professionals have flexibility in their schedules as the year ends and have more time to conduct informational interviews,” Baig says. “It’s also a great time to touch base with your network as contacts could have an idea of how their team may grow in the coming year and if there will be opportunities for internships.”

December can be an opportunity for students to decompress after the fall quarter and have the chance to build their networks. No matter how students chose to spend their December Intersession, Kellstadt offers resources to assist them with professional skills and career development.

 

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Contributor: Tim Duxbury is pursuing his MBA in Sustainable Management with the full-time cohort at the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business.

 

Contributor: Rabia Baig is a recruiting specialist and assistant director at the Kellstadt Career Management Center.

 

 

 

The Personal Statement: No Need to Panic!

The Personal Statement: No Need to Panic!

The Personal Statement: No Need to Panic!

 

When I first learned I had to write a personal statement to apply for Kellstadt’s MBA program, panic set in. Writing has never been one of my strengths, so it was hard not to procrastinate. Inspiration came, however, when I began to examine the reasons why I knew DePaul University was the right fit for me. A role model at my former company helped me find my “Aha!” moment and the direction for my personal statement.

My first impression of the company’s Chief Accounting Officer was that he was a family man, a DePaul alum, and occasionally called “Deacon.” After having the opportunity to work with him and get to know him better, I learned there was much more to him than met the eye. At an annual company event, the CEO asked Deacon to speak about his personal experience of balancing personal and company responsibilities. During this speech, I learned about the journey to achieve his goal of becoming a Deacon, an ordained minister in the Catholic Church. The process is a lengthy one and he needed support not only from his family, but also from his peers at work. When Deacon had explained his personal ambitions to the CEO, he was supportive and made sure Deacon had help from his coworkers if he was unable to complete a task.

For the first time, I found myself eager to write my personal statement. It was exciting to connect Deacon’s personal value at the company to the skills and tools he developed at DePaul. My advice to prospective students writing their personal statements would be to share what inspired you to apply to Kellstadt. Each applicant has a different story and connection to the program and sharing your own “Aha!” moment is a way to set yourself apart from other applications.

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Kristen Hall is a Student Ambassador and is enrolled in the full-time day MBA program at the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business.

 

 

Sweet “New” Home Chicago! Kellstadt Students Love to Explore their New City

Sweet “New” Home Chicago! Kellstadt Students Love to Explore their New City

Sweet “New” Home Chicago! Kellstadt Students Love to Explore their New City

 

The “City of Broad Shoulders,” the “Windy City”–whatever you call Chicago, DePaul is lucky to call it home. Sampling the famous pizza, cheering on one of our six professional sports teams, or visiting one of our many world-class museums are all options for the Kellstadt student with a few hours of downtime. But Chicago’s benefits aren’t just limited to leisure activities.

One of the largest cities in the world, Chicago affords DePaul one of the most robust networking communities of any university. Simply being in Chicago puts Kellstadt students at an advantage with an extensive alumni community, financial district and a plethora of companies within walking distance. Kellstadt students can make use of this prime location with resources like the ASK (Alumni Sharing Knowledge) network, an online community to connect them to mentors. DePaul students also have the chance to be involved in the cutting edge of the entrepreneurship community through resources offered through The Coleman Center for Entrepreneurship, including access to tech incubators like 1871. Whether you’re looking to secure a job with an established company or get in on the ground floor of a start-up, the opportunities are unlimited in Chicago.

Chicago is a city that offers more to do and see than most other cities. From comedians to athletes, foodies to nature buffs, there’s something here for everyone. No matter where your interests lie, you will be able to find your place and create your community. With its central location in the heart of Chicago, and endless entertainment and extensive networking opportunities, it’s tough to pass up on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study at DePaul.

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Contributors: Paul Rosenfeld and Nathan Farmer, students in the Kellstadt MBA program.


Inside Kellstadt: Stories by and from the DePaul Graduate Business Community