MBA Stories

Charity Softball Tournament a Home Run

W. P. Carey MBA students wanted to increase the school’s exposure by hosting an event that would expand their community and reach out broadly to other MBAs. With Arizona’s gorgeous spring weather, the plans quickly moved outdoors, and the students were inviting MBA programs from across the region to participate in a softball tournament at ASU.

 "We wanted to motivate our peers to give back while having a great time," says organizer Justin Richardson, W. P. Carey MBA ‘11. "The tournament served as a way to support nonprofit organizations, with the winning team’s charity of choice receiving 100 percent of the profits."

Justin’s team won the event so his team’s charity, Parenting Arizona, received a gift of $2,000. "The looks on their faces is something I'll never forget," Justin says. "This wasn't just a gift that goes into a philanthropic black hole; we got to see the tangible evidence of our charitable act and it only made us want to work that much harder to have a more successful tournament next year."

MBA Students Top Teams from Eller, Thunderbird

Victory is always sweet. But beating business schools from across the state is icing on the cake. W. P. Carey MBA students have done just that, topping teams from The University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management and the Thunderbird School of Global Management three years in a row at the Association for Corporate Growth’s annual case competition.

The ACG Cup gives MBA students real-world experience and invaluable insights into mergers and acquisition, investment banking, financial advisory and private equity. The 2011 winning team included full-time MBAs Andy Harper, Sarah Porter, Albert Putzig, and Craig Brown, with associate professor of finance George Gallinger serving as faculty advisor.

"The ACG Case Competition provides a platform to showcase the talented students we have at the W. P. Carey School of Business," Gallinger says. "Our students showed superior command of valuation concepts, presentation skills, and the ability to sell a decision to a panel of professional mergers and acquisition deal makers. They stepped up to the challenge and brought the cup back to ASU. We’re proud of their accomplishments."

Making Company Connections

Intel, PetSmart, Dell, Cox, Cisco, Henkel, Johnson & Johnson, and more – they are just some of the organizations represented at a recent W. P. Carey Company Networking Night (CNN). Networking Night connects W. P. Carey students and companies in a relaxed, interactive atmosphere, giving MBA students like Andy Orr, W. P. Carey MBA ’12, a chance to shine.

"I owe my internship to a CNN," Andy admits. "That’s where I met representatives from The Henkel Corporation for the first time.  It was so easy to approach companies in this environment. If nothing else, I walked away with valuable insights and connections that would serve me well down the road."

Andy’s story is not unique; many MBA students who attend a networking event often find themselves competing for an internship later in the year. Andy called upon the Henkel contact he met at CNN, who helped him prepare for his internship interview.

"I ended up landing the internship, I have a shot at a full-time offer with Henkel, and I can tie it all back to the CNN."

Exploring All the Links in the Chain

All W. P. Carey MBA students have an opportunity to participate in an outreach trip, focusing on industries within the five W. P. Carey Full-time MBA specializations, and offering students insight into a firm’s corporate culture and organizational structure, as well as their own potential career paths.

Supply Chain Management students recently traveled to Southern California to visit the Mars Food US, getting an inside look at the challenges the global corporation faces, how they respond to these challenges, and how their MBA would be valued at such an organization. Visiting a company as large in size and scope as Mars provides rare first-hand insight into how all the moving parts work together. With over 65,000 employees at over 230 sites worldwide, Mars, Inc. is the fifth-largest privately held company in the United States, according to Forbes.

"The outreach trip really opened my eyes and helped me better understand what it means to be a supply chain professional," recalls Joe McCammon, W. P. Carey MBA ‘12. "We met with leadership at Mars and viewed (and sampled from) their testing and development facilities. The personalized tours on the ground and at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach gave us a chance to completely immerse ourselves into all the points along a supply chain."