Oregon MBA students kicked off the new year by visiting prominent industry professionals from Seattle to New York City during the first two weeks of January 2019. Second-year MBA students affiliated with the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center and the Cameron Center for Finance and Securities Analysis explored the Big Apple, while the first-year MBA students from the Center for Sustainable Business Practices, Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship, and Warsaw Sports Marketing Center engaged with business and industry in the Puget Sound.
Starting in NYC, MBAs visited Kore, a business management software company for the sports and entertainment industry. Alumni Jacob Rosen and Luke Nofsinger provided an in-depth look into how their company’s CRM (customer relationship management) solution makes it easier for sports businesses to keep on top of client relationships.
Rosen explained their product in one simple statement, “We make CRM better for you [sports organizations].”
The study tour also included visits to ESPN, the NFL, the New York Road Runners, Wasserman, ESL-One, Samsung, MKTG, and NBC Sports for sports business-focused students. Meanwhile, MBAs specializing in finance and securities analysis experienced the NASDAQ stock exchange and visited with PWC, Goldman Sachs, Jefferies, and more. Venture capital firm Collaborative Fund—in which professor of finance Stephen McKeon is a member—also gave students an inside look into the company.
Over on the other side of the country, first-year MBA students ventured to Seattle for their experiential study tour as part of the program. The group’s agenda included meetings and sessions with such companies as T-Mobile, Seattle Mariners, Seattle Seahawks, Brooks Running, and Seattle Storm.
David Borlak reflected on his experience at T-Mobile, “I gained exposure to a large brand I would love to work for. Plus, I’ve never been to Seattle so that was exciting.”
Finally, MBA students focusing in sustainable business practices and entrepreneurship visited Microsoft, Pitchbook, Mission Investors Exchange, PhilanthropyNW, ClearPoint, Alaska Airlines, Eileen Fisher, Renew, and REI.
Phil Denara, an accelerated MBA candidate with a sustainability focus, commented on his experience at Microsoft, “We learned about machine learning helping to drive environmental initiatives. It’s interesting to understand the technology on a higher level and see how it is being applied to the real world challenges.”
Experiences like these are what make the Oregon MBA unique and impactful. Graduate students are able to bolster their toolkit for the future career endeavors and develop close relationship with professionals in their prospective industries.
—Colton Schang, MBA ’19