Category: Career Success Center

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“Cheers and Beers” for the BA 390 marketing class’s final presentations

A genuine swill party beer, priced to compete with Pabst Blue Ribbon; a brew with Vitamin D added; a sophisticated black-label luxury beer for the oligarchs, and even a malting company and a tailgating-friendly mobile bar were among the great ideas and business pitches of BA 390 marketing students and GD 325 graphic design students presented to a panel of judges Thursday. Fellow students gave cheers of support while judges received beers – cans and bottles anyway. The beer props were part of the detailed packaging and label design mockups that came from the design students as the marketers presented business plans to launch the new beverage lines.

The event, Winter 2018 Shark Tank “Golden Pint Presentation,” brought in judges from around campus, including Dan Edge, Associate Dean – College of Agriculture and Lee Ann Garrison, Director, School of Art & Communication as well as professor of crop science, Dr. Patrick Hayes, one of the world’s leading researchers of barley strains.

Dr. Hayes, whose recent experiments breeding flavor-rich barley strain has led to varietals anticipated to impact the taste of beer, partnered up with BA 390 course instructor Chuck Toombs to see how far the students could run with the ideas to bring barley-centric beer to market.

Until this research breakthrough from OSU Ag Sciences, barley was simply considered the work horse of beer production, the plain grain that contributed the ABV while hops and yeast waltzed together to form the flavor profiles that beer connoisseurs thirst for.

Team Fairy Ales perfectly captures that Cinderella story of Hayes’ barley research in their presentation, comparing barley to poor Cinderella forced to do all the cooking and cleaning while her step-sisters enjoyed all the parties and praise. The team earned top honors for the best brand & product story.

Another category standout for best product and packaging design was Team Gladius, who produced a slick monochromatic label featuring knight’s armor and swords for their premium barley wine, and a resealable bottle for the heavier, high alcohol beverage. Their pièce de résistance was a tap handle resembling a sword handle for the Gladius brand.

Special guests at the pitch competition included OSU Vice President of Research Cynthia Sagers, and students from the business class at Silverton High School on a college visit with their teacher, Riane Towery.

Each year, Toombs chooses a research project from around campus that he foresees to be on a fast track to market and has his marketing students explore the project launch. Past projects include marketing work for the patented bacon-flavored seaweed from researcher Chris Langdon and colleagues at OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Center.

This year was the first that marketing teams partnered with design students to produce the sophisticated array of label designs, sample products and packaging concepts.

Congratulations to the students of the BA 390 and GD 325 for their incredible work. Judges named winners in five categories listed below, and many thanks to our judges for their time!

Check out our Facebook photo album!

Best Product & Packaging Design: Gladius

Best Multi-Product Monetization Strategy: HIBARR

Best Brand & Product Story: Fairy Ales

Best Regional Focus & Use of Technology: Pacific Malt

Most Creative & Future Focused: Evolve

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Student Athletes Tackle Mental Health Awareness

Dam Worth It campaign brings a voice to students and athletes

Walk by the study rooms In Austin Hall during finals week, and one can quickly lose that nostalgia for “the college days.” The pressure and stress are etched onto tired faces of students, and the intense quiet resonates more than the usual din of the students rotating through classes.

Add to the pressures of work-study jobs, internships, club involvement, and for those 102 elite athletes in the College of Business, NCAA Division I athletics. Every sports season includes an end-of-term grand finale that typically coincides with exams. Never mind training schedules and competition commitments that include extensive travel.

It may come as no surprise that – despite support programs within academics and athletics – there are some chinks in the emotional armor of students, and student-athletes, in particular.

 

Ending the Stigma

Finance major Nathan Braaten is a midfielder on the Oregon State men’s soccer team, and a Pac-12 All-Academic First Team honoree. He also is a co-founder of the Dam Worth It mental health support campaign, a movement he started because there’s still too much stigma associated with mental health issues for students to seek help before a situation becomes untenable.

The Dam Worth It campaign launched in concept in October 2017, with its first outreach to the OSU sports community one month later. The Dam Worth It campaign’s public launch occurred in the same week as the January 2018 suicide of Washington State quarterback Tyler Hilinski. Hilinski was slated to be the starting quarterback in 2018 was described as outgoing and bubbly, and Hilinski’s death was a heavy hit to his family, team and the Pac-12 community.

Braaten and his Dam Worth It co-founder Taylor Ricci, a former top OSU gymnast and College of Public Health and Human Sciences academic standout, were impacted by the many stories about athletes facing mental health challenges across the national, the Pac-12 as well as their own rosters.

The stories all hit too close to home for Braaten and Ricci who also lost OSU teammates. “Because of what we lost, we felt it was time for action,” Braaten said. “Above all, we want this platform to be for everyone, not just student-athletes.”

Their public initiative began with #DamWorthIt social media outreach, and a physical presence at winter season sporting events alongside student workers from the university’s Counseling and Psychological Services.

When Braaten researched into mental health issues of college students, he learned that roughly one-quarter of students identified a struggle with depression or had a mental health concern in the past year. Two-thirds of these students did not seek any help at all ― not a health care professional or even a family member or a friend.

 

Creating a Dialogue

“I feel it’s important that this is peer-to-peer,” said Braaten. “Athletic staff will always have their doors open to hear from us, but if you are the athlete in a crisis, you also will be worried that sharing the problem will affect your start position or your play time. If it were a physical injury, you would not hide it from the team. With Dam Worth It, we want to be the tape or the wrap or the brace that gives support, and we don’t want to hide.”

Far from hiding, the Dam Worth It campaign has earned headlines in USA Today, Sports Illustrated, and other major media outlets. The duo has a grant proposal in with the Pac-12 to build and expand the campaign, plans high-profile events with guest speakers and a continued presence at sporting events. Ricci’s personal profile video was completed this winter, and Braaten’s will be released this spring where they share their stories about their losses and their personal struggles.

“How many athletes will tell you about what they lost? Not many,” Braaten said. “We hope to start the conversation, and keep it going. We want to make mental health conversations as normal as any other everyday conversation.”

Suicide is the seconding leading cause of death among people aged 15-34 in the United States, and depression affects 20-25 percent of Americans aged 18 and older in a given year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 

Find #DamWorthIt on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/hashtag/DAMWorthIt?src=hash

Nathan Braaten: @NathanBraaten

Taylor Ricci: @TayRicci

 

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Corporate finance team wins regional business competition, ACG Cup Northwest

Oregon State University OSU College of Business
OSU’s MBA Corporate Finance team wins the Association for Corporate Governance’s case study competition, the 2018 ACG Cup.

In a regional showdown of corporate financial acumen, the OSU’s MBA Corporate Finance team bested groups from the University of Oregon, the University of Washington and Seattle University to bring home the ACG Cup Northwest.

The ACG Cup Northwest is a case study competition among MBA students placed in a high-pressure setting to solve a real-world business challenge. In the competition students analyze a finance-related case in the field of mergers and acquisitions, investment banking, financial advisory and private equity, and then develop and present a case solution to a panel of industry professionals.

OSU students ― Daniel Pitluck, Brad Stricklin and Patrick McBrien ― presented their winning solutions to a panel of judges comprised of leading finance executives. This was the college’s first year for the win, but the second consecutive appearance in the final round.

Team member Brad Stricklin lays out the bones of the case, describing a company at a crossroads, needing to evaluate whether to stay as a standalone company, merge with another company, or be acquired in a leveraged buyout.

“The company in question for the case study was in the defense industry,” Stricklin said. “We were tasked with analyzing strategic alternatives for the company presenting our recommendation to ‘our board.’ For the final round of judging, we faced a ‘board’ that included the VP of Commercial and Wealth Banking at Umpqua Bank, Torran Nixon, and Stephen Babson, the managing director at Endeavor Capital, a private equity firm based in Seattle,” Stricklin said.

The team members, who all live in different cities, would meet up at coffee shops along the I-5 corridor on Saturday and Sunday mornings and hold a conference call on Tuesday nights to stay on top of their analyses. They studied other business cases, reworking scenarios from past years and sharing news articles. These preparations began in November.

The ACG project solidified one team member’s career interest post-MBA. Dan Pitluck made the decision to work in financial services, after enjoying the intensity of their analytical work. Pitluck attributes the team’s success to these long-term efforts and a dedication to a deep understanding of the material.

“It was easy to tell how much time Brad spent learning the necessary skills to lead our analysis,” Pitluck said. “This was extremely helpful for me, since I do not have an extensive finance background, to have with teammates who would walk through any questions I had.”

The next team goal is to figure out a way to actually celebrate the victory together somewhere after all that hard work.

“We are all excited to finish our MBAs in June, though it’s hard to believe the ACG competition itself has already come and gone,” said team member Patrick McBrien. “The three of us seemed to have a natural unity of purpose. I was floored by their level of commitment. It really felt like we were exercising a professional level of dedication to working on this project, and I think that was borne out by the results.”

The Association for Corporate Growth hosts the annual event among the top two Oregon and Washington teams following preliminary rounds within the College of Business and against other Oregon university teams.

The team was mentored by OSU alumnus Nate Liebler, principal at Newell Craig, LLC and, at the college, by faculty advisor and assistant professor of finance Jonathan Kalodimos. Dr. Kalodimos has integrated preparation for the competition into the curriculum in his Advanced Corporate Finance course.

Through the term, six teams moved through two rounds of competitive eliminations to identify the two top teams to represent OSU in the semi-finals.

“In Advanced Corporate Finance the students learn the quantitative skills necessary to compete, but, importantly, we also give them a framework to evaluate the qualitative or ‘soft’ aspects of business situations and cases,” Kalodimos said. “The soft side of finance is underappreciated skill, but we think developing our MBA students’ understanding of the soft side of finance is crucial for them to thrive in a competitive industry.”

 

Photo credit: Ideagility

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Come on, Summer: Cheering on Our Baseball Players!

Oregon State UnivesrityDoes anything seriously say “welcome to summer” as aptly as hot weather and baseball?

Well, here at the College of Business, we are finally getting our hot weather as we said goodbye to some 700 seniors and 70 MBA graduates, and we are still getting us some baseball!

As we mentioned in a previous post during spring term, College of Business junior KJ Harrison is a CoSIDA academic standout.

But – now that it is summer, can we shout, “oh, yeah! slugger Harrison, breakout-star pitcher Bryce Fehmel, and fifteen other College of Business students are part of the (still) no. 1 ranked Oregon State Baseball team maintaining top seed at the College World Series in Omaha through June 28! Oh, yeah!”

Yes, indeed, we can. Welcome to summer.

From the NCAA:

“…The nightcap was all Oregon State. The Beavers demolished LSU 13-1 behind a superb performance from Bryce Fehmel, who lasted eight innings and allowed just two hits. The highlight of the game came off the bat of KJ Harrison, whose sixth inning grand slam — the first of the TD Ameritrade Park era — put the game out of reach….”

According to the bracket, we play again on June 23 at 3 pm Eastern, possibly against the very same team the Beavs soundly defeated on Monday, after graduation day’s nailbiter. Oregon State is 2-0 in the series, and the PAC-12 champs have duplicated a 23-game winning streak from earlier in the season. They are one game short of the university record for straight wins.

So let’s give a huge, hearty “Go Beavs!” to Oregon State Baseball, and our College of Business and students. We are so proud, and we are cheering you on.

 

Photo: Karl Maasdam, Oregon State Athletics

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Week 7: Academic and Athletic Excellence for Harrison

Oregon State College of Business' baseball player KJ Harrison named to CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 team

We are excited to share this news: College of Business junior KJ Harrison and two more of his baseball teammates were named to the CoSIDA (Collegiate Sports Information Directors of America) Academic All-District 8 team. Our men’s baseball team is the only Division-I team across the eight districts to have three players selected. All three are in the running to become Academic All-Americans – the premier awards program in intercollegiate athletics for honoring combined academic and athletic excellence. We’ll hear about that in early June. Congratulations, and good luck!

In more good news for Harrison, Oregon State baseball holds onto its no. 1 national ranking and clinched the Pac-12 title this weekend. Go Beavs!

Fridays in Austin: Entrepreneurship

Fridays in Austin this week features entrepreneurship. Some of our outstanding Oregon State alumni will share experiences, including sales techniques for startups, crowdfunding campaign strategies, commercial real estate, venture capital, angel financing and more.

Our speakers include John Stirek, President of Western Operations for Trammell Crow Company, technology consultant Dan Ellis, Bruce Carpenter from PGE, Jake VanderZanden with OTTO DesignWorks, Mike Hermens from Capgemini, and many others. The Marketplace will feature “Startup Central”  company tables from local startups for a great opportunity to network and learn.

Advising

Here is an important update for all design students: The course designator DHE will be replaces by DSGN. When looking for design courses during fall term registration, you will need to search for DSGN, in addition to DHE. DHE courses are equivalent to DSGN courses, and they will still fulfill your MyDegrees requirements. DHE will eventually be phased out, and all courses will become DSGN.

Be ready: fall term registration begins May 21. More information about registering for courses, including how to look up your assigned fall registration day/time, is here. We also posted a narrative about what a good experience it is to become a “first friend” for international students entering the College of Business from abroad. They are recruiting for fall term so go online to apply.

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

The College of Business Undergraduate Graduation Celebration takes place Fri., June 16, from 2 – 4 pm at the Austin Hall Plaza (outdoor) and Austin Marketplace (indoor). This is chance for graduates to bring their families together at Austin Hall prior to the formal university event on Saturday. Greetings from Dean Mitzi Montoya at 3 pm. Refreshing drinks and light fare. RSVP here by May 31.

Graduate students and their families can attend this smaller, more intimate celebration of the graduate degree accomplishments in our home setting one day ahead of the OSU commencement. Dress is business attire. Reception immediately following Austin Hall Plaza (tented outdoors) and Austin Marketplace (indoor). Refreshing drinks and light fare. Information about seating and RSVPs will accompany an exit survey in coming days. (Remember, the OSU Commencement is Sat., June 17. Details here.)

Finally, don’t forget to get your tickets for the 12th annual Oregon State Spring Fashion Show will be for in Milam Hall Room 224 from May 3 – 19, Wednesdays 2-4 pm and Fridays 11 am-1 pm, cash only. The show is Saturday, May 20 at the SEC Plaza. Doors open at 7 pm, and the show starts at 8 pm.

 

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COB Arthur Stonehill International Business Exchange Buddy Program

COB Arthur Stonehill International Business Exchange Buddy Program

By Ashlie Cooper, Business Information Systems and Entrepreneurship major, College of Business

Oregon State College of Buiness exchange studentsMoving to a country that you have never visited before can be very intimidating for even the most ambitious of young college students. After packing all of your belongings, flying overseas and arriving at your new home and starting a new school, settling in can be an overwhelming process.  It can be hard to make friends, too, as an international student. If you’ve ever been the “new kid” you might have a sense of what some may feel shortly after arriving. In a country different than your own, there may be variances in language, culture and environment, which can create a barrier when attempting to connect with others.  Luckily, when students in the College of Business Exchange Program travel internationally to Oregon State University, they are offered the opportunity to have a friend through the COB Buddy Program.

Becoming a buddy can also appeal to local students as well, giving them a unique opportunity to make a friend and create an intercontinental partnership.  The COB exchange program partners with 13 colleges worldwide, including Spain, Thailand, Germany, along with several others. Being a buddy essentially means that you are volunteering your support as a friend to an international student.  Helping someone become acclimated to a new environment can be very rewarding for both parties. As they arrive in the states, many buddies will meet their international counterpart at the airport to welcome them, give some direction and answer any questions they may have. Buddies are often the first friend that an incoming exchange student makes.

Being a part of the exchange program can be incredibly beneficial to both parties involved. Building a relationship with someone of another culture and perspective can help with developing a deeper understanding of these differences. Networking, building a connection with others, and leadership are all critical skill to have in the business field, making it a great way for students to build skills through real life experience.

Buddy Time Commitments

It’s recommended that buddies schedule at least one hour a week to spend time together, whether it be going to an event on campus, or just catching up over coffee. Buddies are also encouraged to invite their new friend to a variety of activities, to help them feel welcomed at OSU. Each buddy relationship is an open-ended partnership, whose terms are mostly determined by each individual buddy relationship. Many turn into lifelong friendships and can really shape the experience a student has on their travels abroad.

The College of Business is the only program on campus that gives international exchange students an opportunity to partner up with an OSU full-time student. Since international business is of great interest to many students, developing this type of understanding can assist in future international interactions.

Becoming a buddy was a great decision for me because it’s allowed me to meet many people I would not have had the opportunity to otherwise. I’ve learned a lot about the differences between our world at OSU and universities in other countries, not to mention, learning to be a good friend and helping my buddy adjust and feel welcome.

Students who want to become a buddy at OSU complete a short survey to indicate their preferences for gender, home country, and even specify if they speak another language, in order to be matched appropriately with an incoming exchange student. Most of the time, a buddy will just be for one term, but some students stay for two or more terms. Students who decide to become a buddy will often choose to apply again, because of the great experiences they had with their new international friends.

How the Buddy System Helps

Christina Knudsen, an international exchange student from Denmark, shared why the COB Buddy Program was important to her. “I decided to sign up for the buddy program because it was an opportunity to establish contact with a person that would be able to help me with whatever question I could come up with. I’m far away from home, which means that the buddy program gave me an opportunity to get in touch with someone who would be able to guide me in the right direction. It made my trip to the US a whole lot easier knowing that a person would welcome me. Being paired with a great buddy like Ashlie was just a lucky coincidence!”

Connie Caddis, the assistant international exchange coordinator and College of Business academic advisor has goals of growing the program into a student club.  Students could join to share their international experiences and plan events and outings together.  With the program growing, she envisions more events for participants to engage in creating an atmosphere in which students can intermingle and build lasting relationships. “I’d love to see more events be planned for buddies to attend to allow a comfortable place to spend time together, like a day trip to Newport Beach, or a hike and picnic outing in the local area,” Caddis said. Making the program into a club will also allow for greater funding opportunities and student involvement.

“Studying abroad opens people’s eyes to different cultures. One thing I learned from incoming exchange students is that they always perceive everyone in the States as so friendly. I’m glad they get that impression” Caddis adds, “And many are impressed by all the facilities and resources we have on campus. We’re lucky to have such a great campus where there are plenty of things going on every day.”

How to Get Involved

To get involved in the COB international exchange buddy program, students are encouraged to apply online, or contact Connie Caddis with questions or concerns. Applications are now being accepted for the Fall 2017 term.  This is a great opportunity for COB students to branch out, learn something new, and change your perspective.   Visit this webpage for more information:   http://business.oregonstate.edu/advising/international-business-option/be-cob-buddy

(Pictured: Ashlie on left and her international exchange buddy, Christina)

 

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Week 5 Highlights: Leatherman Keynote & Shark Tank!

Oregon State College of Business Tim Leatherman Dean's Executive SeriesFirst of all, a big congratulations to Innovation Nation and the first-year entrepreneurs. Their Spring Company Show last week was such a success. What a great Friday that was, with the Marketplace packed with almost 70 business teams displaying their product lines, and hundreds of guests including some of our most distinguished alumni.

Don’t miss this week’s Dean’s Executive Series, which brings Oregon State alumnus Tim Leatherman (pictured) into Austin Hall. Tim is the chairman and co-founder of Leatherman Tool Group, and he will tell his story, “How a Boy Scout Knife with Pliers Transformed an Industry.” Tim combined his entrepreneurial spirit with engineering knowledge to become a major global multi-function tool manufacturer. (Who needs a Swiss army when we have Beaver ingenuity?)

Tim is the keynote speaker for the OSU Invitational Shark Tank Competition, hosted each year by the OSU Entrepreneurship Club. So, following the discussion, support our students competing against teams from the University of Oregon in a Shark Tank-style pitch competition.

The “sharks” are investors and entrepreneurs from across Oregon: Ben Rivera, president and CEO of Leatherman Tool Group; Celeste Edman, CEO of Lunar Logic; and Jon Maroney, partner of the Oregon Angel Fund. RSVP.

Shark Tank is just part of the lineup on Friday, May 5 — when Fridays in Austin features Design. Alumni and industry partners from companies including Nike, Columbia, Ziba, SmithCFI, Henderer Design and others. There are three discussion panels as well as professional development workshops, networking, and corporate tabling in the Marketplace.

As well, don’t miss the Design Showcase, which will feature the senior design capstone projects on the first floor of Austin HAll. This is your chance to see the beautiful work of our interior design, apparel design and merchandising students on display, talk to the artists (11 am -12 pm), and learn more about the design programs here at Oregon State.

The Works newsletter this week is filled with important updates from our Advising office (some important academic changes outlined here in a blog post) and all the important deadlines for spring and summer, and other events, too. Check your inbox, or look online.

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Spring Term Week 4 Highlights: Careers and Innovation

Oregon State College of BusinessWelcome to Week 4, a busy one, as usual.

We have two of our favorite themes for you this week – Careers and Innovation.

But first a quick callout of our blog post outlining all the important academic updates this week from College of Business advising. Read this post and prepare for fall scheduling.

Now back to Careers: The spring OSU career expo is this week on Wed., April 26. They’ve got hundreds of employers lined up to attend. As well there is a companion diversity career symposium, providing a full day of career building sessions for diverse students; both events are at LaSells.

Also on Wednesday, in Austin Hall we have the spring accounting job fair, from 1 to 4 pm with employers from the State of Oregon, Jones & Roth, Precision Castparts, Moss Adams, and others.

One day ahead of the university event is the health professions expo hosted by the College of Science, which welcomes student from all majors.

Fridays in Austin’s theme this week is Innovation, and we bring in industry professionals from companies including Starbucks, Nike and WiLAN Inc. We also have a jobs seminar for international students, and a professional development workshop on cover-letter writing.

Friday in Austin will also be buzzing with Innovation Nation’s Spring Company Show. The first-year entrepreneurs will be displaying and selling their products in three sessions in the Austin Marketplace and 2nd floor.

Oregon State College of BusinesssWe’d like to put this on your radar: save the date for next week’s Dean’s Executive Series Lecture featuring a keynote address from Tim Leatherman, OSU alum, chairman of the board, and co-founder of Leatherman Tools. He’ll discuss the story of Leatherman, creators of all-in-one tools. Tim’s keynote will kickoff the Shark Tank competition, hosted here by the Entrepreneurs Club and InnovationX.

There’s more, if you can believe it, and it is all in The Works. So look for that newsletter in your inbox, or read it online.

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Spring Term Week 3 Highlights: Networking and Finance

A quick thanks to all of you and to the Austin Family Business Program for making our first Fridays in Austin of the term a powerful success. Now we look forward to this week’s highlights:

With the university’s Spring 2017 Career Expo just ten days away – and more than one hundred employers attending – you have plenty more opportunities to continue to use the professional development platforms and services here in Austin Hall to get ready for that big day, too.

For starters, there’s Friday’s morning networking coffee with the finance industry leaders who will speak for Fridays in Austin events. The event also features the Oregon State Investment Group, a student-led organization that actively manages a $1.8 million equity portfolio for the OSU Foundation.

This kicks off the Finance-themed Fridays in Austin lineup, which includes discussion panels on asset management, financial institutions, student-led discussions of their internship experience, and expert tips to “network your way” to an internship.

Goldman Sachs will have an informational session covering their employment and internship opportunities, while KPMG experts will help you polish up your resume.

Not to be missed are the team-building sessions in the HWeekend. This Friday evening event will help match participants to projects in advance of the weekend’s build session.

This week’s Impact Oregon innovation workshop will be a hands-on session on conceptualization and “crummy” prototyping. Drop by the DAMLab Makerspace on Friday from 2 – 3:30 pm. All these Impact Oregon workshops will help build your concepts and ideas and prepare you for the statewide competition – but you will also learn some cool things along the way.

Also, be sure to visit the Family Business Boardroom: Making it to the C-Suite in Privately-Held Enterprises event featuring Lisa Weiglin, head of talent development for Endeavour Capital, a leading private equity investment firm with offices in Seattle, Portland, Denver and Los Angeles.