From the Central Michigan Manufacturing Association to a small cat café in mid-Michigan, students from the DeVos Graduate School at Northwood University partnered with 14 entities to conduct research and develop recommendations to guide future decision-making.
“The students were able to bring a new perspective to the group,” stated Maggie Stolz, chair of the Central Michigan Manufacturing Association’s Emerging Leaders Special Interest Group. “Since our group is focused on attracting and retaining talent in manufacturing, the younger, more fresh eyes were appreciated!”
Each year, students enrolled in the MBA program at the DeVos Graduate School are divided into consulting teams. Under the guidance of MBA faculty with decades of industry experience, these teams work with a business or non-profit to conduct fieldwork that culminates in action-orientated recommendations.
“Our four students did an amazing drill down in detail with competitive analysis and great research on determining value and need in the community and targeting customer needs,” stated John Levy, business owner and partner of Mobile Canning Line. “ … (Plus), four people working on a project gives you four perspectives, and that’s way better than any one business owner trying to figure out things on their own.”
Kim Shea, owner of Sugarbeet Blooms and Bridal in Beaverton, agreed that her students provided a valuable perspective.
“They gave us some real insight and applicable recommendations that will no doubt direct our future success,” Shea stated.
Stolz said working with the DeVos team was easy.
“We were able to give them an overview of our group, the problems we faced, and what we wanted most from the team,” she explained. “They were able to work independently and provide us with several recommendations and insights we hadn’t thought of before.”
Students who partnered with Active Orthopedics Physical Therapy in Midland conducted fieldwork that collected information about the industry, that specific practice, and its local competition. Then, they identified the practice’s strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for additional success.
“With a solid view of where we currently sat within our market, they helped identify specific and actionable pathways for additional referrals, opportunities for growth, and capturing of additional market share,” explained Owner Craig Elford. “…Their ability to put on paper (and incorporate into discussion) the step-by-step process with targeted action has really helped turn ‘ideas’ into reality.”
Students benefit from fieldwork projects
The DeVos MBA students experience significant growth through hands-on fieldwork and partnerships with local entities.
“Our client had numerous ideas they shared with us, but they needed the tools and strategy to put them into action,” explained Katie Foster of Marshall, who served on the team that partnered with Active Orthopedics. “Giving them a guide to help them with this has been extremely impactful.”
“One of the largest takeaways our team had from participating was just how much knowledge we have gained at DeVos,” explained Molly Dickinson, of Alpena, who was on a team that worked with Downtown Diner & Pizzeria in Beaverton. “We work hard in each of our other classes in addition to this fieldwork practicum, so being able to help a real business allowed us to step outside of our comfort zones a bit and put that knowledge to work in a real setting. I am more confident explaining business concepts and supporting my opinions with business acumen.”
“My biggest takeaway is how connected different concepts are within business,” explained Molly Kitson, of East Jordan, who also worked on the Downtown Diner & Pizzeria team.
Kitson explained her team helped the Beaverton business reorganize its organizational and marketing strategies, and walked the owner through different ideas she could implement in her operations.
“Every recommendation we made was backed up through class sources and data,” Kitson noted. “We used data such as (the business’s) prices, costs, customer base, and ideal outcome to create recommendations in alignment with our courses.”
Opportunities for others to partner with Northwood
Other entities that partnered with DeVos students over the past academic year include Aircraft Precision Products, Contractor Café, NU Athletics, All Good Things Bakery & Studio, Dyna Products, Friction Theatre, City of Beaverton, and Woody’s International Engineering & Manufacturing.
Feedback from this year’s partnering entities shows that DeVos students deliver highly insightful and actionable recommendations that create real value for businesses and non-profits.
“If you have a well-thought-out project that needs attention, this program and project work allows a group of students to dig in and get work done that would otherwise cost you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars,” stated Scott Govitz, retired workforce and economic development vice president and current president of the Beaverton Activity Center.
Businesses are matched with teams each fall. Companies interested in being considered to work with the next cohort of graduate students can email Kennedy Cripps, director of graduate programs for the DeVos Graduate School of Management.
