University at Buffalo School of Management

18 Buffalo Business Autumn 2017 Photo: Tom Wolf community Impact Four MBA students sit around a con- ference table with executives from Bak USA, a Buffalo-based social enterprise whose mission is to empower a local work- force to build mobile technologies that are accessible to all. Representing the School of Management's MBA Consulting Group, the students have spent the past semester cre- ating a pricing model for a tablet computer that can be customized for future products. The students present their model and recommendations before fielding ques- tions about cost drivers, add-on packages and other features from Jason Drewniak, vice president of the commercial team, and Carly Battin, MBA '09, communications manager. "The students did an excellent job creating an organized way for us to de- termine the cost of goods sold for each de- vice," Battin says. "Their model will allow us to be more accurate about what goes into MBAs on a mission the creation of each product and smarter about what margins and revenue targets we should set." Meanwhile, the MBAs received an in- side look at the challenges of running a suc- cessful mission-driven company and the opportunity to apply their coursework to a real-world business challenge. "I have a background in market re- search and gained experience with finan- cial models in class, and wanted to use those skills to help this company," says Ellen Ragus, a first-year MBA. "At Bak USA, things change minute by minute, so it was valuable to ask people within the or- ganization hard questions to develop our solution." The UB MBA Consulting Group is a pro bono, student-run firm that selects three to four projects to complete each semes- ter for small- to medium-sized business- es or nonprofits. They receive guidance from Professors Harold Star and Nick Everest, as well as Tom Ulbrich, assistant dean and executive director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, and alum- ni Jennifer Ball, EMBA '14, CFO of Aspire WNY, and Thomas Palmer, MBA '71, CEL '00, member at Bond, Schoeneck & King. "We choose projects that are ambi- tious and can help organizations in the community," says Alexandra McLeod, MBA '17, who joined Deloitte this fall as a cyber- risk consultant. "Oen, projects shi aer the initial proposal, giving us valuable ex- perience in understanding and defining the scope of work and pushing through am- biguity to solve a pressing problem." McLeod's team worked with Diversified Labor Solutions, a packaging business oper- ated by the nonprofit Cantalician Center for Learning to provide rewarding, inclusive job opportunities for refugees and individ- uals with disabilities. During fall 2016, the " Their project is a fantastic accomplishment. I could go somewhere tomorrow with a projector and present our story in an organized, visual way." Anne spisiak, cel '10 Executive Director Cantalician Center for Learning From left, Daniel Franasiak, MBA '18, Alexandra McLeod, MBA '17, and Adhiraj Singh Rathore, MBA '17, at Diversified Labor Solutions. Photo: Nancy J. Parisi

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