Letter from the MBA President

Greetings Friends,

Here we are in 2023; that came quickly. I hope those of you in the region endured the bitter cold of the holiday season, and that all of you found time to connect with family and friends and find time for reflection and relaxation. As we look ahead to the new year, I am energized by the many initiatives we are pursuing and look forward to sharing in them with all of you.

As you’ll learn more below from Gwyn Klamer, we are launching a mentorship initiative that pairs current graduate candidates with professional mentors in an effort to further expand the BW experience and drive our networks. We invite you to participate and pay forward the experiences you enjoyed from a mentor/mentee relationship or even take the opportunity to share the insight you wished you’d had earlier in your careers. Also, we continue to explore synergies with the Carmel Boyer School of Business and other University stakeholders to produce unique, topical content that celebrates BW’s applied, systems-oriented model.

Given the wide net we are casting with our new initiatives, I encourage you to connect with the MBAA if you’d like to take part as an advocate of our organization. A myriad of opportunities exists to represent the MBAA at your own pace, from participating in one or two events per year when your schedule permits to serving more formally as an Executive Council member.

If you have an idea, are starting a new initiative, or would like to catalyze a conversation, please reach out to me at scott.monaco@bw.edu.*

Looking forward,

Scott Monaco ‘10
President, BW MBA Association

*Please note this is a new email account. It allows for more direct access and, once and for all, solves the emails going to my cousin and fellow BW grad Sarah. Not that she ever minded! ;) 

New Mentoring Program Takes Shape: Support a Current Student!

The BW MBA Association is launching a spring semester mentorship program for current graduate business students, and we need graduate business alumni to serve as mentors.

This program offers one-on-one professional-to-student mentoring to graduate business students with three gatherings for all program participants (kickoff, mid-program meet-up, and end-of-semester celebration).

Mentors may work in any business sector and live in any geographic area. BW offers mentoring strategies and resources to help you support your mentee in their development. For a detailed overview, responsibilities and timelines, check out this presentation.

If you are interested in serving as a mentor, complete this quick questionnaire by Friday, February 3. Pairings will be announced the week of February 6, prior to the program kickoff on Monday, February 13 at 5:30 p.m.

Attending the kickoff in-person is optional but preferred. For those not in Northeast Ohio, a virtual kickoff with your mentee will be arranged. 

Know a current graduate business student who could benefit from the program? Send them this link to apply by February 3. 

Questions about this opportunity? Contact MBAA Executive Council member Gwyn Klamer '19. 

Sponsored by the Association for Corporate Growth, the ACG Cup is a student case study competition promoting real world experience and invaluable insights into mergers and acquisitions (M&A), investment banking, financial advisory and private equity. BW has a long history of competing in the ACG Cup. This year's team, comprised of four undergraduate and one MBA student, garnered second place in the competition. Congratulations to Ryan Rivera, Dane McNulty, George Newcomb, Vincent Bucci and Shelly Barth!

ACG Cup alumni and investment industry professionals Alexis Becker '18 (Carleton McKenna & Co.) and Scott Monaco '10 (High Rock Property Advisors) assisted the team as they prepared to compete, in adition to coaching from professor Christian Nsiah and ACG mentor Andrew Lease. In just over one week’s time, students read and analyzed a fictional, but highly realistic M&A case; modeled out several financial scenarios using professional investment bank and private equity analysis techniques; evaluated the model results to provide an informed recommendation to a fictional board of directors; and ultimately presented their case to the ACG judges in a highly professional and condensed 20 minutes with impromptu board of director questioning.

The BW ACG team undertook this demanding challenge with optimism and enthusiasm and thrived in its execution. As Alexis reports, "The team’s preparation included a week of late nights (or what some would call early mornings) performing a variety of models, scribbling notes and ideas to cover all four walls in the Bloomberg Business Research Center. The BW team’s hard work and dedication to this competition showed strongly in their final presentation." 

Taking Care of Business
Top Golf Networking & Fundraising Event
Thursday, April 13, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Practice your swing at Top Golf in Independence while supporting BW students! Proceeds benefit professional development and experiential learning opportunities for Carmel Boyer School of Business students.

Master's Masters Golf Outing
Monday, September 11
Fox Meadow Country Club

The outing is the MBAA's signature fundraiser. Since 2021, it has found a new home at Fox Meadow in Medina. Come to golf, network and reconnect. Not a golfer? Attend the golf outing dinner including raffles, prizes and celebrations of our winning teams. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. Email Lisa Judge with inquiries.

January 25 marked an in-person return to the popular Economic Insights event, hosted for the 11th time by the Carmel Boyer School of Business and the MBA Association. (In 2021 and 2022, the event was presented in a variety of virtual formats.) This year's event was moderated by Dean of the School of Business Dr. Susan Kuznik as panelists BW Executive in Residence Michael Weidokal (’94) and Boynton D. Murch Chair in Finance Dr. Kevin Jacques were joined by Team NEO’s CEO Bill Koehler.

Topics impacting the global, national and regional economies included the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, labor shortage and participation rates, continued pandemic effects on commercial real estate, inflation and more. Panelists were peppered by a variety of insightful questions posed by students, alumni and community members. Many thanks to everyone who planned and executed this great tradition!

Ways to Support BW Students

Thank you to this year's MBA Association sponsors!

We are grateful to the following companies that generously sponsored the 2022 Master's Masters Golf Outing.

Their support of the outing makes programs and opportunities possible year-round for the BW MBA Association. Thank you!

For more information on sponsoring the Master's Masters Golf Outing event and other ways to support the Carmel Boyer School of Business, contact Senior Philanthropy Advisor Lisa Judge.