Several members of the Michigan Ross faculty walked away from the annual INFORMS (Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences) with awards for their cutting-edge research.

Professor Joline Uichanco’s paper, “Dynamic Pricing of Omnichannel Inventories,” received the Revenue Management and Pricing Practice Award. Written with Pavithra Harsha and Shivaram Subramanian of the IBM T. J. Watson Research Center, the paper explores optimal pricing strategies for retailers with both online sales and physical stores. Professor Jun Li was a previous winner of this award in 2015.

This paper also received honorable mention in the Manufacturing and Service Operations Management Practice-Based Research Competition.

Professors Yan Huang, Stefanus Jasin, and Puneet Manchanda won the Best Paper award from the eBusiness Section for their research titled “Level Up: Leveraging Skill and Engagement to Maximize Player Retention in Online Video Games.”

Their research found that different types of players respond to different incentives that will keep them playing. They created a model and algorithm that better matches online players for longer engagement with the game.

Congratulations to all!

On a recent afternoon in the spacious fifth floor atrium of Blau Hall, recruiters from 26 companies were waiting, eager to hire a select group of undergraduate students from Michigan Ross and other degree programs at the University of Michigan.

Those students are taking part in the Cappo Sales Track, a series of Ross courses designed to train students in the fundamentals of sales. Although it has only existed for four years, it has skyrocketed in popularity among both students and employers.

In its first year, just five students started the track. Last year saw 88 students, and next year is set to take between 130 and 150, says Follet Carter, who has led the program since its inception.

“We’ve been pretty successful at placing the students that sign up for the program in jobs,” Carter says. Often these are high-paying sales jobs at companies such as IBM and Gartner, which invest heavily in further training for new hires in order to ensure their success.

“Selling is a very viable profession for college graduates,” Carter said. “Although it’s not always regarded as a career path, in reality, selling is something that we all do every day. Whether we’re working in sales and selling a product or whether we’re working in finance and selling an idea, we all have to sell.”

Working in business-to-business sales can be a particularly lucrative career choice, Carter adds. “In a B2B environment you’re dealing with solving problems, you’re working with C-level executives, you’re working in environments where it’s not unreasonable to think that you’re going to be CEO of a company someday.”

The Cappo Sales Track has been a popular choice among students outside of Ross: Nearly 80 percent of last year’s CST students were pursuing a degree in Literature, Science and the Arts at U-M.

The growth of the program, its word-of-mouth reach across the university, and its popularity with employers were all a pleasant surprise, said Damian Zikakis, director of the Career Development Office (CDO) at Michigan Ross. Indeed, the CDO launched the annual Sales Track Career Fair in the fall in order to accommodate all of the companies that want to hire Cappo students.

Michigan Ross may be ahead of the curve in meeting the demand for sales education. A 2016 Harvard Business Review article, “More Universities Need to Teach Sales,” says more than 50 percent of college graduates, regardless of major, will work in sales at some point in their careers. The article also explains that many companies struggle to find qualified talent to fill open sales positions. Rapidly changing markets, due in part to the increasing popularity of online retail, means sales workers need to be more adept at digital sales and marketing, for example, than ever. But historically, business schools haven’t included sales education in their curriculum.  

For Gabriella Fitzgerald, who graduated in 2016, the Cappo Sales Track was a huge benefit in helping her secure her sales job at Oracle. “I felt more prepared, confident, and skilled than any of my peers [in the Oracle training program],” she said. “The sales track provided me with this advantage over my peers, and was without a doubt the most valuable aspect of my education at Michigan.” 

Sonya Bahn, who is graduating next May with a major in communications and a minor in entrepreneurship, will start a sales job at LinkedIn in Chicago next year. “I’d recommend the Cappo Sales Track to any and all students,” she says. “Knowing how to sell is a big part of one’s professional career.”

“The Cappo Sales Track educates students not only on sales fundamentals, but how to apply those skills within the workplace,” says Melissa Schoenfield, a recruiter for News America Marketing. “When we look to hire entry-level candidates into our sales development program, these students are standouts among their peers in their immediate preparedness for a sales position. They quickly assimilate into corporate life bringing valuable sales skills, industry knowledge and experience with them on day one.”  

The Cappo Sales Track is made possible through a significant gift by Jeffrey Cappo and his sons Michael and Eric Cappo of Ann Arbor, Mich.

Learn more about the Cappo Sales Track at Michigan Ross 

When Benjamin Cole, BBA ‘20, first visited Michigan Ross, he knew almost instantly it was the business school for him. Diagnosed with autism at age 10, Cole always felt out of place and singled out because of his disability.

“When I was diagnosed, the teachers, while I think they had good intentions, did more harm than good. They isolated me from seventh grade through 11th grade from the rest of the class,” said Cole. “They didn’t know much about it. People perceived me as dumb and assumed I couldn’t learn right. I felt alone.”

Yet, his first visit to Michigan Ross convinced him that his college experience would be much different.

“Ross’ mission, the focus on making a difference through business, represents my values. This is a place full of smart leaders who want to make an impact — that’s what drew me here,” he said. “When I talked to Megan (an admissions officer), she was very helpful and I’ll forever be grateful for that. The first day I came here, I said this is the place I want to go.”

He is part of a growing number of students at Ross who identify as having a disability. What could be considered a disability falls under a large umbrella, from physical impairments such as blindness or inability to walk to mental health illnesses such as depression and anxiety. According to Katy Reeves, Ross Accommodations Coordinator, the increasing number is attributed to the fact that more students have “invisible disabilities” and are more open about needing support for their disabilities.

“Students with depression, ADHD, autism, anxiety, and things related to mental health, who previously didn’t really feel comfortable seeking out services or who just didn’t understand that they could seek disability accommodations, are doing so now,” said Reeves.

She added that she receives new requests for accommodations every day, which could include extended testing time, taking a test in a study room with a proctor to decrease distractions or having a note taker during classroom instruction. Students must register with the university’s Services for Students with Disabilities office to receive proper documentation prior to connecting with Reeves.

And while normalizing the conversations about disabilities has contributed to more students seeking services, there is still a stigma around students sharing their disabilities with peers, specifically regarding mental health. In a rigorous, competitive environment such as business school, the anxiety around disclosure can be even greater. For example, students may question why another student is taking an exam elsewhere, but Reeves encourages that they have an open mind and understand that their peers are more than capable of doing the work, but may need some extra support to truly thrive.

“Accommodations for students with disabilities is not an advantage,” said Reeves. “It’s really just leveling the playing field and making sure there is equity among all of our students in terms of being able to demonstrate their abilities.”

For Cole, who wants to pursue a career in investment banking, his disability helped him become the individual he is today. “For an autistic individual, it’s better to embrace who you are rather than run away from it,” he said. “You can be whoever you are. I want to be a good role model and make an impact on others.”

For any questions about the accommodations process, you can email rossaccommodationscoordinator@umich.edu.

Learn more about Diversity at Michigan Ross

It’s time to paint the town maize and blue ― a new season of RossTalks is heading across the U.S. and around the world featuring the likes of Vice Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Charlie Munger and Equinox Executive Chairman & Managing Partner Harvey Spevak.

These exclusive networking events provide an electric atmosphere in which Michigan Ross alumni can mingle with peers, check in on the pulse of Ross, and meet current and prospective students.

In our new format, Scott DeRue, the Edward J. Frey Dean of the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, will moderate as guest-star panelists sound off on the latest trends and topics in business.

Incredible Speakers

We have your all-access pass to the best names in business.

In Los Angeles on November 30, Charlie Munger will share insights and anecdotes in a conversation with Dean DeRue. If you live or work in Los Angeles (and even if you don’t!) this is one you won’t want to miss. 

REGISTER FOR ROSSTALKS LA

In Chicago, Elevate K-12 CEO Shaily Baranwal, MBA ‘07, and Equity Residential Executive Vice President & CFO Mark Parrell, BBA ‘88, will sound off on a top-of-mind subject: business and ethics.

Past RossTalks have also featured a number of outstanding alums.

For our first event of the season in New York, Dean DeRue led a panel consisting of Harvey Spevak, BBA '87/MACC '87; BlueOrange Sustainable Capital founder Blair Miller, MBA '07; and By Jordana CEO, Jordana Schrager, BA '16/MiB '16.

RossTalks San Francisco was held in conjunction with the West Coast Forum. This event featured Medallia CEO and co-founder Borge Hald, BBA ‘90, and Associate Professor of Information Systems Nigel Melville, who chatted about the rise of digitalization and the power and risk of artificial intelligence.

Stay tuned to find out what phenomenal speakers will appear at future RossTalks!
 

International Tour

Our alums are everywhere ― 108 countries to be exact ― and we want to be where you are! That’s why RossTalks isn’t just hitting the road ― we’re flying around the world to Mumbai, Hong Kong, London, and more to bring Michigan Ross to alums who are eager to reconnect.
 

ROSS ALUMS: Check out the complete list and register for an event near you!
 

Learn more about RossTalks

There are more veterans at Ross than ever before – seven percent of the MBA Class of 2019 served in the military. Our veterans say the resources, clubs, and support available from Ross and U-M make this an amazing place for service members. The entire Ross and U-M community is honoring them this week during the 2017 Veteran’s Week celebrations.

Throughout the week there are several Ross-specific events you can attend, as well as many other ways you can show your support. Ross has also organized events for service members interested in learning more about Michigan Ross on Saturday, Nov. 11.

VET-x
A series of TED-style talks by Ross veterans, organized by the Ross Armed Forces Association
Friday, Nov. 10, 5:00pm-7:00pm
Ross Colloquium, 6th floor

Armed Forces Association Happy Hour
Friday, Nov. 10, 7:00pm
Location TBD

Events for Service Members Interested in Michigan Ross:
Saturday, Nov. 11, Ross School of Business Room B1590

Armed Forces Association Welcome
1:00pm-1:15pm

Mock Class with Professor Ryan Ball
1:15pm-2:30pm

Networking with Institutes and Centers
2:45pm-3:45pm

Roundtable Discussion with Current Veteran Students
4:00pm-5:00pm

And here are the U-M events happening on campus for Veteran’s Week. All events are free and open to the university community and the general public.

Monday, Nov. 6
Korea Panel
1:00pm-2:00pm
Michigan Union, Kuenzel Room

Blood Drive
2:00pm-8:00pm
Michigan Union, Anderson Room

WWII Vets Panel
3:00pm-4:00pm
Michigan Union, Kuenzel Room

Tuesday, Nov. 7
Vietnam Panel
10:00am-11:00am
Michigan Union, Kuenzel Room

Blood Drive
2:00pm-8:00pm
Michigan Union, Anderson Room

MIA/Research and Recovery
2:00pm-3:00pm
Michigan Union, Kuenzel Room

Wednesday, Nov. 8
Student Panel​
10:00am-11:00am
Michigan Union, Parker Room

Therapy and Service Dogs for Veterans​
12:00pm-1:00pm
Michigan Union, Parker Room

Women in the Military Panel
2:00pm-3:00pm
Michigan Union, Parker Room

Fisher House Michigan Event​
7:00pm
Hill Auditorium
More information at fisherhousemichigan.org

Thursday, Nov. 9
LGBT in the Military Panel
11:00am-12:00pm
Michigan Union, Kuenzel Room

Sea Power in the 21st Century Panel
1:00pm-3:00pm
Michigan Union, Kuenzel Room

Military Humanitarian Efforts
3:00pm-4:00pm
Michigan Union, Kuenzel Room

Veterans of Color Film and Reception
4:00pm-6:00pm
Hatcher Graduate Library, Room 100

Friday, Nov. 10
ROTC Flag Raising
8:00am
Central Campus Diag Flagpole

Appreciation Lunch*
11:00am-2:00pm
Union Ballroom
*The Veteran Appreciation Lunch is only open to former and current members of the U.S. military working or studying at U-M and invited guests (RSVP is required).

ROTC Flag Lowering
5:00pm
Central Campus Diag Flagpole

VET-x, a series of TED-style talks by Ross veterans
​5:00pm-7:00pm
Ross Colloquium, 6th floor

Chanticleer: Heart of a Soldier​ 
8:00pm
Hill Auditorium
Get tickets

Learn More About Veterans at Michigan Ross 

A team of three Michigan Ross MBAs emerged victorious in a national competition to come up with new solutions in the field of data analytics.

Rajiv Khattar, Erica Kirshensteyn, and Rei Liao, all first-year MBAs, won first place and a $35,000 cash prize in the Adobe Analytics Challenge during the finals in Lehi, Utah. The two-week competition initially included 150 teams from 70 schools across the country.

Adobe sponsors this competition in part to find new talent. There is a big demand for data analysts today, and qualified employees remain hard to find. Adobe provides the students with real-world data from companies such as Condé Nast, Comcast, and PlayStation, and they are tasked with producing solutions to real problems. More than 30 students have been hired from this competition since Adobe first sponsored it 11 years ago.

Adobe also provided a new enterprise-level tool, Adobe Analysis Workplace, to help the competitors. “It was the epitome of action-based learning,” Khattar said. “Some of us hadn't been exposed to marketing web analytics before, and we had the opportunity to use real company data to learn what is important for companies and how to explain our analysis to a diverse set of stakeholders.”

“In a world that is increasingly generating incredible amounts of data, it's critical for companies to be able to use that data in a meaningful way to make strategic decisions,” Kirshensteyn said. “Being able to analyze historical data, derive key insights, and contextualize the ‘why’ and ‘what’s next’ of those insights, allows businesses to make better-informed decisions for the future.”

Congratulations to the team. Go Blue!

In the world of academia, recognition for one’s work can be a long time coming, since the research and publication process can span years. A slew of recent wins and nominations of our PhD candidates show how much high-quality, innovative research is being developed by the amazing students (and their faculty advisors) at Michigan Ross.

Rebecca Chae won the 2017 ACR/Sheth Foundation Dissertation Award for cross-cultural and public purpose consumer research. Her dissertation proposal, titled “Cultural Differences in How Descriptive Norms Influence Consumer Behavior,” earned her a $2,000 research grant. "We are very proud of Rebecca's winning the dissertation award,” says Carolyn Yoon, Chae’s advisor. “In a global economy, it's important for people to understand the effects of cultural differences in social and behavioral norms across a range of decision settings. Rebecca's research provides useful insights about the ways in which message effectiveness can be substantially improved by accounting for cultural norms.”

Three PhD candidates in technology and operations also earned wins and became finalists in prestigious competitions:

Guihua Wang (advised by Professors Jun Li and Wally Hopp) won the Health Care Applications Society competition for his research on personalized healthcare and the development of machine learning approaches using methods from econometrics and statistics. Wang was also named a finalist of the Manufacturing and Service Operations Management Society (MSOM) Student Paper Competition, the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) Service Science Section Cluster Competition, and the INFORMS Seth Bonder competition for Applied Operations Research in Health Services.

Iris Wang (advised by Professors Ravi Anupindi and Jun Li) was named a finalist in the MSOM student paper competition. Her research looks at the risk propagation from tier-2 suppliers to manufacturers.

Evgeny Kagan (advised by Professors Stephen Leider and Bill Lovejoy) was named a finalist in the INFORMS Behavioral Operations competition, in the Production and Operations Management (POMS) College of Product Innovation and Technology Management competition, and in the European Business School Innovation Management competition. His research examines operational questions in innovation, product development, and entrepreneurship.

Congratulations to these talented, hardworking PhDs. Go Blue!

Learn more about the PhD program at Michigan Ross

In the last few years, Michigan students and alums have had a strong showing onForbes’ annual “30 Under 30” list of power players. This year is no different, with five Wolverines — including three Michigan Rossers — joining the ranks of the world’s movers and shakers. Thirteen wolverines have madethe list since 2015.

Take a look at this year’s additions:

Jack Kramer, MBA ‘19, is the co-founder of MarketSnacks, a financial e-newsletter with more than 100,000 subscribers and an impressive 40 percent open rate. When Kramer and Nick Martell started working as banking analysts in New York, they realized financial news was too “complicated, jargon-y, and boring,” so they created an anonymous blog that turned into a newsletter.

As the subscriber rate keeps growing, so does MarketSnacks — it’s recently started featuring video. “Too often, people view news as an obligation,” Kramer says. “We want you to look forward to opening MarketSnacks email, so we keep it concise, digestible, and fun. Our readers appreciate that.”

Kramer was drawn to Michigan Ross for connections to the automotive and mobility industries, not to mention the U-M football experience (he’s a former D-III player). “I know all about finance, but business has so many facets. I've been blown away by the curriculum at this place,” he says. “And the students here are the most well-rounded, funny, talented people I've ever met. I had no idea how much I had to learn until I arrived here.” Kramer is photographed above with Stephen M. Ross.

Daniel Sillman, BBA ‘10, is the CEO of Relevent Sports, a New York City-based company that is dedicated to building a soccer presence in the U.S. and abroad. According to Forbes, this year he was responsible for bringing El Clasico to Miami.

Jacob Smilovitz, BBA '11, leads M&A and investments at The New York Times. He also earned a B.A. in political science.

Patrick Collins, who earned a BA in sports management in 2011 and played U-M varsity football, is an NFL agent at Creative Artists Agency in Nashville.

Ben Davis, who graduated from U-M in 2011, is a digital agent who recently helped a client sell a company to CNN for $25 million. He also set up Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Dany Garcia's Seven Bucks Digital Studios.

Congratulations to these amazing Wolverines! Go Blue!

You say University of Michigan, we say startup paradise.

The Princeton Review, in partnership with Entrepreneur magazine, named U-M’s undergraduate entrepreneurship program fourth in the nation. The magazine cites 54 courses and the Center for Entrepreneurship among the reasons for the success of scores of founders and CEOs, noting that U-M grads launched 336 companies and collectively raised more than $171 million in funding over the past decade.

Michigan Ross students and graduates are an integral part of that story, of course — check out just a few of their recent achievements:

• Danny Sheridan, BBA '18, launched Woodside Distributors, which has made millions in sales.
• Lexie Ernst, BBA '17, and Jake Wayne, BSI ‘16, received a $1 million dollar investment for the personal safety app Companion after winning on the Apple TV show Planet of the Apps.
• Austin Rief, BBA ’17, recently closed an investment round which included $100,000 from the Zell Founders Fund for e-newsletter Morning Brew.
• Eric Katz, BBA '17, co-founded Kulisha, which has won numerous funding competitions. The company seeks to implement more sustainable farming and composting practices in the food industry.
• Jordana Schrager, BA '16/MiB '16, recently collaborated with Steve Madden for her shoe company By Jordana; she also received a $75,000 investment from the Zell Founders Fund.  
• Jason Okrasinski, BBA '13, launched CribSpot, attracting $2.5 million in funding from Y-Combinator, Hyde Park Ventures, Huron River Ventures, and others.

The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine also ranked U-M the ninth best graduate program for entrepreneurship.

The university’s entrepreneurship offerings have been consistently ranked top 10 in the U.S. for the past several years. Not only does U-M boast excellent resources for those with startup dreams, but Michigan Ross offers plenty as well, from the Sam Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies, which brings the country’s most successful entrepreneurs and faculty to Ann Arbor, to events such as Entrepalooza, the Michigan Business Challenge, and Dare to Dream, which provide students real-world opportunities to apply their entrepreneurship studies.

Learn more about Entrepreneurship at Michigan Ross

The buildings that comprise the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan are stunning, with their airy ceilings, tall windows, shiny floors, and silver fixtures. But these beautiful structures are more than just the home of the next generation of business leaders—they’re also environmentally friendly.

Kresge Hall and the Jeff T. Blau Hall recently earned LEED Gold certification for the construction and renovations that began in April 2014 and finished this summer. Here are some of the state-of-the-art upgrades you may have noticed — and others that work quietly behind the scenes.

Michigan Ross Professor Dave Ulrich was first named the “Father of Modern HR” by HR Magazine back in 2012, and the prolific academic has more than lived up to the title.

Now he can add yet another line to his long list of accolades: He’s been inducted into the Thinkers50 Hall of Fame. Thinkers50 shares and ranks the best management ideas, and its Hall of Fame title is a lifetime honor acknowledging those who have made a lasting impact on how organizations are led and managed. This isn’t the first time Thinkers50 has honored Ulrich: He was named the most influential international HR thinker of the past decade in 2015.

Ulrich, the Rensis Likert Professor of Business Administration at Michigan Ross, has an incredible academic career that spans 35 years and includes more than 200 articles and book chapters as well as 30 books on leadership, organizations, and human resources.

Ulrich is also co-director of the Advanced Human Resource Executive Program at Ross, which offers its next session for HR leaders in March 2018. He earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from HR Magazine in 2012.

Five other Michigan Ross faculty members have also recently received special recognitions for their lifetime contributions to the understanding and advancement of knowledge in their respective disciplines.

• Sue Ashfordwas awarded a prestigious lifetime achievement award from the Academy of Management for her work in the field of management and organizations.
• Ted London was honored by the Aspen Institute for his longstanding contributions to Base of the Pyramid strategies.
• David Brophywas recognized for his 50-plus years of contributions to Michigan’s venture capital industry and entrepreneurial community.
• David Mayer was named a Fellow of the Association of Psychological Science, an honor awarded to those who have made significant contributions to the psychology field.
• Seth Carnahan was named to a Kauffman Foundation Junior Faculty Fellowship for his established record of scholarship and potential around the field of entrepreneurship.

​These lifetime achievement awards are just a small fraction of the more than 40 honors and awards our faculty received from third parties in the last year.

Learn more about the incredible faculty at Michigan Ross

One of the many ways that Michigan Ross students gain real-world experiences during their business education is by developing real products, with real prototypes, marketing plans, and cost structures.

It’s all part of the Michigan Ross Integrated Product Development Course through the Tauber Institute for Global Operations.

This is the 21st time the Tauber Institute has offered the course, and this year, teams consisting of students from Ross, the Stamps School of Art & Design, Michigan Engineering, and the School of Information were tasked with coming up with products designed for use in small spaces or efficiency apartments.

With a tiny house trend still sweeping the nation, and the rise of small living spaces continuing to spread through America’s big cities, it’s a challenge that couldn’t come at a better time.

This semester, students have been hard at work on their products — working on everything from design prototypes to strategic marketing plans. And now, the eight products are on display — competing to gain “market share” and have their product stand above the rest, and your votes help decide who ultimately wins.

Check out each product below, visit their respective websites, and then head to the IPD Voting Page to cast your vote.

The products will also be on display in person during the Integrated Product Development Trade Show on Wednesday, Dec. 6, from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at the U-M STAMPS Gallery at 201 South Division St.

Explore the products below and vote for your favorite here. Voting ends Tuesday, Dec 5.

HAVEN

Haven is a collapsible privacy shield for use in shared spaces. Tired of trying to study in a common area while your roommates are arguing? Simply unfold Haven and place it around your personal space to create instant privacy.

Team members include Ryan Colameo, MBA ‘18; Madeleine Fougere; Joshua Thariath; Mindy Yahr Jaffe, MBA ‘18; and Ruta Gokhale.

View website

HERBIN

HerbIn is a small, magnetized, wall-mountable herb garden that lets home chefs with limited space grow fresh herbs for cooking. HerbIn offers a variety of fresh herbs to choose from and relies on a unique watering system that takes into account the capillary action of plant roots.

Team members include Maaz Khalid, MBA ‘18; Andrea Levy; Pauline Park, MBA ‘18; Amy Shih; and Mian Wei, MSCM ‘17.

View website

HIGH & DRY

Counter space is an issue in many homes, no matter the size, but having to take up counter space to dry dishes is especially hard for those in efficiency spaces. High & Dry, a collapsible, mountable dish drying rack looks to solve this problem. You can hang High & Dry on a standard cabinet and instantly have two racks available for drying dishes ― no counter space required!

Team members include Peter Callahan, MBA/MSI '19; Bethany Daniel; Carly Francis; Nisha Mohan; and Kyra Mahoney, MBA '18.

View website

HOSTABLE

Dining room tables are big, and you can’t often fit one in a small living space ― but that doesn’t mean you should have to forfeit hosting friends and family and entertaining guests. Hostable is a small side table that unfolds into a full-sized dining table. The innovative shape allows owners to easily shift between having a stylish and functional side table to a stylish and functional dining table, in no time at all.

Team members include Amy Goodell; Ben Herrmann, MSCM ‘17; Sneha Joshi; Gus Schissler; and Stephanie Wang, MBA ‘18.

View website

LYRA

Lyra is a modular lighting system that adapts to a user’s living space and provides multiple configurations, a portable design, and convenient voice activation features.

Team members include Sophie Amberkar; Zahraa Bazzi; Blake Bellistri; Janet Cheng; Kartik Gupta, MBA ‘18; and Anita Jiang.

View website

SNAPREP

Snaprep is a collapsible kitchen prep station that provides extra space and additional work surface to small and compact kitchen areas. The base folds easily and the magnetic, wooden cutting board easily snaps onto the base, making for a prep station you can set up in a hurry in virtually any kitchen.

Team members include Tasha Gillum; Matt Kaplan, MBA ‘18; Olga Balashova, MBA ‘18; Emanuel Papageorgiou; and Stephanie Yen.

View website

SURE

Sure is part home essentials delivery service, part storage solution. Order your essential house products (like paper towels, cleaning supplies, baby food, or pet supplies) and they arrive straight to your door in recyclable, stackable storage boxes that will look great in any tiny living space.

Team members include Fernando Santo Andre, MBA '18; Jenny Huang, MBA '18; Heidi Liu; Amit Shah; and Kaiwen Sun.

View website

THINK BOX

Think Box is a space-saving, hanging wall office that doubles as an organization system and calendar. When it’s closed, Think Box is an ambient reusable glass calendar that you can use to keep track of your schedule or tasks. Unfold Think Box and it becomes a standing or sitting desk with storage for a laptop computer, books, and other essential productivity items.

Team members include Jack Bryce, MSCM ‘17; Srishti Gupta; Kritika Rastogi, MBA ‘18; Gabrielle Zacks; and Weiran Zhang.

View website

VOTE NOW - Voting closes on Dec. 5

Fire up those PowerPoint presentations and get ready to pitch your heart out.

It’s time for the annual Michigan Business Challenge (MBC), and the stakes are higher than ever: $100,000 in total cash prizes are up for grabs, the largest amount of money ever given away in the 35-year history of the challenge.

The MBC, open to all current undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Michigan, takes student entrepreneurs through the process of startup creation, development, and planning. Proposed businesses may be for-profit or nonprofit and offer products or services to either consumer or industrial markets. More than 60 teams today are pitching to a panel of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and angel investors in hopes of advancing to the next round in January.

Notable companies from past competitions have included SAHI Cosmetics, which recently earned a $100,000 investment from AOL founder Steve Case at the Rise of the Rest pitch competition; Neurable, which received more than $2 million in investments to build brain-controlled software for AR and VR following a second-place finish at the Rice Business Plan Competition; and Companion, which won $1 million on the first episode of Apple’s reality TV series “Planet Of The Apps.”

“The cornerstone of business education is putting classroom lessons into practice, which is exactly what the Michigan Business Challenge asks participants to do,” said Stewart Thornhill, executive director of the Zell Lurie Institute. “While the financial resources and new prizes we’re debuting are critical to the growth of these student startups, feedback from judges and lessons learned from their peers will be crucial to these entrepreneurs as they set out to launch their businesses.”

This year’s new prizes are the Small Giants Positive Business Award, a $2,500 prize sponsored by the Small Giants Community and Center for Positive Organizations, and a $5,000 Undergraduate Award, sponsored by Daniel Sillman, CEO of Relevant Sports.

Awards will also be given to the best cross-functional team, teams with impressive marketing efforts, the most successful undergraduate team, and those with the best-written and best-presented business plans. Teams whose businesses pursue a mission-driven goal may be chosen in round one to compete in the Seigle Impact Track, with prizes totaling more than $26,000, sponsored by the Mark and Robin Seigle Entrepreneurial Innovation Fund.

Learn more about the 2017 Michigan Business Challenge 

At Cornerstone Leadership & Business Private High School in Detroit, students like freshman Iymari Sanford and Kennedie Ross are never bored. They juggle the demands of a rigorous college-prep curriculum and numerous extracurricular activities, all the while trying to maintain the social life of your typical Gen Z teenager. For Sanford and Ross, they don’t mind the hustle and bustle — in fact, they thrive on it.

Their latest activity is part of a course co-taught by 12 MAcc students, focused on helping Sanford, Ross and their classmates learn important leadership skills.

The course, Profiles in Leadership, is part of a partnership launched this fall between the Michigan Ross MAcc Program, the Sanger Leadership Center, Deloitte, and Cornerstone. It uses the Michigan Model of Leadership to teach 10th and 12th graders about leadership styles and dynamics. It kicked off this fall with a 90-minute workshop developed by the Sanger Center.

For Cassie Hoffman, MAcc ‘18, the workshop is bigger than a one-time meetup. It’s an illustration of how impactful the relationship between Ross and the City of Detroit can be.

“It’s just one more connector between us and a great way for Michigan to use the resources we have and bring them to the community and vice versa,” said Hoffman, who serves as Ross’ MAcc Philanthropy Committee Chair and assisted in facilitating the workshop. “I’m always so inspired by all the students and their ideas on leadership are just great. It’s really cool to connect in a meaningful way and work together.”

A focal point of that work together, and the remainder of the course this year, is the Hometown Heroes Project, a semester-long assignment that helps students solidify their understanding of leadership and how they can be successful. They will apply their learning and create posters that examine an inspiring, Detroit-based leader, culminating in a showcase at Michigan Ross this spring where Cornerstone students will present those heroes to the community.

In preparation for the showcase, more than 60 students have been busy exploring four types of leadership styles—explorer, builder, connector, and warrior—and participating in a breakout session to determine which styles best describe them.

“I’m an explorer,” said Sanford. “I have new ideas and like to come up with creative things and think outside of the box.”

As a member of her school’s journalism club, homecoming committee, and hospitality committee, Sanford believes the workshop helped sharpen her leadership skills.

“Figuring out the type of leader you are, whether you’re a builder or a competitor, can help you in the future,” she said. “I need to improve my skills in learning how to work with other people. I like working in groups, but only with people I know. This helped me see some things I could work on.”

Ross agreed. She serves as junior editor of the school’s newspaper and on the homecoming committee, and sees the workshop as a valuable tool.

“It’s good for people to learn about themselves and how to interact with other people,” said Ross. “I’m an explorer and a connector and I want to find ways to strengthen and build partnerships. This is a great project.”

Don’t you just love that feeling of giving a *really* good gift? The unexpectedly awesome kind of gift that they didn’t even know they wanted? Well, we’ve compiled a list of 12 Michigan Ross alums’ innovative products and services we think will make great gifts this holiday season. Several alums even offered special discounts exclusive to the Michigan community.

With these one-of-a-kind gifts at special prices, prepare to win the holidays this year while also supporting fellow Rossers!

Jump directly to a category

FOOD AND BEVERAGE |  BEAUTY AND SELF-CARE |  APPAREL AND ACCESSORIES |  TECHNOLOGY
 

Food and Beverage

Duda’s Dills

Do not doubt Grandma Duda! Her original recipe has led obsessed strangers to call the Duda family for her pickles for years. So Rob Duda, EMBA ‘15, launched Duda’s Dills in 2016.

Grandma Duda not only created the recipe, but she also crafted an entirely new kind of pickle that “combines the crunch of a new-style dill and the ‘all the way through’ flavor of an old-style dill.” Who needs a sandwich on the side — we’ll just take the jar.  

Available: Duda’s Dills are available at Argus Farm Stops and Cantoro Italian Markets.

Visit the Duda's Dills website 

Dosha Bars

​Energy bars don’t have to taste like chalk or chemicals. Instead, Dosha Bars are 100 percent organic, made with unsweetened fruit and seeds, and contain no preservatives, powders from a lab, or flavorings.

Josh Ehrenfried, MBA ‘03, crafted these bars that can also can balance your dosha, one of three "mind-body" types as defined by an ancient healing system (find your dosha via a quiz on their site). You can choose the best bar for your dosha — or just order the variety pack, because all the flavors sound scrumptious.

Available: Dosha Bars are available in some Whole Foods Stores, a growing number of health food stores across the country, online at doshabar.com, and Amazon.

Visit the Dosha Bars website 

Prayani

This “freedom from sour cream boredom” is so tasty it’s been featured on CBS and NBC. Prayani’s Indian yogurt sauces, also known as raita, add an abundance of flavor without an abundance of calories.

Harinee Sampath, MBA ‘15, even provides recipes for the sauces so you can spice up your dinners with an authentic Indian raita.  

Available: Prayani Indian Yogurt is available at grocery stories on the east side of Michigan.

Visit the Prayani website

Deliciousness

Snack lovers rejoice: deliciousness.com offers innovative snack options that are not only tasty, but healthy too. With tons of gluten-free and peanut and tree-nut free varieties, most Deliciousness snacks are safe for those with food sensitivities. There are plenty of great vegetarian and vegan options as well.

Matthew Coffer, MBA ’11, is the founding partner in Spinning Wheel Brands, the parent company of deliciousness.com.

Available: All Spinning Wheel Brands snacks, including Mozaics, CrrrunchBites, and VeggicopiaTM dips, olives, and pita chips, can be purchased at deliciousness.com, Amazon, and grocery stores across the country.

Visit deliciousness.com

Säpp Birch Water

Tap into the forest. Säpp is mineral-rich water naturally filtered by birch trees and enhanced with Chaga, a substance that grows exclusively on birch trees and helps balance your immune system.

Co-founded by John Kavchak, BBA ’09, Säpp’s four flavors are made using only organic ingredients and are low in sugar.

Available:See a list of stores available on Säpp’s website.

Special Offer for Michigan Community: Get 25% off your first Amazon order by entering promo code SAPP2017 at checkout.

Learn more via the Säpp website

Beauty and Self-Care

Sahi Cosmetics

Shelly Sahi, MBA ‘16, is a savvy scientist-turned-CEO who loves makeup and decided to create a brand that truly complements different undertones for ethnic skin tones.

Her breakthrough makeup brand, Sahi Cosmetics, has attracted more than $250,000 in funding from business competitions and funds over the past year alone, and it was recently given a glowing review by Marie Claire. Choose among lipsticks, eye shadows, foundations, bronzers, blushes, and more for your favorite makeup-obsessed friend.

Available:Place your order online at sahicosmetics.com.

Special Offer for Michigan Community: Use the code GOBLUE for 25% off until Jan. 1, 2018. Discount applies to Holiday Sets as well!

Explore Sahi Cosmetics

Fresh Monster

Every parent knows that bathtime can be a struggle, but Fresh Monster is here to get kids clean “without toxins, tears, or breaking the bank.” Products include a two-in-one shampoo and conditioner, detangler, and shampoo-and-bodywash combo.

The all-natural, non-toxic hair care for kids was founded by two moms, including Irena Todd, MBA ‘07.

Available:Fresh Monster can be purchased in a variety of stores across the country (Meijer, Whole Foods, Walmart, etc.).

Special Offer for Michigan Community:They're offering a $1 off discount on Amazon on select products through the end of December: click here.

Freshmonster.com

JoJo Drops

​JoJo Drops provides all-in-one haircare for all hair types, whether it’s frizzy, damaged, or thinning due to heat styling or aging. Even better, it’s easy to tote and easy on the environment, as each product is created with sustainable packaging material.

This magic elixir for manageable hair and a healthy scalp was recently launched by Joy Xing, MBA ‘17.

Available:Place your order online: www.jojodrops.com

Jo Jo Drops website

Apparel and Accessories

Mai-Tie

Bring the Aloha spirit to your holidays with Mai Ties— handmade bow ties that are upcycled from vintage Aloha shirts. The brainchild of Jen Anderson, MBA ‘08, you can shop for this unique, stylish, and unforgettable gift online.

Available:Order your one-of-a-kind tie online.

Special Offer for Michigan Community: Use discount code GOBLUE for 15% off.

Visit the Mai Tie website

Tall Order

Dan Friedman, BBA ‘12, and his twin Mike were known as the “Twin Towers” for their height growing up, but that nickname would take on a different meaning when they lost their father to the Sept. 11 attacks (they were only 11 years old).

The brothers, who each turned out to be nearly seven feet tall, launched TallOrder.com in September 2017 with the mission of helping men with big feet finally find socks that fit — and also helping Tuesday’s Children, an organization dedicated to assisting communities affected by terrorism and traumatic loss.

When you purchase a pair of the bright, colorful, comfortable socks, know that ten percent of the profits are going to Tuesday’s Children, making both you and your gift recipient “Fit to Stand Tall.”

Available:Select among dozens of patterns and colors in the Tall Order online store.

Special Offer for Michigan Community: Use the discount code UMRoss20 for 20% off your first order.

Explore the Tall Order website

Levy Jewelers

Levy Jewelers has been in operation for four generations — that’s 116 years of service to Savannah, Georgia, and beyond.

Lowell Kronowitz, MBA ‘92, is now in charge, so you know that when you’re purchasing from Levy, you’re also purchasing a long tradition of service and quality.

Available:Swing by the Savannah store or place your order online.

Visit the Levy Jewelers website

Technology

Craftsy

Love DIY projects? Get craftsy with craftsy.com, a clever site from John Levisay, MBA ‘97, that provides video tutorials for tons of unique projects. You can sew, cook, knit, paint, photograph, and bake to your heart’s delight.

Available:Wherever you have an internet connection.

Special Offer for Michigan Community: Get started by treating yourself to a Craftsy class for only $14.99 (a huge discount from the usual cost of $40): just pick your favorite class, add it to your cart and use coupon code ROSS at checkout.

Explore the Craftsy website

Want even more gift inspiration from Ross alums? See the 2016 Gift Guide 

In an event being held at Michigan Ross this week, the CEOs of JP Morgan Chase, AXIOS, Postmates, and TaskRabbit will come together to discuss the era of entrepreneurship and the ways technology will shape the future of work.

The event, “Smarter Faster Revolution,” is part of a series of events from the relatively new media company, AXIOS. It kicks off on Wednesday, December 13, with a lunch and career networking session with JP Morgan Chase, with the main event following in Robertson Auditorium.

Visiting Ross for the event will be:

• Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO, JP Morgan Chase
• Jim VandeHei, CEO and Co-founder, AXIOS
• Mike Allen, Executive Editor and Co-founder, AXIOS
• Bastian Lehmann, CEO, Postmates
• Stacy Brown-Philpot, CEO, TaskRabbit

RSVP For the event

The AXIOS team calls “Smarter Faster Revolution” a movement “to help spread trustworthy, shareable information.”

“Our mission is to help as many people as possible get smarter, faster on the topics that matter, so you can make better decisions,” the team says.

In a new report recently released by The Financial Times, Michigan Ross places #5 among all U.S. Business Schools.

The first-of-its-kind report for The Financial Times ranks schools based on the “quality and breadth of business schools’ postgraduate programmes.”

The report looks at a school’s strength across all of the programs FT reports on, in this case, Michigan Ross’ Full-Time MBA program, the Executive MBA program, and the Open Enrollment and Custom Executive Education enterprises. When taken together, Ross’ strength across programs landed it at #5 among US business schools.

This isn’t the only ranking Michigan Ross has performed well in this year. In fact, from Businessweek to US News and beyond, Ross improved its standing in just about every major business school ranking released by US publications this year.

“Beyond this ranking, I continue to be inspired and energized by the excellence exhibited across Michigan Ross programs,” said Scott DeRue, Edward J Frey Dean. “This new recognition of our school from the Financial Times is a testament to the hard work every member of our community exhibits.”

“We will continue to make progress in 2018. We are attracting exceptional talent. Our faculty are on the leading edge of business thinking. We are creating experiences for students that are unique in the market and transformative for their careers. And we are quickly expanding the depth and breadth of partnerships we have with companies around the globe. At Michigan Ross, our future is bright.”

Read the Financial Times Report

Other recent ranking news:

Ross MBA Jumps Nine Spots In Worldwide Ranking from The Economist

Ross BBA Program Moves Up To #3 In Us News & World Report

Eleven Ross Programs and Specialties Ranked in Top 10 By US News & World Report

U-M Ranks in Top Ten in US News for Business and Economics

U-M Entrepreneurship Offerings Ranked in Top Five Nationally

Earlier this fall, Michigan Ross released its 2017 MBA and BBA Employment Reports, showcasing that 97 percent of the graduating MBA class had a job offer within six months of graduation.

A new analysis of the report from Poets & Quants shows that Ross MBA grads from the class of 2017 also earned all-time high median salaries, again.
 

ALL-TIME HIGH SALARIES AND BONUSES

Ross MBAs from the class of 2017 earned a median salary of $123,000, up from the $120,000 median salary earned by the previous year’s graduates.

The value of bonuses also increased. Graduates with job offers reported median other guaranteed compensation of $20,000, a 25 percent increase from the previous year.

Heather Byrne, managing director of the Career Development Office, talked to Poets & Quants about the strong showing from the 2017 graduating class.

“We are happy to see them build on the success of the prior year,” Byrne said. “We hit an all-time high for salary and bonus this year and an all-time high for students going into the tech industry, 23.6 percent this year versus 20.4 percent last year.”
 

MORE GRADS GET JOBS IN TECH

Indeed, consulting and technology careers were again among the top fields for MBA graduates, with more than 50 percent of the class accepting offers in those two industries. Additionally, more than 70 percent of MBA graduates accepted jobs on the East Coast, West Coast, or in Chicago, with almost one-third of the class accepting jobs on the West Coast.
 

TOP HIRING COMPANIES

And those jobs are at companies where students want to work. For our full-time MBAs, the top employers were some of the biggest, most desirable companies in the world.

In total, more than 90 companies hired Ross graduates from the class of 2017.

Read the Poets & Quants story

Explore the 2017 Employment Reports

Katie Boehm Rooney’s decision to change majors from medicine to business turned out to be a good one.

Since graduating from Michigan Ross with her BBA and concentration in finance in 2000, Rooney has enjoyed a remarkable career. She ascended the ranks at Morgan Stanley and then Aon Hewitt, becoming CFO; she’s now CFO of Alight Solutions, an Aon Hewitt spinoff purchased by Blackstone Group for $4.8 billion in May that has 22,000 employees.

Her astronomical rise has led her to a spot on the Crain’s Chicago “40 Under 40” list this year. Crain’s details the roles she played in Aon’s $4.9 billion acquisition of Hewitt Associates and creating Aon Hewitt’s strategic roadmap.

Congratulations on amazing year and career, Katie! Go Blue!

Earlier this month, Fortune released its third annual “Best Workplaces for Diversity” list. Of the 100 companies ranked, 20 are Ross partners — firms that recruit BBA and MBA students for full-time employment and/or internships. Comcast NBCUniversal ranked No. 1 overall, followed by Salesforce at No. 4, and Capital One Financial rounding out the top 10.

The list was based on the survey questions of more than 440,000 employees who identified as a racial/ethnic minority, woman, disabled, LGBTQ+ or having been born in 1964 or earlier. The list also included rankings based on racial and gender diversity.

Finance and banking are making strides in gender equality. At Fidelity Financial, 71 percent of employees are women and at Workday nearly 60 percent of all company executives are women. More than half of the workforce at Capital One and Bank of America are women as well. In terms of racial diversity, 51 percent of Accenture and 50 percent of FedEx employees are minorities, while Bank of America and American Express tied at 44 percent.

As an increasing number of organizations advocate for more diverse and inclusive workplaces, they are recruiting candidates who understand and support the value of diversity. In turn, students and graduates are seeking companies that embrace diversity and Michigan Ross is no different. Programs like Identity and Diversity in Organizations and MAP offer students the opportunity to experience working with individuals from all backgrounds across the globe.

See the Ross partners on the list:

Read the complete 100 Best Workplaces for Diversity list in Fortune