{"id":22441,"date":"2022-07-07T15:19:25","date_gmt":"2022-07-07T15:19:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/?p=22441"},"modified":"2023-09-13T15:51:30","modified_gmt":"2023-09-13T22:51:30","slug":"business-betters-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2022\/07\/07\/business-betters-community","title":{"rendered":"Business betters community"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Dr. Stephen Jones, assistant professor in the School of Business<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Stephen Jones, assistant professor in the University of Washington Bothell\u2019s School of Business<\/a>, is committed to investing in the broader community. One of the way he supports the University\u2019s goal to engage with the community is through Strategic Management, a course that gives students the opportunity to act as consultants for local businesses, organizations and nonprofits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis work fulfills UW’\u2019s mission as a public university \u2014 to disseminate knowledge and strengthen the communities around us,\u201d Jones said. \u201cAlso, I believe in our values of diversity and collaboration, and community-engaged projects help the School of Business collaborate with diverse businesses and not-for-profit organizations. They build us, and we strengthen them.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For 2022 alumna Patricia Rojas Phung, this class was the highlight of the Master of Business Administration program<\/a>. \u201cI learned so much in just one quarter. This class brought together all of the skills I had gained in the master\u2019s program, from finance and marketing to accounting and leadership,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd, I got to use these skills to help a health care business better serve the public.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Merging passions <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Phung worked with PatCen Healthcare, a healthcare technology company that brings premium, high quality and affordable patient-centric solutions to the provider community worldwide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mission of the company resonated with Phung, who for many years, planned to pursue a career in medicine. \u201cSince I was young, I have wanted to help people,\u201d she said, \u201cand health care is something that I have become increasingly passionate about.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new developments in technology during the pandemic, such as telehealth \u2014 the distribution of health-related services and information through electronic technologies \u2014 inspired Phung who shares equal passion for the information technology field. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want to contribute to the use of technology to break down barriers that prevent others from accessing health care,\u201d she said. \u201cWorking with PatCen Healthcare, I felt I was able to do that.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting together a plan <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

PatCen enlisted the students\u2019 help to resolve a supply-chain issue and find three possible suppliers in North American that fit the company\u2019s requirements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phung and her team were given six weeks to complete the project. One of Phung\u2019s teammates, Adam Erickson, had just taken a project management class and knew that dividing the group into sub teams would help them meet the deadline. \u201cOne team worked on creating a supplier list, another team worked on crafting the email template, and the third team looked for vendors,\u201d she explained. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reached out to 41 vendors and heard back from about 30 percent of them. In the end, we reviewed four quotes, one of which one was right on target. By the time we finished the project, we had another four pending quotes.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sujit Kumar, co-founder and CEO of PatCen Healthcare said, \u201cThe team came together very quickly and formulated the problem, structured set of solutions and gave us actionable recommendations that we will implement. Overall, a very high quality initiative that will significantly benefit PatCen for many years to come.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And while the students\u2019 impact was significant, so were their challenges. \u201cOne of our team members had a baby, two of our team members had COVID-19, and two others had to fly out of the country for work,\u201d Phung said. \u201cNonetheless, we covered for each other and made sure we all stayed up to date. It was a true collaboration.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teams triumph, business booms <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"MBA
MBA students with the community partners<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Three other student teams from the same class also partnered with local organizations, including the Economic Alliance of Snohomish County, Ironwood Manufacturing and DevMatch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

DevMatch, a membership site where entrepreneurs and developers can meet, was co-founded by Alan Gonzalez, another UW Bothell alumnus from the School of Business. He solicited the students\u2019 help to create strategic perspectives and tactical plans that he could execute immediately to grow his company. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe broad range of reflections, angles and suggestions demonstrated the diversity and wide experiences of the students,\u201d Gonzalez said. \u201cWith minimal intervention, the groups took the DevMatch vision and explored competition, ran customer interviews, prepared financial plans and ultimately made compelling recommendations.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A student of this class when he was at UW Bothell, Gonzalez said it felt like coming full circle. \u201cJust two years ago I was presenting to a startup and now I am on the receiving end,\u201d he said. \u201cI recall how hard my team worked to deliver a thoughtful strategy recommendation. Now, I reflect on how fortunate our company is to have the brainpower and perspectives of these professionals.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supporting business and communities <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Executives with the EASC and Ironwood Manufacturing agree with Allen\u2019s sentiment. \u201cWorking on this project together was fun, enlightening and impressive,\u201d said Trey Clasen, owner of Ironwood. \u201cWe are currently implementing four of the solutions the students provided and are investigating many more.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ironwood came into the project seeking advice on how to grow its business. Based on interviews with builders, designers and architects from the residential market, the students recommended Ironwood appeal to homeowners to sell its products in the residential market. \u201cThe best way to do this is through a strong social media campaign,\u201d said Elaine Doyle, student in the MBA program. \u201cWe recommended sponsoring posts on Instagram and Facebook, geofencing to affluent areas, utilizing popular hashtags and taking advantage of augmented reality applications.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The students who worked with the EASC came up with a similar marketing plan to promote SnoCo Creative Haven, a new program that \u201cprovides entrepreneurs, BIPOC, LGBTQIA and small business owners with the support they need to launch or expand their businesses.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"tbd
Rob Hayes, MBA student presenting his work on the EASC Creative Havens project<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The students suggested a marketing plan that focuses on generating awareness through various channels including flyers, websites, search engines, social media and events. \u201cIt\u2019s important that the messaging stays consistent across all channels,\u201d said RT Akins, student in the MBA program. \u201cThe positioning and messaging should always aim to highlight the experience that Creative Haven customers should expect, as well as the overall value that the organization is providing through its services.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Innovative ideas and work ethic <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Garry Clark, president and CEO of the EASC, said, \u201cThe engagement with the UW Bothell students was amazing. Not only did they provide a thorough assessment of the small business needs in Snohomish County, but they also looked at ways in which we could improve engagement, support and awareness.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jones said he is extremely proud of all his students accomplished and the impact they made on the community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s such a privilege to work with students and guide them through this process,\u201d he said. \u201cBeing in that mentor role rather than educator role allows me to work more closely with them and I am continually impressed by their innovative ideas and work ethic. As always, it was a privilege.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Graduate students in Dr. Stephen Jones’ class invest in the community, acting as consultants to local businesses, organizations and nonprofits. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_is_archived":false,"_archived_contact_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[202,197,204],"tags":[],"school":[417],"class_list":["post-22441","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-campus-news","category-news-releases","category-students","school-school-of-business"],"acf":{"related_links":{"toggle_visibility":false,"link_1":"","link_2":"","link_3":"","link_4":"","link_5":""},"highlight_box":{"toggle_visibility":false,"title":"","content":"","button":"","button_style":"angled-purple-button","button_screen_reader_text":""},"contact_type_1":{"toggle_visibility":true,"contact_title":"Contact Us","email":"test@uwb.edu","phone":"(206) 999-1234","box":"Box 358500","address_line_1":"18115 Campus Way NE","address_line_2":"Bothell, WA 98011-8246","location":""},"contact_type_2":{"toggle_visibility":false,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"social_media":{"toggle_visibility":false,"facebook_url":"","instagram_url":"","linkedin_url":"","twitter_url":"","youtube_url":""},"blog_archive_sidebar_visibility":false},"yoast_head":"\nBusiness betters community - 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