Touchdown! ECLP Hosts USC and ND Competition

** Reposted with permission

Fifteen first-year business students from the Universities of Notre Dame and Southern California recently competed in the first-ever case competition at the Mendoza College of Business.

Mark Pienkos, assistant vice president of Originations of General Electric (GE) Corporate Retail, a 2007 Notre Dame MBA graduate who helped organize the event, said the idea for the competition was not a new one, but that it was the first time that the event took place on Notre Dame’s campus.

The competition took place on the same day as a football game between the two schools.  The timing of the daylong competition was not coincidental.  “A competitive bond is a good thing especially when it’s productive,” said Pienkos.

The competition was sponsored by GE’s Experienced Commercial Leadership Program and aimed at determining the best market strategy for its Smart Technology Grid platform.  The Experienced Commercial Leadership Program is a global two-year post MBA leadership development program in which participants spend time in three 8-month rotations in different business fields. Additionally the program includes one month classroom training.

The competitors were given a case relevant to GE and each of the three 5-person teams from each university deliberated the problem during the morning and presented their solution to a panel of five judges in the afternoon.

The competition’s case, written by GE Market Programming Manager Bernard Lecours, dealt with Smart Grid Technology aimed to “reduce energy, lower cost and increase reliability and transparency,” Pienkos said.  “This is a great opportunity,” he said. “It can benefit people by reducing cost and saving energy.”

The University of Southern California won, but the experience went beyond the competition. Since several GE professionals and recruiters were present at the competition, it was also a valuable networking opportunity for participants. “From a recruiting standpoint, this is a great opportunity for us to see the best and the brightest competing,” Pienkos said.

The judges included Notre Dame professor of strategy and entrepreneurship Jim Davis, GE Global Manager of Sales in Transmission and Distribution Mark Hura, GE Product Marketer Steve Richards, GE Executive Director for Global Marketing Steve Liguori and Berry Wiard of American Electric Power (AEP) in South Bend. GE is currently running a pilot program in South Bend with AEP.

“The teams developed crystal clear, highly-specific, well-integrated frameworks that each demanded a deep dive to more fully understand their implications and the benefits they may have on the bottom line as well as on the service the customer experiences,” remarked Wiard and Hura.

“It was very insightful…awesome,” said Richards.  Liguori agreed. “I was blown away by the caliber of the students and their expertise on the subject matter.”

The USC students had a great experience, despite the “cold” weather, reported Heidi Swymer, ECLP member who ran the event. “They mentioned how wonderful it was to not only have the opportunity to participate in a new tradition between the two schools, but how much they appreciated the chance to collaborate with their peers in order to research and present a solution to a problem presently faced by one of the world’s greatest companies.”

Students from both campuses felt it was a testament to the greatness of their respective universities that GE would send its leaders to an event that enhanced the relationships with the business world in a way that adds fuel to their university’s traditions. Moreover, the competition has the potential to impact the business and market it serves as well as the educational experience of the students participating in the event.

“As a result of all of this, I am convinced that this competition has the potential to write a new academic chapter in the history of tradition between these two collegial rivals and further enhance GE’s relationship with USC,” said Swymer.

Posted by Mike T

[Images Copyright 2009 Jose Maria Guillen Sada, used with permission]