BBA NEWS
UNDERGRADUATES TAKE THIRD IN NATIONAL CASE COMPETITION Four undergraduate students enrolled in the supply chain management specialization placed third among 14 teams in the second annual National Undergraduate Supply Chain Case Competition hosted by the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota in April. Team members included Saskia Burmeister (BBA ‘14), Justin Jaeger (BBA ‘15), Kevin Pickett (BBA ‘14), and Hannah Wikum (BBA ‘16). The team analyzed a live case for 3M: “Supply Chain Solutions for a Growing Asia-Pacific Market in Reflective Materials.” The team created a comprehensive recommendation for how 3M should design and implement a supply chain network to serve this growing market which addressed multiple aspects of supply chain including sourcing, logistics, demand management, capacity, and customer service. The team was awarded a cash prize of $1,000 and finished in third place behind teams from the Carlson School of Management (first place) and the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University (second place).
Center Director Verda Blythe (far left) with team members (from left to right): Kevin Pickett, Saskia Burmeister, Hannah Wikum, and Justin Jaeger.
BBA IN FOCUS: THE BEE’S KNEES Core to the mission of the Grainger Center is providing students with a solid understanding of supply chain management fundamentals so they may confidently approach real-world problems and help generate effective solutions. Sophomore Zach Munns is doing just that. Using the knowledge and skills acquired through the specialization in supply chain management curriculum, Zach is working with his team at Connected Catalyst to help a number of Wisconsin- and Illinoisbased companies, including a recent project with Milwaukee-based startup, Beepods.com. By using the ancient top bar hive, Beepods is sustainably nurturing the dying bee population and revolutionizing the beekeeping industry.
Charlie Koenen, the founder of Beepods.com, LLC, enlisted the Connected Catalyst team to help grow the business from the ground up in exchange for equity in the company. Enter Zach. He began his role within Beepods.com as the chief operating officer, managing all operations including inventory management, supply chain management, manufacturing outsourcing, financial forecasting, and production planning, in addition to implementing effective cost reduction strategies. Since beginning with the company, Zach has successfully compiled a financial package containing forecasts, budgets, narratives, executive summaries, and investor decks to pitch to private equity investors in order to obtain the funding needed to expand current operations. In addition to preparing the financial package, Zach has also assembled the framework of Beepods.com’s supply chain and the internal inventory management system.
In developing the value chain for Beepods.com, Zach reached out to a network of Wisconsin-based manufacturing firms specializing in unique wood products. He then conducted comparative analyses to evaluate quotes, contracts, capacities, and values of each potential supplier. Finally, Zach worked with each potential manufacturer to discuss and whiteboard sourcing strategies in order to most effectively reduce costs while still maintaining the sustainable and local supply of the materials used to fabricate the beepods. Zach hopes to use his education and knowledge to provide Beepods.com with the opportunity to become sustainably successful through the implementation of an effective and efficient supply chain and inventory management system. In the coming years, Zach and his team of inspired and motivated entrepreneurs are looking to help companies achieve lasting success through hard work and continuous improvement.
SUPPLY CHAIN UPDATE | SPRING 2014
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