Members of the graduating class of Elon Business Fellows were presented with medallions in a ceremony in front of faculty, staff, family and friends.
The Martha and Spencer Love School of Business recognized the Business Fellows Class of 2018 in a medallion ceremony held May 18 in the LaRose Digital Theatre.
After a welcome by Tina Das, Lincoln Financial Professor of Economics and Business Fellows program director, Sarah DeVries ’18 gave an overview of the fellows’ four years in the program. Highlights included cohort classes, the global engagement experience to the United Arab Emirates, and traveling to San Francisco to visit innovative companies, such as Google and Airbnb.
Seniors Kailen Zorzi, Austin Martin, Drew Johnson and Michael Guadagnino presented summaries of the fellows’ senior capstone projects. The class was split into two groups – portfolio management and business consulting.
The portfolio management group inherited a $250,000 portion of the university’s endowment and grew it to around $300,000 under the mentorship of Associate Professor Raj Gupta. The portfolio outperformed the S&P 500 by more than eight percent. During the capstone, fellows learned and applied lessons, such as preliminary screens for stocks, company analysis tools and stock valuation methods. Key takeaways included making convincing stock pitches and the discipline needed for effective active investment management.
The business consulting group, under the mentorship of Assistant Professor Tim Norvell, worked with three local organizations on projects involving new branding strategies, consumer surveys, strategic measurement tools, social media management, and sales management. For the City of Graham, the fellows designed branding messages and positioning statements for the City that blend the identity of the community while also presenting its future growth. To help the Burlington Downtown Corporation, the fellows developed sales tracking tools to better aid the organization in driving business to downtown. The fellows also presented clothing store All That Jas with recommendations for improving sales and internal processes, as well as new marketing strategies.
Professor of Management Bill Burpitt presented medallions to the fellows, and Dean Raghu Tadepalli shared his advice for the class.
As the fellows start the next phase of their education in the “University of Life,” Tadepalli reminded the fellows they have skills beyond the degree to handle life’s uncertainty and ambiguity. “The key is not to make work and the work place the center piece of your life,” he said.
And when faced with disappointment, Tadepalli advised, “Pick yourself up with the help of your family and friends and know that thrills and chills are part of life. Much has been given to you ‘til now, but in the University of Life, you have to earn everything yourself.”
He closed his remarks charging the fellows to, “Make us proud, but more importantly, make yourself and your loved ones proud.”
Lauren Ray ’18 and Karl-Luis Neubig ’18 concluded the ceremony by thanking their cohort, Love School of Business faculty, and fellows’ families for their support.
Business Fellows Class of 2018
Michael Bernetti
Fulton, Maryland
Finance & Statistic (Actuarial Science)
Data Scientist Consultant, Booz Allen Hamilton
Brett Cashmer
Plumstead, Pennsylvania
Marketing & Management (Business Analytics)
Sales, Prometheus Group
Erica Charles
Vail, Colorado
Marketing
Executive Development Program, Neiman Marcus
Sarah DeVries
Voorhees, New Jersey
Finance
Corporate Analyst, JPMorgan & Chase
Andrew Fisch
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Marketing & Management (Project Management)
Championship Sales Representative, Atlantic Coast Conference
Mike Guadagnino
Oakland, New Jersey
Finance & Accounting
Commercial Banking Associate, Citizens Bank
Rebecca Herring
Dallas, Texas
Accounting, Finance & Spanish
FSO Assurance Staff, Ernst & Young
Austin Hooper
Winston Salem, North Carolina
Accounting
Assurance Associate, Smith Leonard
Matthew Jegier
Charlotte, North Carolina
Finance & Management (Business Analytics)
Business Consultant in the Business Advisory Program for Financial Services Organizations, Ernst & Young
Drew Johnson
Hopkinton, Massachusetts
Finance
Client Solutions Associate, FactSet
Jeremy Keyes
Cary, North Carolina
Marketing Major
John ‘Wil’ King
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Finance & Accounting
Asset Management Group Associate, PNC Bank
Alexandra Lang
Easton, Massachusetts
Accounting
Assurance Associate, PricewaterhouseCoopers
Kristen Lober
San Francisco, California
Accounting & Finance
Audit Associate, KPMG; Charlotte, NC
Aidan Loftus
Hollis, New Hampshire
Management (Project Management)
Sales Development, Turbonomic
Austin Martin
Maitland, Florida
International Economics
George Washington Law School
Karl-Luis F. Neubig
Wayne, Pennsylvania
International Business & Finance
M.S. in Management of Innovation, Rotterdam School of Management
Margo Pierson
Bedford, New Hampshire
Marketing & Management (Business Analytics)
Digital Insights Analyst, Golin
Kelly Porter
Westwood, Massachusetts
Accounting & Finance
Assurance Associate, PricewaterhouseCoopers
Lauren Ray
Clarendon Hills, Illinois
Finance
Dispute Consulting Analyst, Stout Advisory
Steven Skinner
Buffalo, New York
Finance & Accounting
Leadership Program, Ipreo
Matt Snow
Hudson, Massachusetts
Finance & Entrepreneurship
Kailen Zorzi
Raleigh, North Carolina
Accounting
Audit Associate, RSM