11CONTINUING EDUCATION & TRAININGToledo Business Journal December 2006

Established in February 2005, theUniversity of Toledo (UT) Executive Centerfor Global Competitiveness (ECGC) iscurrently involved with 42 differentorganizations on diverse partnership projects.Businesses such as The Andersons, SSOE, andOwens Illinois (O-I) have worked with theCenter.

Carrie Herr, director of the Centerexplained, “We don’t have a prescribedcurriculum or program. We developrelationships with businesses and organizationsin the community and beyond northwest Ohio.We want to connect those organizations withthe resources and services of the College ofBusiness Administration and/or The Universityof Toledo, however relevant or necessary,depending on the organization’s uniquecompetitive challenges and operating issues.My job is to develop those relationships byunderstanding their business strategies and

UT ECGC assists organizations and businessesby Mary M. Cox creating opportunities for appropriate

partnerships.”Herr added, “If an organization has a

competitive issue or initiative that requiresattention, be it attaining or educating their talentthrough executive and leadership education, aresearch project, an analysis that must be done,or the need for a customized on-site MBAprogram, the Center strives to provide thatservice through the College of Business. Wewant our relationship with these organizationsto be ongoing, lifetime partnerships, versusworking together on a one-time project. Forexample, executive leadership education canbe provided, but in addition to providing thator another service, we want to touch base withthe organization three to four times over eachyear to understand their strategic objectives andgoals as well as how current challenges mayimpede their performance and success.”

The ECGC contact person within a(continued on page 12)

12 CONTINUING EDUCATION & TRAINING Toledo Business JournalDecember 2006

company covers a spectrum of possibilities.“Sometimes we are called by a CEO, thedirector of operations or human resources, acontact from the quality area or someone whodeals with lean manufacturing,” Herr stated.“If we cannot provide the help or solutionneeded, we strive to serve as the connectionbetween the organization and the source thatcan provide what is needed. We want to be aparticipant in raising the bar on how businessis conducted in northwest Ohio. It is ourobligation and responsibility to be a goodcommunity business partner in that process so

we can be an integral part of positive changein the economic conditions of northwest Ohio.”

Herr cited examples of projects involvingthe Center, including: executive leadership anddevelopment education; research projects;seating of corporate assistantships or internswithin organizations; and customized MBAcurriculums provided on-site. “At NorthstarSteel we have customized our MBA programto meet their specific organizational needs,”she explained. “At Campbell’s Soup inNapoleon, we’ve provided training in SixSigma Green Belt Certifications and LeanManufacturing for a couple of years. We’removing into phase two at Campbell’s becausethey have seen a positive impact on theirproductivity. At SSOE, we continue to lead anumber of executive leadership and

Continued from page 11

UT ECGC

development projects. A very effectiveleadership session includes presentations basedon the book, Getting Results [by Drs. ClintonLongenecker and Jack Simonetti, College ofBusiness Faculty Members].”

This leadership training is based on five“absolutes” within the book, which arebenchmark / best practices common among200-300 highly successful managersthroughout the country. The absolutes, pulledfrom that spectrum of expertise, help showprogram attendees how to get better results asleaders in their organization.

“Initially, we train the top tier level of theorganization,” Herr stated. “At the next level,participants identify five of the most pressingbusiness problems, and over the course of

several months they solve those problems witha little coaching – maybe once or twice amonth. Participants then give presentationsbased on what they have learned.” Ultimately,she added, the bottom line is, “How can thesetypes of business partnership projects, or anyother type of intervention from the College ofBusiness, help to positively impact anorganization’s bottom line, educate theirleadership, retain or improve their talent, orimprove productivity and performance?”

She added, “It is also our responsibilityto hold various forums. Not just working withindividual businesses but bringing a group ofindustry clusters together that may be able toadvise each other with distinct but similarproblems. As a community, they work togetherand solve these problems.”

According to Herr, the Center also has aresource in the College’s Edward H. SchmidtSchool of Professional Sales. It continues togrow as more people become aware of whatthe program offers – degrees in sales and aprofessional sales curriculum that can beoffered to businesses and organizations. Whilethe focus of ECGC is to be one-on-one withbusiness in the community, it also offers acouple of public programs that focus onbusiness areas and are market-driven in nature.One program is the project management series,which is certified with the Project ManagementInstitute.

“The model for how we do business haschanged dramatically,” Herr stated. “The speedand the breadth of what we are now dealingwith, in terms of how our global market canchange, is a big challenge for businesses. Atthe same time, academia has changed in manyways too, but we have become communitypartners in dealing with these challenges,allowing us to learn from each other. Our dean,Dr. Thomas Gutteridge, has a passionatemission. That is to become the business schoolof choice. The way to do that is to formrelationships throughout the businesscommunity and learn how to best meet theneeds of that community.”

Prior to joining the UT College ofBusiness, Gutteridge was the dean and aprofessor at the University of Connecticutwhere he oversaw a center similar to theECGC. At the time Gutteridge came to UT,Herr was director of the Division of ContinuingEducation. She was frequently working one-on-one with area businesses in that role.According to Herr, Gutteridge appreciated thedynamic and wanted to expand the programto what it has become in the form of the Center.

SSOE, Inc. leadership session instructors, Dr. Clint Longenecker (left) and Dr. Jack Simonetti (right)

Graduates at Campbell’s Soup in Napoleon with Dean Thomas Gutteridge (center, front)

(continued on page 13)

THE EXECUTIVE REVIEW

The Wall Street Journal declared, “A company’s sales force is its life-blood” in April 2006, but that’s old

news to The University of Toledo College of Business Administration.

Its Edward Schmidt School of Professional Sales was founded in 2000 to support and develop sales professionals. Today, there are nearly 200 undergraduate majors, a developing MBA concentration, and sev-eral conferences, summits and networking events.

“We are on the cutting edge of sales tech-nology in the country,” said Dr. Richard Buehrer, professor and director of the school. “We are one of a few schools in the country to offer an undergraduate program dedicated to sales, integrating ACT! sales force automation technology and hands-on role-playing exercises.”

And companies are taking notice. More than 60 recruiters came to the most recent networking event to in-terview more than 150 sales students. “These are students who love to sell,” said Buehrer. “They’re driven, and they’re anxious to talk to compa-nies.”

He also highlighted the MBA concen-tration in sales, which will be offered beginning fall semester 2007. The sequence will include three courses that focus on sales, account and cus-tomer relationship management.

“There is a strong demand right now for sales management. Many sales managers are retiring, and there is a need to prepare sales professionals to move into sales leadership positions in

For more information on recruiting sales students, contactBuehrer at 419.530.4604. To learn more about the MBA concentration in sales, contact the UT MBA Program at 419.530.2775

Business Briefs for Senior Executives and Rising Stars

An Easy Sell: UT Edward Schmidt School of Professional Sales Gives Companies, Careers the Edge

the few schools in the country to offer a sales component to an MBA.”

13CONTINUING EDUCATION & TRAININGToledo Business Journal December 2006

A new degree program in Bowling GreenState University’s (BGSU) College ofTechnology is addressing the country’s shortageof skilled labor in the manufacturing, processing,and construction industries, according to theuniversity. As a recent Los Angeles Times articlestated, “Manufacturing, long known for plantclosings and layoffs, is now clamoring forworkers to fill high-paying, skilled jobs.”

Electro-mechanical Systems Technology(EMST), or mechatronics, provides BGSUstudents with mathematics, computer, andmechanical abilities to deal with productioncontrol, electrical and mechanical powersystems, and manufacturing processes.

Broader-based than robotics, the newprogram is designed to develop graduates ableto meet the demands of modern, integratedelectro-mechanical systems, according to theuniversity. These demands frequently requiredealing with complex systems, often beyond anysingle technological discipline, stated programdirectors, Dr. Sri Kolla, a professor of electronicsand computer technology, and Dr. SudershanJetley, an associate professor of manufacturingtechnology.

“Over the last 10 to 15 years, industry hasbecome much more integrated in all areas,”Jetley stated. “US industry increasingly uses theJapanese concept of teaming. Engineers arerequired to interact with workers in other areasof the company. People with this training willbe needed in virtually all aspects ofmanufacturing. This has become even moreimportant with globalization, when the designoffice is here and production is 3,000 miles away.You need people who can communicate andunderstand all facets of the process.”

In addition to gaining a strong foundationin physics, math, and communication, studentsget work experience through co-op requirementsand obtain an understanding of electro-mechanical systems used in the manufacturingand processing industry. The academic programis modeled to meet National Association ofIndustrial Technology accreditationrequirements.

Graduates will work in installing,maintaining, and troubleshooting productionsystems involving mechanical, electronic, andelectrical controls and machinery. They willwork mainly on the shop floor, besidemechanical, manufacturing, and electricalengineers.

At Findlay-based Marathon PetroleumLLC, where BGSU has a number of College ofTechnology co-op students each semester,gasoline is loaded into trucks at large terminalsthrough an automated process. DouglasHerrmann, manager of electronics services, saidit would be advantageous in his field to have theskills provided by the EMST degree.

“We need people with a broad mix ofskills,” he stated. “They have to be able to dodisassembly to make electronics repairs and towork with the minicomputer microprocessorsand pass data over the network. And there willbe more and more of a need for those skills inthe future, since industry is becoming moreautomated and robotized.”

EMST majors also are prepared to becomesupervisors and managers within a couple yearsof beginning work. “All our technologygraduates have a fair amount of management

BGSU mechatronics programprepares industrial specialists

training,” Jetley stated. “They know the technicalside and they also have the managementknowledge. They have a much greateropportunity to rise in the organization.”

That is, in part, what drew AnthonyBrugnone, a sophomore from Oak Harbor, toenroll in the program. An electronic technicianwith Modine Manufacturing in Pemberville, heis working in the engineering area and explainedthat the company requires its employees to havea bachelor’s degree to advance in theorganization. Additionally, “learning more aboutthe mechanical area is rounding out my skillsand makes me more marketable,” he stated. “Fora company, if you can utilize one person in allthree areas instead of someone for electrical,another for mechanical, and so on, it is muchmore efficient.”

According to the L.A. Times article, “Whilemillions of manufacturing jobs have beenoutsourced or automated out of existence duringthe past decade, many of the remaining jobsrequire higher skills and pay well – $50,000 to$80,000 a year for workers with the necessarymath, computer, and mechanical skills.”

“A number of schools, including BGSUFirelands, offer a two-year degree, but few havefour-year programs such as Bowling Green’s,”Jetley added. “The two-year programs lack thebasic sciences and higher math of the four-yeardegree, as well as the liberal arts component.”

Continued from page 12Herr spent approximately 10 years in

manufacturing at Owens-Illinois. “Comingfrom a business and industry backgroundwas very helpful to me in understanding thetypes of goals many of these companieshave,” she stated. “Bringing industry andeducation camps together in a mutuallybeneficial situation is a very natural, wisecourse of action for both entities to pursue.My contacts in manufacturing from my

UT ECGC years in that environment are now spreadover many levels, and that is very helpfulinsight.”

The College of Business faculty, staffand adjunct faculty also bring expertise tothe Center’s resources, Herr stated. “DeanGutteridge and I had similar philosophiesin how the College of Business and otherColleges within UT as appropriate, couldwork with and provide assistance to thelocal business community. It is a hugeoutreach and engagement endeavor, buthopefully, one that will stand the test of timeand positively influence economicconditions in northwest Ohio.”

Dean Thomas Gutteridge and Instructor Clint Longenecker meeting session participants at SSOE, Inc.