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Executive MBA's Growth Guidance Plan moves forward in Youngsville

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Patricia Lanier, associate professor of management at the University of Louisiana B.I. Moody III College of Business, with the help of an Executive Master of Business Administration program class recently aided the town of Youngsville and Mayor Ken Ritter with a survey about public safety, code enforcement, infrastructure and other city services. We asked her about her efforts and those of her students.

Question: How did this effort come about? Are you and new Youngsville Mayor Ken Ritter joining efforts for a Youngsville survey?

Answer: Summer Marler, a former MBA student and current Business Alumni Association president, provided the initial introduction to Ken. This past summer, executive MBA marketing professor Dr. Geoffrey Stewart and I met with Ken (then a council member) and former Mayor Wilson Viator. We agreed at the time that a survey of the residents would be an integral component of a growth plan for the city. Their opinions, ideas and suggestions were very helpful in developing our suggestions for the direction of Youngsville.

Q: What was the involvement level of the students? In what ways was the survey work pertinent to their roles as business students?

A: The students were responsible for interpreting the data from the survey and then developing a growth guidance plan for the city. This included developing a mission statement and marketing slogan as well as providing guidelines for the next steps for the mayor and council. These types of projects within the capstone course provide a wonderful opportunity for students to apply all they've learned through the rest of their executive MBA program. This project required knowledge of economics, statistics, marketing and strategic management.

Q: Tell us about the survey results. What struck you as important and were there any surprises?

A: The first thing that impressed me about the survey was the large number of responses. This shows that the citizens of Youngsville are passionate about and invested in the future of their city. There were no real surprises in the results. After our follow up meetings with the business owners, we expected to hear some of the same concerns from the residents regarding infrastructure issues such as roads. Additionally, residents overwhelmingly told us that they moved to Youngsville for the lifestyle including safety and schools plus the small town feel.

Q: Mayor Ritter wanted to develop a plan for Youngsville based on this survey. Is that complete? Have you seen it and can you see within the plan the work that you and your students put into this effort?

A: The survey is just one component that will go into developing a plan for Youngsville. What we provided to the leadership of the city is a Growth Guidance Plan. They can use what we provided as a path to take them through the next steps of a final strategic plan.

Q: What did you take from this experience and how might you seek to do other projects with your business classes?

A: I am extremely satisfied with the product that the Executive MBA students developed in such a short time period. They did a fantastic job utilizing their own skills and expertise to provide Mayor Ritter and the council with a well-conceived Growth Guidance Plan. Based on my past experiences with these types of projects, I will continue to utilize them in my courses. They truly provide a win-win situation for both students and the organizations with which we work.

 

From The Daily Advertiser, February 21st, 2015

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