A long distance partnership – Evan, Jordan and the MBA consulting firms

March 13, 2013 Evan Bannerman 1 Comment

Jordan Hirtle (left) was born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He grew up in Cole Harbour not far away, playing sports and enjoying science in school. As do many Nova Scotians, Jordan decided to attend Dalhousie after high school. He earned a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Biochemistry and Chemistry. Jordan’s hobbies include playing sports, going to the gym and spending time with his dog.

Evan Bannerman is originally from Toronto, but moved to Halifax for his undergrad in Business Management at Dal, majoring in Entrepreneurship. After graduation, he worked for CIBC as an FSR for almost a year before entering the Corporate Residency MBA program. In his spare time Evan plays guitar, and brews beer and wine.

Intro to Dalhousie’s MBA Consulting Firms

Imagine a chance to run your own consulting business while simultaneously doing your MBA. That is exactly what many Dalhousie MBA students have been doing for decades, to gain experience, add to their résumé and, yes, even make some money along the way. There are three main consulting firms: Wakeside Consulting Group (established in 2006), Coburg Consultants (1981) and Atlantic Business Consultants (1967). Each company is incorporated under the Nova Scotia Business Incorporated Act, and has been passed down to new MBA students through sale of stock when the owners graduate. Along with the name and history, students purchasing one of the three firms also gain an office in the Rowe Building, along with whatever treasures have been left there over the years by previous owners. Students compete for different university contracts and seek business outside the university; there is no limit to what you are able to do.

Enter the Program, July 2012

Jordan: Evan and I met in July on the first day at King’s-Edgehill where orientation for the class of 2014 took place. We instantly became friends as we discussed personal experiences, and realized that we shared a lot of the same interests and goals. We found from the start that the students in our cohort were great people, both personally and professionally. It really allows you to feel comfortable and instantly learn from your peers’ experiences and unique skill sets.

Evan: That weekend was fun; a lot of great stories came out of orientation, but that was just the beginning. During the summer we started our first courses, and the class of 2014 really got to know each other. It was August when we first heard that an MBA consulting firm was up for sale, and our class was invited to make proposals in groups if we were interested. Since Jordan and I were on the same wavelength with everything else, it seemed a natural fit to go into business together. We wrote up a proposal, were interviewed and eventually chosen to succeed as the new owners of Atlantic Business Consultants (ABC).

Down to Business

Evan: Our first contract was to continue providing the convocation photography and flower services at Dal. This was a carryover from the previous owners, which got us off to a great start. We instantly had to balance school, work and customer service simultaneously, but our hard work paid off. Not only had the operation gone off without a hitch, but also we were able to use the funds we received from that to start other projects, and pay the bills.

Jordan: For us, owning and managing a company with little experience has been both challenging and very rewarding. We have written many proposals, provided convocation photography and flower services, and we write the weekly CRMBA blog you are reading now. This experience has been invaluable for us as we each intend to run our own business one day.

Evan: In terms of finding work, you bid on what you think you would be good at given your skill sets. There are so many learning opportunities that go along with this business, such as when you meet with prospects and current clients, and when you negotiate the price and terms of a deal. Sometimes you win and sometimes you don’t, but you gain valuable experience every time.

A Long-Distance Partnership

Jordan: We are both two months into our corporate residencies at the moment. I am working at Corporate Research Associates in Halifax as a data analyst and I have a mentor who is awesome. He helps me every step of the way and is extremely approachable and positive, which has helped me adapt to the organizational culture. Another positive is having the opportunity to work with one of the other students from the program, Emma Horner, also on her corporate residency, which allows us to take coffee breaks and lunches together. Additionally, we are able to continuing learning from one another and helping each other.

Evan: I work at GE Capital in the equipment-lending division as a risk analyst, however I also help out on the sales side of the business as well. As Jordan said, our experiences so far in our residencies have been incredible, and we have been able to apply a lot of what we learned in class to the real world. Apart from work, we are taking a core course, and continue to write the blog. We don’t have much time to actively search for other work at the moment, but we have a lot of things planned for September when we return. We will have the full year to really step up our game and have a great year with ABC. I know the other consulting firms are in the same boat.

Jordan: Although Evan is in Toronto and I am in Halifax, we are still in contact a few times a week on the phone, by email or on a Google doc, so we can both contribute to and edit projects. We also use a program called LogMeIn, which allows us both to use the office computer remotely for work. These technologies have allowed us to collaborate on all of our current projects, and plan for future ones with ease.

Final Thoughts

Jordan: There are so many reasons to choose Dalhousie’s MBA program, but we thought it would be good to highlight this unique opportunity which doesn’t get much attention. The leadership skills you gain over the course of owning a consulting company really help you during your residency. The combination of that, and the program in general, allows you to make connections with industry leaders, classmates and faculty, which will really help you to build your network and thrive during you career.

Evan: Running a company while doing your MBA is challenging, and requires perseverance, hard work and, often, long hours. The payoff however is equally great, in terms of what you learn, the experience you add to your résumé and, of course, the financial rewards. Who knows, maybe someone reading this will be the next owner of ABC, or one of the other consulting firms.

If any prospective students have questions about the program don’t hesitate to reach out to either of us at jordanhirtle@dal.ca and evan.bannerman@dal.ca. We would be happy to answer any questions related to the consulting firms or Dalhousie in general.

Blazing a trail – Jordy’s story

October 19, 2011 Corporate Residency MBA Leave a Comment

Originally posted by Scott A.E. Smith.

If you’ve read this blog before, or if you ‘like’ or follow the Dal MBA on Facebook or Twitter (@dalmba), you’re probably familiar with Jordy Fujiwara. He has been the leading voice of the program in the world of social media, including as the original author of this very blog.

In this space, he’s told the stories of so many people in the program, including those of nearly all his classmates in the Class of 2011. This was the inaugural class of the Corporate Residency MBA, which was launched in 2009, and the first to graduate from the program this past spring—which makes Jordy the first-ever Corporate Residency MBA alumnus to be featured here. And the first time anyone other than Jordy has told his story. So here it is.

Jordy Fujiwara grew up in Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia. He was quiet growing up—a surprise to anyone who knows him as the fun-loving, outgoing guy he is today—and considered himself a bit of a “nerd” as a youngster. He did well in high school, then went off to Dal to study Computer Science, which, even as a self-styled “nerd”, he eventually decided wasn’t for him and switched to Psychology. This became his major and he stuck with it for the next four years.

With the “real world” beckoning after convocation, and unsure of what to do next, he decided to apply for the Corporate Residency MBA program (which was just starting at the time). And the rest, as they say, is history.

Before we get into that, though, I asked Jordy to update us on what he’s doing now.

“I am working on full-time contract with the full-service communications company Colour Creative Persuasion. In short, the ad agency Colour. We do everything from PR to TV spots to social media training to radio and print. It’s a great gig. I’ve had like four titles since starting there… I’ve basically been put on an unofficial rotation term, filling spots where voids occur.”

He started off as Digital Community Liaison (read: Community Manager), handling Nova Scotia Tourism’s Facebook page and other social media platforms. More recently, he’s been working as an Account Coordinator on their Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation (NSLC) business. As an aside: the agency has just revamped their website (www.colour.ca)—check it out (and scroll down) to see Jordy’s photo along with his new title!

The work that Jordy is doing now for Colour is thanks in large part to what he chose to do for his residency in the MBA program. Rather than taking the well-worn path of working for a big, established company, he chose to blaze his own trail. He and classmate Randel Madell purchased a student-owned consulting firm called Coburg Consultants Ltd., and Jordy ran the business full-time for his 8-month residency. In short, he got to work for himself for 8 months!

“It was an interesting work term, different and arguably riskier than other folks’ because I wasn’t directly establishing myself with a company.

Our main contract was the Corporate Residence MBA social media campaign, which is the contract that kicked off this blog, incidentally. We also sold advertising spots on our reusable calendar product, called the Informer. And there were some market research gigs and fairly big business plan creation deals.

I used a lot of my time on the work term polishing my social media and digital marketing skills so I could emerge with a degree and a specific skill-set. I also met my primary contact at Colour during my work term.”

This kind of entrepreneurial residency proved to be “an amazing differentiator,” he says, but it was not without its challenges.

“At times, it was tough living with an irregular paycheque and knowing that it was all down to me and my business partner to make it a success.”

One of the best parts of the experience, he says, was writing this blog.

“Because of the blog, I was able to touch base with 90% of my classmates (100% of the “away” ones) during their residency. And not just a “hey, what’s up” touching-base, but a highly personal event—writing their Corporate Residency MBA story. This kept me connected to them in a subtle but ultimately very meaningful way. I had some insight into everyone’s residency, and they into mine. I grew closer to the whole class in a sense, which was very rewarding.

To describe it in more concrete terms, a lot of us are friends for life now. We felt like we’d all known each other for years and years just three months in. I would feel comfortable ringing up 90% of the class 10 years from now out of the blue and seeing if I could crash on their couch. I would go out of my way to help any of them, without question, ever. Through the fire and brimstone that the program throws at you, we all stuck it out and supported each other. We shared the bad times and we sure as hell shared the good ones, too. Not once did anyone really burn out or abandon anyone (at least, not in my experience). If you do this for 22 months straight, then you get a very strong bond.”

Reflecting on his own personal growth over those 22 months, Jordy likens it to a personal 180°:

“I came from a nerdy, quiet background. I entered the program as a passive kind of dude, and came out as this guy eager and hungry to network and start making changes happen. I was hugely, indescribably energized by my incredible peers.”

As for what else makes this program special, and why he would encourage someone to apply, he says:

“This program is set apart by simply being aware that the old MBA model is dusty and becoming obsolete. It was built on asking business leaders what they really wanted from an MBA program… and then actually implementing a program that delivers it. This attracts faculty and students who share that view, and breeds a curriculum that embraces self-awareness and corporate social responsibility.

I usually start my recommendation for this program by telling people that it changed my life. That’s usually a good hook.”

A unique perspective – Scott’s story

October 3, 2011 Corporate Residency MBA Leave a Comment

Originally posted by Scott A.E. Smith.

This is not the first time I’ve been featured in the dalmba.ca blog, but it has been a while! If you were to look back in our archives to April 23, 2010, you’d find the rather uniquely titled edition called “A Twitterview from Toronto” featuring yours truly: Scott A.E. Smith.

In that long-ago edition, our former editor (and noted social media guru) Jordy Fujiwara thought it would be cool to make a bit of a splash with the weekly interview format by taking it into the previously uncharted waters of social media: namely, Twitter. And rather than interviewing a then-current student, he decided to exchange 140-character questions and answers with me, a fourth-year student at Queen’s University at the time, who had recently been accepted to the Corporate Residency MBA program.

I, too, had taken an interest in social media, particularly by starting the Facebook group for the Class of 2012. And that interest continues. In fact, I’ve taken a leading role, along with my partners at Coburg Consultants Ltd. (fellow Corporate Residency MBA students James Ewart, Blake Jeffrey and Sean A. Sinclair), in managing the Class of 2013’s presence on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, as well as in this very blog!

But wait a minute! I was the founder of the Facebook group for the Class of 2012, not 2013! How is it that I’m now so involved with the Class of 2013?

The short answer is that I’m now part of the Class of 2013! I chose to defer my acceptance for one year in order to gain some work experience before starting the program. I landed a job at an advertising agency in Toronto, where I worked primarily on the company’s TELUS and Scotiabank International accounts, and even got to do some in-house consulting on social media, of all things, and where it may be headed in the future!

What’s most fascinating about looking back at our “Twitterview” nearly a year and a half later is how few of my answers I would change. Even today, when people ask me the moment, or the reason, that I knew I wanted to be part of this program, I tell them the same thing I told Jordy then: it was Dean Peggy Cunningham’s interview with the Globe and Mail in March 2009. It’s also interesting to reflect on the potential employers I had in mind 17 months ago—especially since, just last month, I accepted an offer from one of them, American Express, and will be starting my corporate residency there (in Ottawa, specifically) in January!

Most of all, though, the words that resonate are these (if you’ll allow me the indulgence of quoting myself, for the first and last time ever):

“I would say: if you think this MBA program is for you, it probably is. The people are first-class every step of the way. Apply!”

If I could ‘re-tweet’ anything from our “Twitterview” that day, that would certainly be it.

So there you have it: my unique perspective on the Corporate Residency MBA program here at Dalhousie University. Since I’m inheriting this blog from the recently graduated Jordy Fujiwara, I thank him for his pioneering efforts writing about the program and the wonderful people in it over the past two years. He will continue to be a friend of the blog, and I look forward to telling the stories of our students, alumni, professors, administrators and partners in the way that he did so well.

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