Meet Steven Back — a graduate of the Class of Spring 2017.

Major: Chemical Engineering // Minor: Business

Previous Internships/Co-Ops:

Steven had 2 co-ops during his time in undergrad at Ohio State. One of these co-ops was with the Hershey Company. Steven was placed in a continuous improvement group and worked at the factories, which was his first exposure to chemical engineering in real world. During the co-op, he did a lot of process research with Mounds and AlmondJoy. With this research, Steven tried to convert how the candy was made. Previously, almond products were made in large batches; however, Steven was in charge of setting up a new process plan that used assembly line-type processes without the tedious transportation of large batches. Some additional responsibilities included finding the right temperatures for these processes and introducing palm oil as a new ingredient to KitKats. When reflecting on his co-op at Hershey, Steven noted that he loved to have an impact on something so familiar. 

OSU Involvements: 

One of Steven’s main involvements was with Chem-E Car, in which the team would assemble shoebox size cars that could run and stop using only chemical reactions for a competition. For Ohio State, Steven was the leader of the timing mechanism team. 

What is your current role? What are some projects you have worked on? 

Steven has worked at ExxonMobile for 3 years since graduating. Originally, he conducted process research with trouble shooting and dealt with developing crude oil into petroleum coke. He then moved into a technologies and distillation role. Now, Steven serves as a platform analyst, where he ensures that the company’s units are competitive. He has found this position to be less technical but with more stewardship; it is his responsibility of making sure that info from higher up is translated to those at the sight. Steven believes that this follows exactly what IBE stands for. In all of the roles he has had, it was very helpful to have the knowledge he did about business. IBE has given him an edge that allowed him to adapt to each of his new roles. 

One example of a project he has worked on was a massive safety overhaul, where equipment change-outs and facility alterations made containers safer to open up and empty. 

What was the toughest thing about transitioning to full time? What advice would you give to current IBE students about their professional interests?

For Steven, the hardest part about transitioning to full time employment was going from being just a student to working with very accomplished professionals. However, he notes that jumping right in was the best way to learn and grow.

As for advice, Steven had this to say: “Be sure to pursue interests while in college. There are so many clubs and electives to take.” One example was of an experimental design elective he took that introduced him to data analytics. 

What have you been up to in your free time? Any interesting hobbies, weddings, special events, etc. that you wanna share?

In his free time, Steven plays golf, goes camping (and has recently done so in Big Bend National Park), and has gotten into rock climbing.

Meet Paul d’Hyver — a graduate from the Class of Spring 2017.

Major: Finance // Minor: Engineering

Previous Internships/Co-Ops:

1. Financial Analyst, Shell — worked at R&D in Austin, TX
2. Brand Management, P&G
3. Fundraising Department, Columbus Metro Library

OSU Involvements: 

           Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity

           Buckeye Leadership Fellows, Leadership Development Program

           Fisher Ambassador

           Triathlon Team

           Sustainable housing in Honduras

How did IBE help with finding internships? 

IBE helped Paul find internships by exposing him to many different industries and roles so that he could understand what he wanted to do. There wasn’t one a specific skill he learned, but the diversity in IBE and different roles made him ready to move on. His wide range of internship experience showed him that he enjoyed variety. Paul always liked to ask questions to learn about new industries/companies. IBE allowed him to seek environments that were more fast paced and gave him problems to solve. 

What is your current role? What are some projects you’ve worked on?

Paul worked as a consultant at BCG in Chicago for 3 years. While he was there, he worked on a year-long project for an agrochemical company. During this project, he identified that the company lacked digital capabilities, so they had to invest heavily in the digital world. He worked as a project manager to talk to farmers about their pinpoint to come up with a solution, then worked with designers to actually create it. IBE let him say that he has experience in it, so he should do it. 

Paul is current a private equity associate at Bain Capital. He spends about 25-30% of his time reporting portfolio company management and the other ~75% with new potential deals. A significant portion of his position goes towards new deal generation, where he learns more about certain services in an industry. After Paul finds an appealing company, he performs a detailed analysis of what potential deals would look like and how he can help make a profit. 

What was the toughest thing about transitioning to full time? 

“The hardest thing about going full time is the permanency. Your reputation matters a lot. Expectations go up. Picking a path that is open, and once you pick a path, people expect that of you.“

What advice would you give to current IBE students? 

Paul notes that students should think about their 4 year college career not as a resume builder, but a way to learn. His advice is to take classes that you are interested in, not easy A’s.

Additonally, Paul encourages students to use their student card. There are so many resources it provides, so Paul urges students to meet with people and explore. 

What have you been up to in your free time? Any interesting hobbies, weddings, special events, etc. that you wanna share? 

Here are some things Paul has recently done in his free time:

• Completed a triathlon
• Traveled to Alaska, where he backpacked and climbed
• Had no permanent home, so he lived everywhere
• Researched what maximizes performance; went vegan for a few month to see how it changed his        performance
• Rode a bike from Columbus to Mason

Meet Andrew Topinka – A graduate from the Class of Spring 2017.

Major: Finance // Minors: Engineering and Philosophy

Hometown: Powell, OH

Job: Business Technology Analyst for Deloitte Consulting

Previous Internships/Co-Ops:

1. Operations Intern, Peletonia (Summer 2014)
2. Risk Analyst Intern, Willis Towers Watson in Hong Kong (Summer 2015)
   -Most valuable for his personal growth—first time out in the “real world” away from Columbus and his parents

3. Analyst, AMEND Consulting (Summer 2016)
   -Most valuable for his professional growth—autonomy over projects, and more responsibility than he thought he was ready for at the time

OSU Involvements:

• Brutus Buckeye
  -He has started the famous Stadium O-H-I-O during a game!
  -While the sporting events were great, Andrew’s favorite memories as Brutus were visiting children in hospitals and leaving a positive, lasting impact on OSU

• Fellow in the Buckeye Leadership Fellows Program
• BuckeyeThon
• Peer advisor for Fisher
• Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity
• University Ambassador

Reason for Ohio State:

Andrew chose Ohio State because of the sense of student collaboration that he felt during his visit which vastly differed from atmospheres at other schools. While he initially did not want to go to OSU because of the proximity to home, he quickly fell in love with campus, and the rest is history!

Why IBE?

Andrew received so many emails about IBE during his first semester freshman year that he thought they were just spam. One of his good friends freshman year joined the program and told him about it after his first class during the second semester. After hearing about the program, he called his advisor and joined IBE! He had strongly already considered engineering as his major, and the entrepreneurial aspect of the freshman design project completely sold him on the idea of IBE.

IBE Capstone Project?

Andrew’s team worked on a project for P&G that was centered around capturing the millennial market for their Tide products. He and his team ultimately recommended that P&G pursued a future in laundry service. This happened to be the same conclusion that P&G’s internal investigation had developed. P&G bought a startup in Dallas that was doing just that during his senior year. As a result, Andrew and his team were able to travel to travel to Dallas and visit this startup with the intentions of optimizing their standard procedures and improving their processes.

How did IBE help you with your internships?

When asked about applying knowledge that he gained while in college, Andrew believes that his most valuable courses during college were the freshman year design project and his senior year capstone. These IBE projects were his most beneficial academic experiences, and he believes that they are applicable to real life problem solving which he carried with him to internships and his current job.

What is an example of a project from your current job at Deloitte?

Andrew was able to work on a project for a large car manufacturer. This company had new mobility services that they wanted to start offering (Remote start for cars, mobile keys, etc.), but they needed help making money on the services from a tech perspective. integrating the technology. Andrew and his team worked to understand the customers’ needs so that they could best monetize these new services. They ended up recommending what their customer’s experience should be when getting these services and how they could achieve it from a technology perspective.

What is the most valuable skill for consultants?

Andrew stressed that the major of a potential employee is not as important as some people make it out to be. The primary characteristic that employers are looking for is people who can think. Technical skills are important for some jobs, but, generally speaking, the skills you need and the jargon of the profession can be learned on the job. Employers desire people who showcase that they can quickly solve problems.

Fun fact?

Andrew’s most difficult course while at Ohio State was a Philosophy logic course!

Andrew is happy to talk about anything related to IBE, professional experiences, or Ohio State in general. He can be contacted at andrewtopinka@gmail.com.

Welcome back to another IBE Student Spotlight Series!

This week’s IBE student spotlight features Andy Miller. Andy is a fourth year double majoring in Finance and Accounting and minoring in Engineering science.

When asked “why IBE?” Andy says that it’s all about the people: “I chose IBE because coming into college I was not sure whether I wanted to go into engineering or business, but I knew that I at least wanted some experience in both. I think what really makes IBE is the people, not the program itself. While the classes obviously have great professors and are well taught, what’s more important to me are the lasting friendships I’ve made that I don’t think I would’ve found elsewhere.”

His favorite IBE memory is the final presentation for the freshman design project. His team became really close after working together for 3 months. Seeing everything come together in our final product pitch and winning best overall product was a nice touch as well, he reminisces.

Outside of IBE, Andy is involved with Ascent Microfinance, Buckeye Undergraduate Consulting Club, Sigma Phi Epsilon, and Big Data Analytics Association.

Besides academics and extracurriculars, Andy loves to read and keep up to date on current events. It’s very easy to get bogged down in schoolwork/extracurricular activities/job searching, so I like to make sure I know what’s going on in the world, he shares. Beyond that, Andy is a huge Pittsburgh sports fan thanks to his dad, and he follows all 3 teams closely.

Since he’s a fourth year, we asked Andy what his plans are after college. Just like the rest of us, Andy’s still exploring: “I’m still figuring out which field of finance or accounting I really want to go into. Thankfully, I won’t be graduating until next December so I have some more time to figure that out. I’ll probably be headed to JPMorgan this summer, and if I like that I’ll go there full-time. Long-term, I think I’d like to have a career more oriented towards investment management.”

And of course, with age comes wisdom. Andy shares a few words of advice for the younger IBE students and prospective students as well: “Try to get involved with as much as you can early in college (and life), and then you can skim down to really find what you’re most passionate about. Something I really regret is not getting involved with more organizations during my freshman year, but if you get involved early, it gives you more time to realize what means the most to you.”

To end this spotlight, we asked Andy what’s one good thing that happened to him in the past week. “My brother got married over the weekend,” he says. “It was such an awesome experience to be a part of and it was great to see so many family members I hadn’t seen a while.”

And like that, we’ll see you in two weeks with another spotlight. Go bucks!

Welcome to IBE’s Student Spotlight Series! Every 2 weeks, we’ll be highlighting a student from the program.

This week’s IBE student spotlight features Philip Bradshaw. Philip is a second year Marketing major with Engineering, Business Analytics, and Social Psychology minors.

When asked “why IBE?” Philip answers with a resounding response: “IBE was one of the BIG reasons for me to attend OSU. My philosophy is that all the greats in history never just studied one thing. They all were masters in many different disciplines. Eventually, I do want to work more in depth with advertising agencies or within a marketing department, but being able to work cross-functionally is super important in making an industry boom.”

His favorite IBE memory so far has got to be “team bonding” with his Team 7 homies last semester in Engineering 1282.04H.

Outside of IBE, he’s involved with Club Swimming, H2O Church, Photography Enthusiast Society, Scarlet Magazine, and BuckeyeFit.

Philip is passionate about photography: “I’m a fashion and editorial photographer, but I’ve only been shooting for a year. I first got into photography after my senior year pictures. My sister took my senior pictures while my family was on vacation in Hawaii, and I loved seeing the whole process from start to finish; and when I got a camera for my graduation present, I dragged all my friends on photoshoots, watched all of Jessica Kobeissi’s videos on YouTube, and started my own photography Instagram (@pb_phto). Over the summer I made a goal for myself to do at least 2 shoots a week, so I could really improve. And I definitely did! At the end of the summer I was asked to submit an editorial to LaPalme Magazine and ended up having my editorial published on an online exclusive! For the future, I’m definitely going to try to keep up with more photoshoots and reach out to more publications!”

What keeps Philip going is this quote by Alice Adams, the director for BuckeyeFit: “Trust the process, work the process, fail a little, get back up. It’s a journey, not a teleportation.”

To end this spotlight, we asked Philip what he’s grateful for this week. “Vitamin C,” he says, “because I cannot let this cold come back around to me again.”

See you in two weeks with another spotlight on a bright and passionate IBE student!! Go bucks!

Meet Bryan Barrett – A recent graduate from the Class of Spring 2018.

Major: Industrial and Systems Engineering // Minor: Business

Hometown: Cincinnati, OH

Previous Internships/Co-Ops:

1. Studied Chinese language and culture abroad in Shanghai (Summer 2014)
2. Project Specialist, Tesla (Summer 2015)
3. Internal Operations Consultant, United Airlines (Spring 2016)
4. Business Portfolio and Project Management Intern, LBrands (Summer 2016)
5. Engineering, Innovation, and Research Intern, Battelle (Summer 2017)

OSU Involvements:

• Student-Alumni Council
• Ultimate Frisbee
• Buckeye Leadership Fellow
• Phi Gamma Delta – Executive board
• Homecoming Court

In his free time, Bryan enjoys skiing, cycling, backpacking, and traveling.

Reason for Ohio State:

Bryan chose Ohio State because he enjoyed all the diverse opportunities available at such a large school. Unsure of whether to pursue an engineering or business major, he appreciated how well developed the various colleges and departments were. As a result, he felt no worry about either decision because he had excellent opportunities in both areas.

Why IBE?

Bryan was in the very first cohort of IBE. Because of his interest in engineering and business, IBE was the perfect next step for him to continue his engineering education while expanding his business knowledge.

Favorite IBE memory?

Bryan was able to go to Switzerland during the summer of 2016 with 18 other IBE students to work at CERN. He valued the incredible international experience, and the ability to apply the various innovation techniques he had learned in his IBE coursework – in one of the largest research institutions anywhere in the world. Bryan felt that through his 3 years of education in IBE, he was easily able to make a meaningful impact through his work on the trip.

How did IBE help you with your internships?

When Bryan worked at Battelle on the Lean Startup team, he was able to apply specific techniques he had learned from his IBE capstone and other IBE coursework. He was excited that himself, Kai, and Kartik were able to implement specific techniques from the IBE curriculum, and act as experts of lean startup within a national organization. Through driving value creation, innovation, and introducing new methodologies, Bryan believed he was really able to make an impact on Battelle through his time working for them.

Where will you be this fall? How did IBE help you earn this position?

Bryan will be working as a Business Analyst Consultant at CapTech. He believes that the kinds of experiences that IBE exposed him to really helped him solidify his role for the fall. Through the interdisciplinary learning in IBE, Bryan fit right into CapTech’s goals of merging technology and business in the consulting world. He especially attributes his success to his IBE capstone, which prepared him for the tech and management consulting environment he looks forward to experiencing at CapTech.

What would you like to say to everyone in IBE?

“Never lose faith in the program, because you will always be able to form the program to the experiences you want to have with it, as I know a lot of younger people in this program are doing. Just never lose sight of the fact that this program is for you, and if you aren’t getting out of IBE what you think you should be, then you should change it – and you have all the power in the world to make that happen at The Ohio State.”

Bryan is happy to talk about anything related to IBE, professional experiences, or Ohio State in general. He can be contacted at bryanbarrett2013@gmail.com

Meet Zach Cowen. A recent graduate from the Class of Spring 2018.

Major: Industrial & Systems Engineering // Minor: Business

Hometown: Hilliard, OH

Previous Internships/Co-Ops:

Nationwide

1. Application Developer (Summer 2017)
2. Automated Test Analyst (Summer 2016)
3. Test Analyst (Summer 2015)

Zach liked the location of Nationwide (Columbus, family, friends, familiarity) and also enjoyed exploring the different roles and opportunities within Nationwide. 

OSU Involvements:

In the Spring of 2017, Zach started the Buckeye Mudder Club after finding no luck when searching for a Tough Mudder related organization on campus. The club originated with 10-15 members but quickly grew to 40 members last semester. They were able to send over half of their members to a Tough Mudder event in North Carolina this past October. Tough Mudders are unique in that “everyone works together as a team to overcome obstacles and get to the finish, not caring about the finishing time or place.”

Reason for Ohio State

Zach came to Ohio State for its proximity to home and family as well as its strong Engineering reputation.

How did you hear about the IBE program and why did you choose it?

Zach heard about the IBE program when his mother saw a post on Ohio State’s website during college applications. Immediately, he knew the program would be a good fit for his dual interests in engineering and business.

Please explain a specific instance you felt what you learned in IBE was really making an impact.

During his first summer at nationwide as test analyst, he developed automated testing scripts for policy holders. In this role, he utilized the principles of IBE by explaining the technical details to business-oriented people, so they could provide a list of his needs and explain the system functionality to others. 

What’s your favorite class you took because of IBE?

Zach’s favorite class was the IBE Innovation Management Seminar (BUSMHR 3400) taught by Professor Leiblein because he could learn about the extensive opportunities within technology and also the different perspectives in decision making through case studies. 

Did you always know you wanted to work in tech?

Initially, Zach came in as a Computer Science major, but he later switched to ISE once he realized he could utilize some of his Computer Science and Programming background in applications to bigger problems and systems. He wanted to use his tools to make decisions and fix problems.

What is your favorite IBE moment/memory?

Zach’s favorite IBE moment was freshman year, when he worked with his team to develop a canoe portaging device. “[The project] helped set the stage for bigger projects and other future classes.  It was a crash course in four months of developing a project, testing it, and designing a business model around it.”

What are your after graduation plans?

Zach will be starting full time at Nationwide as an Application Developer where he will work on web development for Nationwide’s Investment’s departments (specifically real estate investments).

How did IBE help you secure this position?/What do you plan on applying that you learned in IBE in your job?

“IBE helped with the networking. Making connections within and outside of my department so that I have people to talk to all across the company and find common ground with people of different backgrounds.”

What kind of impact do you see IBE making in the future?

“Having people who understand how to talk to people on both sides of projects. Being able to talk to technical people from the business side helps with making high level decisions and keeps the technology-side of things moving.”

What’s something you want to say to IBE underclassmen?

“Keep going at it even if it isn’t your favorite class right now. You’ll still take away stuff from it and apply it in future classes, projects, teams.”

During the second semester of freshman year, the Integrated Business and Engineering Cohort is required to take ENGR 1282.04H – Fundamentals of Engineering II. This course is exclusively offered to IBE students with a focus on product development using CAD.

This semester, the students were challenged to create a product for people affected by arthritis. In groups of 5-6 people, different teams created their own unique solution to everyday tasks that people with arthritis struggled with. This product development process included multiple prototype testings, business model analyses, and interaction with end users through interviews and user feedback surveys.

At the end of the semester, the teams pitched their products to a panel of faculty and industry professionals where they were judged on a series of criteria. Awards were given out to the teams with the Best Business Presentation, Best Technical Design, and Best Overall.

Best Overall – This team created a shirt un/buttoner 

Best Technical Design – This team created a spray bottle trigger extension

Best Business Presentation – This team created a jar opener

Introducing the IBE Alumni Spotlight Series!

Meet Alisa Noll. She graduated from Ohio State this past December and will be working full time at Boston Consulting Group.

Major: Industrial Engineering // Minor: Business

Hometown: Columbus, OH. When Alisa was training for a half marathon, she would run home and back to campus as her workout routine! Both her parents, aunts, and uncles went to OSU, so she’s lifelong Buckeye.

Previous Internships/Co-Ops: Alisa has a wide range of experience in multiple industries. Her internships are as follow:

General Electric — Manufacturing

Eaton — Technical Sales

Webber Associates — Data Analytics/Consulting

IBM (Summer and Fall) — Data Science Consulting

Kalypso — Consulting

Drive Capital — Data Science in a venture capital firm

OSU Involvements:

Big Data and Analytics Association — Executive Vice President

Ascent Microfinance (Non-Profit) — Previous CEO and now Board Member

Society of Women Engineers- Active Member

Buckeye Undergraduate Consulting Club — Analyst

Pi Beta Phi, Homecoming Court

How did you hear about the IBE program and why did you choose it?

Alisa’s cohort was not told about the IBE program until the middle of their Freshman year. They were sent an initial email explaining the program in order to gage interest. From there, she met with Dr. Rogers, one of the program heads, to discover more about it. She says, “The selling point for me was the design project that occurs second semester freshman year. Building a product that you have to find a need for, design, and market felt extremely applicable. Eventually, I got to work with a team of amazing and smart individuals who came from such different backgrounds. When I went into the program, I wasn’t expecting the other benefits, such as bonding with your cohort. This just became an extra plus point.”

Please explain a specific instance you felt what you learned in IBE was really making an impact.

There were multiple instances during Alisa’s time at OSU where she felt she was really applying the skills developed through IBE. However, she notes that the mindset she gained through IBE was as valuable as the hard skills. Specifically, in her consulting internships, she felt she was “approaching complex problems from a more creative mindset.” Alisa not only understood the technical requirements but also thought about the “biggest business picture.”

What’s your favorite class you took because of IBE?

Alisa found the CERN Project Course to be her favorite IBE class. During her Junior year, Alisa’s cohort and the cohort below her got the opportunity to be the first American undergraduate students to work at the consumer based innovation sector of CERN Lab in Switzerland. Before her and her classmates could head abroad, they worked remotely for an entire semester, coming up with ways they could use CERN’s intellectual property in the real world. They eventually focused on how food waste could be minimized. At the lab, her team created a functional container that would light up when the food inside of it was spoiled. This not only reduced the waste but also prevented people from eating rotting food. In order to best approach this project, Alisa had to learn divergent thinking. She stated that she “constantly used design thinking. However, I had to learn this new mindset in order to consider every possible perspective of a problem to eventually get the best solution. When we thought we found a solution, we had to evaluate it and sometimes go straight back to the drawing board. Overall, it was an incredible experience filled with extremely intelligent individuals.”

What is your favorite IBE moment/memory?

Besides the CERN Project, Alisa did not have a specific favorite memory. However, she felt the bond she formed with her fellow cohort members to be one of the things she will never forget about IBE. Her team members for the Freshman Design Project included some of the same people she worked with on her Senior Capstone Project. Without IBE, she says she “never would have met such amazing individuals from such different backgrounds.” Alisa stated that these people not only became her classmates but also her friends. To her, the most exciting part was seeing every individual in her cohort grow as a student and a person.

What are your after graduation plans?

Alisa just finished up an internship with Drive Capital, a venture capital firm in Columbus, OH. Before starting at Boston Consulting Group and sitting on the board of directors for Ascent, she will be embarking on an Asia trip.

How did IBE help you secure this position?/What do you plan on applying that you learned in IBE in your job?

To Alisa, the two MBA level business courses required in the IBE curriculum ended up being extremely impactful courses and eventually helped her in internship and full time position interviews. She stated they were “very hard at first. However, I then realized how amazing it was having an MBA level professor teaching me business skills. Without this knowledge I developed and constantly being surrounded by business students with a different perspective than me, I would not be in consulting today. I’m very thankful for the class and the coursework.”

What kind of impact do you see IBE making in the future?

“The people that I graduated with are the first example of IBE students but of that group already, they’re really going out to tackle the hardest problems. They’re getting recruited by the best companies in the country, ones that usually don’t recruit at OSU. This eventually transforms the possibilities that future OSU students will have.”

What’s something you want to say to IBE underclassmen?

“Pretty much every company is going to be a tech company. regardless of what the industry is. IBE gives you skills and experiences that make you an extremely well rounded individual, which is amazing. This is something you can’t beat in any other circumstance and makes you one of the top students at this school. Don’t let the small stuff turn you away from IBE. Work hard and all the way through.”