WSU Vancouver Carson College of Business announces 2020 Business Growth MAP awards

VANCOUVER, Wash. – Each year, student teams in the Carson College of Business at Washington State University Vancouver work under the guidance of faculty and volunteer mentors to provide pro bono consulting to regional small businesses and nonprofit organizations to help them improve and grow. Each Business Growth Mentor & Analysis Program project takes place over the course of a 16-week semester, and each team provides about 500 hours of pro bono consulting to the businesses with whom they work.

During the 2019/20 academic year, WSU Vancouver students completed 27 pro bono Business Growth MAP student consultancy projects. Eleven MAP teams were nominated for the Best Team Project award, and three were selected to receive awards.

Team ANC Movers

ANC Movers team
ANC Movers team: K. Torre, M. Guthrie, A. Maynes, O. Conzatti, C. Trondsen, J. Pascual, P. Chapman & P. Clarke

Team members include: Peter Chapman, Olivia Conzatti, Mark Guthrie, AJ Maynes, Josh Pascual and Cindy Trondsen

Client: Peter Clarke

MAP Mentor: Ken Torre

ANC Movers is a certified minority-owned moving company that has served Vancouver and Portland for more than 20 years. ANC Movers offers residential and commercial moving services, in addition to specialty moving services for furniture, pianos and gun safes.

Team ANC Movers developed recommendations that will help business owner Clarke and his team secure government contracts, improve their leadership and employee training processes, and more efficiently use their storage space to increase revenue and savings. The team’s mentor Torre said, “Team ANC presented a pathway to success which will, post COVID-19, assuredly lead to significant revenue for ANC.”

Team Rezabek Vineyards

Rezabek Vineyards team
Rezabek Vineyards team: K. Saba, H. Miracle, G. Moe, R. Rezabek, J. Graber, D. Rezabek, R. Noto, R. Wilson & M. Pawlowski

Team members include: Justin Graber, Hailey Miracle, Grace Moe, Ryan Noto, Kathryn Saba and Riley Wilson

Client: Donna and Roger Rezabek

MAP Mentor: Mike Pawlowski

Established in 2010, Rezabek Vineyards sits on 10 acres just north of the East Fork of the Lewis River in Clark County, Wash. This award-winning winery produces about 800 cases of wine per year.;

Through competitive benchmarking, Team Rezabek Vineyards developed a comprehensive plan to drive retail sales by increasing wine club membership and tasting room traffic. Team mentor Pawlowski said, “The team’s analysis and attention to detail helped Rezabek pivot to a market-driven operation that is sure to drive stronger sales performance going forward. The team’s step-by-step playbook for Rezabek is a strong catalyst for successful implementation.”

Team VIP Photo Booth

VIP Photo Booth team
VIP Photo Booth team: S. Sakumoto, B. Rotundo, H. Miracle, I. Manheimer, G. Moe, G. Jochim & K. DeKoeyer

Team members include: Kylie DeKoeyer, Gimi Jochim, Hailey Miracle, Grace Moe and Brandon Rotundo

Client: Ian Manheimer

MAP Mentor: Steve Sakumoto

VIP Photo Booth delivers quality entertainment and customized photo booth experiences at special events to ensure guests leave laughing, smiling and bragging about the fun they had.

Team VIP Photo Booth developed a marketing plan centered on three recommendations that will help Manheimer take his business to the next level. Team mentor Sakumoto said the team was high-functioning, presented themselves professionally and that they presented a polished and positive image of WSU Vancouver.

If you are interested in joining the Business Growth MAP as either a mentor or a client, email bgmap@wsu.edu or visit business.vancouver.wsu.edu/bgmap.

About WSU Vancouver

As one of six campuses of the WSU system, WSU Vancouver offers big-school resources in a small-school environment. The university provides affordable, high-quality baccalaureate- and graduate-level education to benefit the people and communities it serves. As the only four-year research university in Southwest Washington, WSU Vancouver helps drive economic growth through relationships with local businesses and industries, schools and nonprofit organizations.

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MEDIA CONTACT(S)

Brenda Alling, Office of Marketing and Communication, 360-546-9601, brenda_alling@wsu.edu