Ross student MAP team delivers midpoint presentation to Ballet Chicago

On March 29th, the student MAP team from Ross presented the midpoint update to Ballet Chicago.  This was a time for all of those involved with the project to reflect on the progress made so far and discuss the ultimate goals for the team and Ballet Chicago.

From left: Hugh Jedwill, Rachel McCallister, Bob Bondlow, Alejandra Pedemonte, Jennifer Hoffman, Dan Duell, Victoria Torelli, Jane Dutton

The Ballet Chicago MAP Team

The Ross MAP team working with Ballet Chicago is made up of four first-year MBA students who are all energized about working with a nonprofit. Jennifer Hoffman, Victoria Torelli, Rachel McCallister, and Alejandra Pedemonte make up the team. In their few weeks in Chicago, they have managed to take dance classes through Ballet Chicago, go to performances, interview students, administrators, audience members and donors as well as check out the competition.

Bob Bondlow and Dan Duell from Ballet Chicago have been overjoyed by the caliber of work the students have provided. “We don’t always have the resources to do these things. When we found out we were a match with MAP, we thought ‘hail Mary!’” Bondlow said.  Through the work the MAP team has provided, Bondlow and Duell said they have already been able to see through other people’s eyes how their organization compares, something they have not been able to do on their own.

The MAP team is working on building a strategy for Ballet Chicago to increase their target audience. Being a real-world consulting project, the students have been able to get the most out of their educational experience. “I feel like this project has been a culmination of all of my classes so far,” said Jennifer Hoffman, a member of the MAP team.

Victoria Torelli, also on the MAP team said that she expected this project to be a passion project, given her background in dance, “but the passion changed to be passion for the company instead of just ballet,” she said.

Professor Jane Dutton, the MAP team’s faculty advisor, was also present for the presentation.  She felt that this presentation was a memorable turning point in her many years of being a MAP faculty advisor. “There was a level of connectedness to the heart of this project and I could see the light in the eyes of the students,” Prof. Dutton said, “What’s wonderful is that no one is the expert here and everyone is learning.”

Bondlow and Duell feel that the larger goal of the project was to help the educational experience for the students. However, the strategy and learnings that the students are providing to them has been invaluable.  “When an artist sees a full audience, you have no idea what happens to their heart.”  Bondlow said.

Ross Alumni Welcome MAP Teams to Chicago

Yesterday on an unusually hot Chicago Spring day, more than 20 people gathered at Rock Bottom Brewery to meet Ross MBA1′s who were in town working on MAP projects.  The teams working with Ballet Chicago and MillerCoors met alums and talked about their projects.  In addition, one of the faculty advisors for Ballet Chicago, Valerie Suslow, an Associate Dean and Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy, mingled with the students and alums.  It was all business, until the Artistic Director, Dan Duell, and School Director, Patricia Blair of Ballet Chicago showed.  They shared their story of their Ballanchine-based ballet school where they built not just the future dance stars but also the individual confidence and character of their students.

The mixer was part of Ross Chicago’s Alumni-MAP Initiative (AMAP), a non-profit outreach meant to create deep, positive change in our community.  This year’s focus is Ballet Chicago, an arts education ballet institution.  Hugh Jedwill, MBA’04, worked with Ballet Chicago to bring a student MAP team to help Ballet Chicago with a marketing plan for their Nutcracker program.  Ballet Chicago was already familiar with Ross as they had worked with a Ross-led team last year to build a new Strategic Plan.  Starting in April this year, a Ross-led team will help them with a Branding and Key Messaging project.

By focusing 100% of Ross Chicago’s considerable resources on one non-profit each year, we can make a significant impact on our community. Other Ross alums, Manisha Singh, EMBA’04, and Kevin Wiliams, MBA’86, have helped Ballet Chicago on their strategy and public relations, respectively.  Neha Mehta, BBA’09, is coordinating additional family-friendly events including a Sunday afternoon performance to Ballet Chicago’s Spring Repertory.

The mood at Rock Bottom, however, was not about business.  It was on the school and the experiences that made all of us–alumni, faculty and current students–remember why Ross is important to us:  the connections and relationships we made (and continue to make) that will always stay with us.