HMA Marketing Week: Zagg Case Competition Preliminaries, Inside the Game

Brady Hanks, Xander Hulme, and Aaron Bytendorp develop ideas

By Eliza Thacker

After a late night of brainstorming and writing, our team has officially passed the preliminaries. Our idea of having Zagg expand into a new leather-tech market seems to be working out well. I have to admit, I didn’t expect to have so much fun participating in the competition. It has been exciting and enlightening to try and work through a real-world situation, rather than a theoretical scenario; plus, my team members are all incredible people who I never would have gotten to know otherwise. Even if we don’t win, I’ve made some amazing friends and been given an opportunity that a lot of undergraduates never get. Here is to hoping that tomorrow goes well! I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

 

Eliza Thacker and Brady Hanks work late into the night

HMA Marketing Week Guest Speaker: Morgan Pederson

By Sheii Lindley

Morgan Pederson is the Visual and PR director for an up and coming shoe designer, Yosi Samra, in New York City. She graduated from Utah State University five years ago from the interior design department. I was lucky enough to be the student host for Morgan during her stay in Logan and was so impressed with her ability to remember people and constantly be aware of her surroundings as she documented her experiences through social media.

On Tuesday night Morgan spoke in the O.C. Tanner lounge to a packed house of marketing students. She shared with us her incredible transition from Utah to The Big Apple, what it took to get there, as well as many bits of great advice on self-branding. Morgan discussed the importance of 24-hour networking. She stressed making meaningful connections with everyone you meet, regardless of their status; stating that those connections could open many doors.

Morgan shared with us her secret formula called, "social stalking," or creative contacting. She described learning about someone through their various social media platforms, entering their conversations and making connections that lead to face-to-face meetings and potential job offers. She said the key is to start with the least personal social media platform and then make your way full circle to a personal connection. Her first job with a well-known New York interior designer was gained through the use of social stalking. It began with a bit of research, followed by adding her on social media, commenting on her posts, and then starting a conversation which led to a dinner meeting and eventually an offer for employment.

If you’re interested in viewing the full presentation, all creative tips and tools included, go here: http://1560811.mediaspace.kaltura.com/media/Morgan+Pederson+-+Huntsman+Marketing+Association+Presenter/0_cqogzrye

For more information on Morgan Pederson check out her website at: www.morgan-creative.com, or follow her on twitter: @morgancreative.

Morgan Pederson

HMA Marketing Week: Zagg Case Competition Kickoff, Inside the Game

By Eliza Thacker

Monday night was the Huntsman Marketing Association Zagg Case Competition Kickoff. I attended thinking that it would be a fun contest where I would meet some new people and learn a few marketing principles. I soon discovered that the competition would be much more exciting that I had imagined. One of Zagg's top executives talked to us about Zagg and its affiliate companies, and then challenged our teams to come up with a new idea for Zagg. Furthermore, he told us our teams would present our ideas to Zagg's top product managers in a week's time if we pass the qualifying round. It looks like this competition is going to be an intense race to the finish; however, my team is ready to meet the challenge!

Preliminaries, here we come!

January 26, 2015 – The Busiest Day

January 26, 2014 was the busiest day yet in the construction of Huntsman Hall. We had more people on site, and more different projects going on, than any previous day since we started construction.

The reason for so much going on was the combination of progress we've recently made, combined with the great weather. This list may be incomplete, but here’s what happened on January 26:

· We finished the roof on the two wings of the building. There’s a final membrane sealant that requires the temperature to be above 40 degrees when it is applied.

· We laid the steel support in the curved area to prepare to pour the concrete floor slabs later this week.

· The masons continued to lay bricks on both the outside (north face) and inside (Level 1).

· The sub-contractor building the tiers in the tiered classrooms had a couple of teams working the Level 1 classrooms.

· There was a team installing the drywall and acoustical tile walls in the Level 1 classrooms.

· The glass sub-contractor was finishing up the preparation to hang the sheet glass that will be the exterior wall on the west side of the west wing.

· And the electricians kept plugging away at installing the electrical service to classrooms.


A busy day. But we’re moving ahead. Now if only the weather can stay in the 40s…

Ken Snyder

Spring New Huntsman Student Orientation

Associate Dean Dave Patel started the spring new-student orientation by defining the importance of the Huntsman School's four pillars. He explained that analytical rigor is more than just doing well in class; it’s about thinking. “Thinking before we speak, before we write and before we do,” he said. Patel then explained that understanding the global economy can affect all we do. By having global vision, we can take advantage of opportunities that may have otherwise passed us. Entrepreneurial Spirit is a state of mind, Patel petitioned. “We must be open to new opportunities,” he said. Then he stated that there is no such thing as being 98 percent honest. Ethical leadership means we are always honest in all we do.

He concluded with three suggestions: work hard, live with purpose and be open to opportunities.

Ruth Harrison, Director of Undergraduate Programs, then explained how each student’s Huntsman Experience should be different than anyone else’s. She mentioned the importance of meeting with advisors on time, career opportunities available on campus (such as Career Aggie) and fostering meaningful relationships with faculty.

To finish off the orientation business senator, Scott Laneri, gave three pieces of advice. First was to get to know professors outside the classroom. “Introduce yourself after class and meet with them during their office hours,” he suggested. He also proposed to take advantage of all the opportunities available through the Huntsman School. He mentioned that his Go Global experiences shaped the way he thinks and lives every day. And lastly, he encouraged each new student to go on a Career Exploration Trip and join a club.

Laying Bricks

Just before the holidays, the masons started laying brick for interior walls in the basement of Huntsman Hall. This is the first finish to be completed on the interior of the building. I thought you’d like to see what it looks like since the webcams don’t really show interior work.

Inside brick wall

Last week, the masons started laying brick on the exterior face of the building, but you wouldn’t know it. That’s because you can’t see it. “What?!?” you may ask. Even though it’s on the exterior, you can’t see it? Let me explain.

Outside brick wall

Due to the need to control working conditions, the masons have to have a controlled environment to lay brick. That’s easy when the work is on the interior. It’s not so easy when it’s on the exterior. So, masons have developed a tent that they use during inclement seasons of the year. It is a movable tent.

Movable tent

Actually it’s more than being just mobile, it moves with them. It travels. It’s a traveling tent.

Ken Snyder

A Grand Entrance

New Grand Entrance

One of the main criteria we established for the design of our new building is that it be an “integrated complex.” By “integrated complex” we mean that the new Huntsman Hall building had to be completely integrated into, and linked with, the existing Eccles Business Building.

We are very pleased with the overall way the building designers have solved this challenge. An important part of their solution was to create a grand entrance. This is located at what is currently the NW corner of the existing Eccles Business Building. I have included a rendering of the grand entrance so you can see that it is one entrance for the two different buildings.

Steel Structure

While analyzing the need for a grand entrance, the building designers did a study of what percent of people enter and exit the building through each entrance. They found that 75 percent of the inflow and outflow of the current Eccles Business Building is through the NW entrance. We think that percent may actually increase due to the location of the new classrooms, the new meeting rooms, and the cafeteria. Based on the analysis and how the design integrated the two buildings, we endorsed re-construction of the existing entrance so that it can be a grand entrance for both buildings.

The reconstruction of the existing entrance started over the holidays. The construction company had to demolish the old structure of the entrance and replace it with a new steel structure that will support the new entrance that will serve both buildings. This was not accomplished without some complications. In demolishing the old structure, we found that the structure was not built according to the drawings on file. The construction company did a nice job adjusting to this change. They are just finishing the new steel structure. The attached picture is of the welders finishing up the work on the new steel structure.

Ken Snyder