MBAs gain real world experience

Osmocote may not be a household name, but if IU MBA students have anything to say about it, that might change one day.\nBloomington Brands, the brainchild of IU alumnus Bob Stohler, offers MBA students the opportunity to manage the $12 million time-release fertilizer product Osmocote for lawn-and-garden giant Scotts Co. while still in grad school. \nStohler, who is a retired vice president of Scotts, had been considering the idea for many years, and sees it as a way to give back to IU while working on a brand he believes has an "untapped potential." \n"I wanted to do something with students," Stohler said. "I like that age group, and it is a way to transfer some of my experiences to the next generation. I feel it's an obligation, and I've reached a stage in my life where I can do this."\nNow in its second year, Bloomington Brands puts students into real world situations by allowing them to manage a real product with real money. \n"This isn't just a two or three month internship opportunity dealing with a small piece of a brand," said MBA student David Rhoades, one member of a six-student team chosen for the program this year. "We get to work on all aspects (of the product)."\nStudents in the program spend around 15 hours a week on projects ranging from working with an advertising agency to managing a budget of around $1 million.\nDuties also include frequent trips to Scotts' headquarters in Marysville, Ohio.\nThose involved believe all the hard work to be well worth the effort.\n"Working for Bloomington Brands is an invaluable opportunity," said Zach Griffin, an MBA student also selected for the program. "It is unique to the Kelley School, and allows for real world experience backed up by an education."\nStudents are also grateful for the chance to learn from Stohler on a daily basis.\n"If they learn one thing from this experience, I want it to be to sweat the details," Stohler said. "It is incredibly valuable to future employers and themselves ... people who are highly organized and naturally predisposed to attention to detail will thrive here."\nSince the implementation of the program, Stohler has seen benefits not only for the students involved, but also for the Osmocote brand, which according to him has "grown nicely."\nHowever, Stohler said he is still in the process of learning about the program and the students.\n"I am learning more about the capabilities of the MBA students -- the balancing act they must accomplish between the classroom, looking for a job and working here because I'm a pretty demanding guy," he said.\nStohler has also had to adjust to personal demands from the project.\n"I have put more hours into this then I thought I would be necessary, but I want to make sure I do a good job," he said.\nStudents interested in being a part of Bloomington Brands next year must go through an interview process with the current student-team as well as with Stohler and representatives from Scotts.\n"I am recruiting all the time," Stohler said. "We want the very best people we can get. We're playing in the major leagues."\n-- Contact staff writer Haley Beck at habeck@indiana.edu