Kawneer Selected as Corporate Subject for Penn State iMBA Residency Program
Friday, May 18, 2007
Kawneer Company, Inc., the leading manufacturer of architectural aluminum building products and systems for commercial construction in North America, was recently selected as the focus of an exciting weeklong residency experience for the Penn State World Campus Master of Business Administration Program, or iMBA. The residency took place May 14–18, and brought 60 iMBA students to Norcross, Georgia, where Kawneer’s headquarters are located.
"Putting theory into practice," the program asks students to study the different components of the company through research and face-to-face presentations by Kawneer management. After completing the weeklong residency, students are then asked to develop reports on the company’s future operations.
"This is a valuable program not only for the students, but for our company as well," said Kawneer North America President Glen Morrison, who addressed the group and participated in the evaluation process at the students' overview session. "Linking in with key academic institutions, such as Penn State, brings fresh, innovative thinking into our organization and exposes the next generation of leaders to our business."
In the six weeks prior to their arrival in Norcross, students prepared for the residency by studying Kawneer, its industry and its competitors based on publicly available information. During the residency, students were given an exclusive, first-hand look at Kawneer through presentations and Q&A sessions with Kawneer management, a tour of the Atlanta Service Center and a group dinner, which provided a less formal opportunity for conversation and one-on-one discussions. Presentation topics ranged from Product Development to Operations, Sales to General Management.
On Thursday, May 17, the students gave their first overview session, where their initial findings and reports on the company were displayed for evaluation by their peers and representatives from Kawneer. Bob Leyland, Vice President of Sales for Kawneer North America, was among those who reviewed the presentations.
"I was very impressed with the quality of work put forward by the students," said Leyland. "Their projects reflected a genuine understanding of our business and their perspectives were very much in tune with our corporate goals and ideals. Overall, I consider this to have been a very positive experience for both Kawneer and the students."
