Author: Claire Hall

Joe Ercolano Named State Director of CTSBDC

Posted on by Claire Hall

Joe Ercolano (above) will lead a team of business advisors dedicated to small business growth in Connecticut as the new Director of CTSBDC (Photo Courtesy of CTSBDC)
Joe Ercolano (above) will lead a team of business advisors dedicated to small business growth in Connecticut as the Director of CTSBDC (Photo Courtesy of CTSBDC)

Joe Ercolano has been named the State Director of the Connecticut Small Business Development Center (CTSBDC), effective immediately. Ercolano, a former executive at Pitney Bowes, most recently served as the CTSBDC’s Acting State Director.Continue Reading

Family Businesses: ‘Your Name is On It!’

Posted on by Claire Hall
Cal Miller-Stevens, left, and her niece Capri Frank pose for a photo inside the store at Miller Foods, Inc., a fourth-generation, family owned and operated food business located in Avon, Conn. Behind them is a photo taken in the early 1960s, in the same location. From left is family matriarch Margaret "Oma" Miller and her two daughters, Sandi Trudeau (Frank's mother) and Miller-Stevens. (Nathan Oldham / UConn School of Business)
Cal Miller-Stevens, left, and her niece Capri Frank pose for a photo inside the store at Miller Foods, Inc., a fourth-generation, family owned and operated food business located in Avon, Conn. Behind them is a photo taken in the early 1960s, in the same location. From left is family matriarch Margaret “Oma” Miller and her two daughters, Sandi Trudeau (Frank’s mother) and Miller-Stevens. (Nathan Oldham / UConn School of Business)

UConn Revamps Family Business Program, Offers Bootcamp, Summer Internship Program to Help Multi-Generational Companies Thrive

Ask Julie Paine-Miller, vice president of Paine’s Inc. Recycling and Rubbish Removal, what it is like to be employed in a family-owned business, and she will share that some of her fondest childhood memories involve riding in her family’s garbage trucks.

“I have a deep-seated love for trash!,” Paine-Miller said with a laugh. “I have memories of being around the trucks from the time I was a little girl.”Continue Reading

UConn’s MBA Program Earns Global Ranking

Posted on by Claire Hall

(Image Courtesy of Bloomberg Businessweek)
(Image Courtesy of Bloomberg Businessweek)

UConn’s MBA program ranks in the Top 50 among public MBA programs around the world, according to a new report released by Bloomberg Businessweek. UConn ranked No. 42 among public universities when compared with programs in the U.S., the Asia-Pacific region, Canada and Europe.Continue Reading

John Malfettone ’77 Named Foundation Board Chair

Posted on by Claire Hall

John Malfettone '77 (BUS) speaks about the importance of giving back to your alma mater, on the occasion of his induction into the School of Business Hall of Fame in 2017. (Nathan Oldham/UConn Photo)
John Malfettone ’77 (BUS) speaks about the importance of giving back to your alma mater, on the occasion of his induction into the School of Business Hall of Fame in 2017. (Nathan Oldham/UConn Photo)

John Malfettone ’77 became chair of the board of the UConn Foundation, the fundraising entity for the University of Connecticut, in October. Malfettone is a senior managing director at Clayton, Dubilier & Rice of New York City, one of the world’s Top 10 leveraged buyout private equity firms, from which he will retire at the end of the year.Continue Reading

Prof. Thompson Honored for Excellence in Public Engagement

Posted on by Claire Hall

Kevin Thompson (MGMT) has been honored by the Provost with an Award for Excellence in Public Engagement. (Devin Basdekian / UConn School of Business)
Kevin Thompson (MGMT) has been honored by the Provost with an Award for Excellence in Public Engagement. (Devin Basdekian / UConn School of Business)

Assistant Professor-in-Residence Kevin Thompson is the recipient of the UConn Provost’s Award for Excellence in Public Engagement in the non-tenure track faculty category.Continue Reading

Diversity of Thought Propels Management Society Case Competition

Posted on by Claire Hall

The Business Management Society (BMS) recently hosted a case competition with power-tool manufacturer TTI, the parent company of Milwaukee, Ryobi and Hoover. Student turnout was large, drawing participants from BMS, Women and Business, and other business students. They were tasked with evaluating different marketing strategies to increase the company’s brand exposure on campus. Groups took several routes of action including social media, virtual reality, and brand ambassador programs.

After the competition, the judges awarded prizes to three winning teams:

The first place team included: senior Caleb Saleeby (Management), junior Kevin Dean (Management) and senior Michael Boni (Economics). The second-place team included: senior William Simics (Finance); junior Julia Simics (Real Estate), junior Swathy Shriram (Management); and junior Gina Wiezbicki (Marketing). The third place team members were: senior Suxian Kuan (Management); sophomore Tanvi Dandekar (Finance), sophomore Angela Wang (Finance) and junior Emily Curina (Management & Economics).


Ben Morneault, president of BMS, was impressed at the variety of majors and grade levels among student competitions. “Diversity in thought is so often overlooked in case competitions, but these teams understood the importance of diverse teams, and it showed in their solutions,” he said.

The Business Management Society and Women in Business meet on Tuesdays in the School of Business. For more information, please contact Ben Morneault at uconnbms@gmail.com, or Sam Adamo at uconnwomeninbusiness@gmail.com.

First ‘Get Seeded’ Event Awards $3k to New Ventures

Posted on by Claire Hall

Junior Daniel Ruskin, one of the winners of the first "Get Seeded" competition, organized by the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. (Nathan Oldham / UConn School of Business)
Junior Daniel Ruskin, one of the winners of the first “Get Seeded” competition, organized by the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. (Nathan Oldham / UConn School of Business)

Junior Daniel Ruskin has an idea for creating an in-home, hand-held voting machine that electors would receive when they register to vote.Continue Reading