Bearcats Mean Business podcast

Mirsayah Wasnuk: (00:00)
Hey Bearcats, it's Mirsayah Wasnuk and I'm a student at the Lindner College of Business and the president for Net Impact uc Consulting. Welcome back to the Sustainability in Business, a Bearcats Mean Business Student series, a new series exploring key topics in sustainability, and how you can apply them to your future career goals in business. Today my guest is Jen Vasconcellos, assistant Sustainability Coordinator at the University of Cincinnati. Jen is here to discuss her role, the initiatives UC is taking to make campus more sustainable and how students can get involved. Thank you for being here, Jen.

Jen Vasconcellos: (00:31)
Thank you for having me. Happy to be here.

Mirsayah Wasnuk: (00:34)
Can you tell us about your current role as the assistant sustainability coordinator at uc and what your main responsibilities are?

Jen Vasconcellos: (00:41)
Yeah, for sure. So, um, my main responsibility is so program management, and so I manage, um, a few of our volunteer programs, the Environmental literacy certificate, which maybe we can talk a little bit about later. Um, and then as well as our student team, um, who runs the bike kitchen, our garden, and as well as Bearcat Recycling

Mirsayah Wasnuk: (01:06)
As a uc alum, how did your experience at the university shape your path into a career focused on sustainability?

Jen Vasconcellos: (01:13)
So I had a little bit of a roller coaster going into a career focused on sustainability. Um, I was a transfer student, um, during the pandemic and I was originally, um, a major in neuroscience. And so shortly after, um, you know, shut down restrictions lifted and everything, and I was at my in-person neuroscience classes, I realized I don't know that that wasn't really something that I wanted to do. Um, I didn't want go into medicine. I didn't want to go into like, uh, a clinical setting or anything. And so, um, I had to kind of refocus and be like, all right, what do I care about? Um, and I realized that's always been the environment and so I transferred into the environmental studies program and being a double transfer at that point, I guess, um, I was a little apprehensive, um, having not known any of these people really for my entire college career.

Jen Vasconcellos: (02:19)
And at this point I was a junior. I only had two years left. And so, um, luckily there were so many opportunities to get involved. The first, uh, thing that stuck out to me were the amount of student organizations that are focused on sustainability here at uc. And um, that combined with my coursework and just the community that environmentally focused people have here on campus, um, that really helped me as sort of a stepping stone. Um, I do wanna specifically mention net impact uc, uh, for sure I was, um, little did I know when I showed up to a meeting, I was showing up to the first meeting ever, um, . And so then luckily I was there kind of at ground zero able to um, um, build a club up from the beginning. And so that was just such an extraordinary opportunity for me. Um, having not been involved in anything in the past really. And then being there with that first cohort of net impact people, it was a really awesome, and, you know, I do feel like, um, we were all just kind of taking a chance on that situation and taking a risk and running with the opportunity that was presented with us, and it turned into something really awesome. And so that was definitely a major stepping stone for me as I step into my career.

Mirsayah Wasnuk: (03:47)
Are there any resources like clubs or student organizations besides net impact uc, uh, focused on sustainability that you would recommend for students to participate in?

Jen Vasconcellos: (03:57)
Oh my goodness, there's so many. I can't really pick favorites for sure , but I will say that, um, there are so many and they're all listed on the sustainability website. I kind of wanted to make sure that those organizations are consolidated somewhere just as a resource for people. Um, and I know there are other places such as Instagram where those are consolidated, but there's like 10, 15 plus organizations and they're all full of awesome people doing great things, so

Mirsayah Wasnuk: (04:26)
That's amazing. Are there any that like would be like very specific to a student within Lindner College of Business, um, that would help them grow their skills, um, to potentially help them in whatever career they decide to go in within business?

Jen Vasconcellos: (04:40)
That's a great question. Um, I would say most likely, there are a few organizations within DAAP. I know there's the Ecological Design club as well as um, urbanism Club, and those are both kind of getting on their feet. I believe they both just started in the past academic year. Um, that said, they already have some really great connections with professionals in the field, um, including, you know, planners, architects, landscape architects, um, and uh, people that are really experts in their field and experts of practice, you know, um, and so that's really one opportunity I see. Um, and just being able to network with those professionals is a really good opportunity, uh, for people in Lindner for sure.

Mirsayah Wasnuk: (05:28)
Amazing. Um, I'm gonna kind of transfer over over to more of your direct role within the office of sustainability. Um, my first question would be, what inspired do you see to prioritize sustainability and what are some of the key initiatives your offices working on or now?

Jen Vasconcellos: (05:46)
So, uh, I can't necessarily speak to the exact inspiration. I do know, um, that the university signed on, one of was one of the original signatories to, um, the American University President's climate commitment, which originated back in 2006, um, between a few organizations including Second Nature as well as a i, which is the American Association for Sustainability in Higher Education. So there were several college presidents, um, back in 2006 who got together to form this commitment, um, for university presidents. And the commitment is essentially to establish a culture of sustainability at a university. Um, and that's for students, faculty, staff, you know, kind of across the board. Um, and uh, uc was one of the original signatories in 2007. The year after that, that commitment was formed. And, uh, ever since then, um, we've done all, we have had so many initiatives since then, especially on I would say the operations side.

Jen Vasconcellos: (06:57)
Um, and that includes all of the leed-certified buildings, um, as well as our utilities management, um, the Department of Utilities. It can be easy to forget about, um, that that exists within the university, but we essentially have our own power plant here on campus and, uh, they've done so much to reduce carbon emissions there, make everything more efficient. So that's cost efficient and energy efficient, um, as well as wastewater retention. And it's some things that we're working on right now include, um, establishing campus as more of a living laboratory for sustainability. And that includes, um, for example, there was a rain garden established back behind the DAAP annex, um, which, uh, is significant for water retention and that was a horticulture class who designed and implemented that all themselves. There's a micro forest that's been installed behind the DAAP annex as well, um, involving some DAAP professors, DAAP students, and that's an ongoing research project as well. So that'll be going on for the next five, 10 years. And so we're really thinking long term about all of these decisions.

Mirsayah Wasnuk: (08:11)
What new sustainability projects can students expect from uc in the near future?

Jen Vasconcellos: (08:17)
So, uh, we're currently working on waste diversion across the board, both in, um, academic buildings as well as residence halls. And we'll be working with the city of Cincinnati's, office of Environment and Sustainability to implement, um, that recycling at residence halls as well as around different academic buildings including Lindner actually. Um, so keep an eye out for that for sure. We're doing some baseline audits right now and then we're going to implement the campaign as well as at Lindner. We're going to be implementing, um, sort of a new setup of bins with that dual setup trash and recycling as well as an education campaign and we're gonna see how that turns out and compare as compared to the baseline coming up in the spring semester.

Mirsayah Wasnuk: (09:07)
How can students advocate for or contribute to uc's ongoing sustainability efforts?

Jen Vasconcellos: (09:13)
I would say between the student organizations, um, as well as so many volunteer opportunities, there are so many ways to contribute. Um, Bearcat Recycling would be that number one right there, recycling after athletic events. Um, it's super quick and easy. There are always volunteer opportunities as well as just reaching out, um, to the office. We are open to talking and seeing how any individual might be able to get involved, um, using their talents and interests. And so, um, yeah, our inbox is always open.

Mirsayah Wasnuk: (09:50)
Awesome. Do you mind sharing your inbox?

Jen Vasconcellos: (09:53)
Yeah, it's Jen.vasconcellos@uc.edu I believe. Uh, in order to spell that people might have to take a look at the show notes, but , um, and then our total office inbox is just Green@uc.edu.

Mirsayah Wasnuk: (10:10)
And then what are some of the biggest challenges uc faces in becoming a more sustainable campus and how is your office addressing them?

Jen Vasconcellos: (10:19)
One major challenge right now includes funding, and I think that's kind of across the board for sustainability, not just here, but a lot of places, especially post pandemic sustainability has been kind of put on the back burner, um, in a good amount of sectors. I mean, I work in the restaurant industry as well, and I know certainly that's no longer a priority, um, post pandemic because people are just kind of trying to keep afloat, you know? Um, so funding is definitely a challenge.

Mirsayah Wasnuk: (10:51)
So for students who are just beginning their journey into the realm of sustainability, do you have any advice, um, for, you know, ways they can think about things or apply things in their lectures, um, or just within their day-to-day life?

Jen Vasconcellos: (11:07)
Yeah, so, um, I'll start out by saying there's three pillars to sustainability. Um, there's the environmental pillar, which is the one that most people think of, but there's also the social and economic pillars, um, which are just as important and they all tie back together. And so being able to think about sustainability as a systems problem rather than all of these disconnected parts, um, especially for students in Lindner, you know, thinking about just the supply chain for example. Um, that all is so incredibly tied in with, uh, all three of those pillars of sustainability. And so just thinking about things sort of through that systems lens, um, and through the bigger picture is, uh, something that got me really focused on sustainability as well. Um, just realizing how interconnected everything truly is. And so being able to apply that to your lectures is a great skill to have. Um, and also really helps you kind of integrate the knowledge that you're learning in your classes. So it's not just, you know, rote memorization or anything. It's thinking about how these concepts apply to the real world and how they're implemented and are they sustainable. I don't know. That's, uh, just a good question to ask. I think regardless of what class you're in.

Mirsayah Wasnuk: (12:39)
Do you have any recommendations on certifications or, you know, ways for students to develop their, their skills within sustainability and, you know, is there anything geared more towards Lindner students?

Jen Vasconcellos: (12:55)
So, um, I facilitate the environmental literacy certificate, which is a free co-curricular certificate, um, that students of all backgrounds can sign up for. And essentially in order to earn the certificate, you just have to get involved in sustainability focused events on campus. That is the main requirement. There are a couple short writing assignments and a couple reading assignments, but that said, it's not consolidated to one semester. You can take a minimum of a year and maximum your entire academic career to complete this certificate. So it's really go at your own pace. That said, I think it really introduces people into that systems thinking view that I was mentioning. Um, and uh, it's really just all a conversation and really helps people get, orient really helps students get oriented to the concepts of sustainability and I really like to advertise that certificate to people who aren't already in the environmental field, um, because it really is a good, just like 101, you know, and gets you thinking about that bigger picture.

Mirsayah Wasnuk: (14:13)
Do you have any advice for how Lindner students can leverage or articulate the importance of their certificate, let's say if they get one, um, during interviews or talks with recruiters?

Jen Vasconcellos: (14:27)
Absolutely. Um, so I think having that interdisciplinary knowledge of, uh, what sustainability is, what it looks like and those three pillars, for example, and how those concepts apply, um, in the classroom and outside of the classroom in the real world especially, I think that gives everyone a huge advantage regardless of if you're even getting an environmentally focused or sustainability focused job or not. I think being able to have that interdisciplinary base where you understand what the bigger picture looks like and things that might be outside of your potential role but still affect it, is huge for employers. And so I think that would be a really good way to leverage the certificate.

Mirsayah Wasnuk: (15:17)
And then where would a student go, uh, to apply to receive the certificate or get more information about it?

Jen Vasconcellos: (15:24)
You can go to the Office of Sustainability page on Get Involved UC. Um, it's a really quick form, you just fill it out and then I check those weekly. And so, um, about every Friday I'll accept applications. The only way I don't accept an application is if you graduate in less than a year, so as long as you got some time on your hands, Yeah. And you're ready to enroll, then I'll get you, I'll get you on the roster for sure.

Mirsayah Wasnuk: (15:52)
Thanks to Jen Vasconcellos for joining me today on this episode of Sustainability in Business, a Bearcats Mean Business Student Series. Be sure to subscribe, leave a review and share this episode with someone who's ready to take the leap at Lindner. Your feedback helps more Bearcats discover the show. Until next time, keep showing the world how Bearcats mean business.

Grant Freking: (00:00)
Welcome back to Bearcats Mean Business. Today's episode dives into one of Lindner's most powerful differentiators, the co-op experience. I'm joined today by Preston Simon, a second year finance and business economics student who's already built an impressive resume through hands-on roles in finance right here in Cincinnati. Over the summer, Preston worked in private wealth management at UBS financial services, gaining firsthand exposure to client strategy, investment insights, and performance tracking. Preston has since elevated his skills even further at RKCA investment bank, digging into financial modeling, valuation analysis, and pitch deck creation. From learning the art of client communication to mastering technical tools, Preston's co-op journey shows how classroom theory comes to life in the business world. You'll also hear how campus clubs, networking and Cincinnati's business ecosystem help open these doors and why Preston says co-ops are the best way to learn and launch a career. Welcome Preston.

Preston Simon: (00:57)
Hey Grant. Great to be here.

Grant Freking: (00:58)
Fresh off coming, actually from the co-op too. Looking good.

Preston Simon: (01:01)
Thank you. Thank you.

Grant Freking: (01:02)
Let's get right to the point. How did you obtain these two co-ops? Yeah, that's what the people wanna

Preston Simon: (01:06)
Know. Love it. Yeah. Um, I would say just, just getting out there, um, last year, I think like most freshmen, I wanted that co-op after freshman year summer, which is extremely hard to do. Yeah. Um, I got a lot of nos. I think I applied to 72 internships last year. I was spraying and praying. Um, I tried to apply to pretty much everywhere you could think of. Uh, I asked every upperclassman. I knew where they worked in the past and if they knew anybody there that I could get connected with. Um, so through that I just continuously applied. Uh, and then UBS just kind of happened. I, I reached out to some people on LinkedIn, um, through some contacts I had, and actually a guy kind of took a chance on me, a managing director there. Okay. Um, he gave me an opportunity to kind of pass my resume along and then it, it kind of worked out. And, uh, after a few interviews with some of the HR team, they, they liked me, I guess, and, uh, gave me the opportunity to work there this past summer. Um, that was an incredible opportunity. Uh, the team was amazing. I learned so much. So, yeah.

Grant Freking: (02:12)
How did your, what did your day to day look like, um, at UBS Financial services?

Preston Simon: (02:17)
Yeah. At first it was a little more structured and then as we went on, I got to do a ton of different things. A lot of sitting in on client calls. I didn't get to see any on, um, in, on any client meetings, but some calls I did. Um, I helped build some different, um, financial plans. Sure. For clients and got to see how that worked and, uh, um, some different things that UBS does. With that. I also got to just interact with financial advisors and they call 'em WSAs each day and CSAs, um, and just build relationships with them and, and kind of see what a day in the life looks like of a financial advisor. Mm-hmm . Working with clients, building those 5, 10, 15 year plans. Um, then we also build next Gen wealth plans, which were awesome. Kind of understanding how trusts work and, uh, different, uh, vessels work for generation wealth transfer. Okay. Um, so different things like that. But mostly my day-to-day was, uh, building, you know, performance reports, building meeting agendas, things like that. Uh, and sitting in on calls.

Grant Freking: (03:21)
Sure. Now that's a lot of the hard skills you learned. What are some of like the soft skills that you learned just by either interacting with your colleagues, observing, just becoming a professional for a relatively brief period of time? Yeah,

Preston Simon: (03:32)
Absolutely. So, UBS made it very easy. A lot of really awesome people there. Um, I was definitely nervous at first. I didn't wanna say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing, but they were just so accepting and so, uh, easy to talk to. So one of the things I kind of did was just make friends with the people I'm working with. Um, a lot of people advancing their career. That's kind of hard to relate to them, but they made it so easy for me to do that. Um, I also learned a lot of the, the things which to say what not to say by those calls. Uh, in those calls I didn't really learn a lot of the technical skills, but I also learned, um, just how to have a conversation with somebody and not talk about finance. I think that's so important to be able to have a conversation with a client or something and just how are you, what's going on in your life?

Grant Freking: (04:17)
Yeah. Build a relationship.

Preston Simon: (04:18)
Exactly. That's so important. Um, so those skills almost are more important in the relationship 'cause it's a relationship, uh, focused just career. Mm-hmm . Um, so having that great relationship with your client as well as being technically sound is important, but both of those things are equally as important.

Grant Freking: (04:34)
Sure. And as I mentioned earlier, you're fresh off your, um, actual current in, uh, co-op with RKCA investment bank. What do they have you doing day to day?

Preston Simon: (04:42)
Yeah, so I'm full-time there. Um, part-time classes here in Lindner. Um, there's a lot more technical, a lot more Excel and, and PowerPoint focused, um, which has been, I've learned so much so quickly because I've just had to, it's a lot of financial modeling, building pitch decks, um, for some projects we're working on. Currently, we're kind of at the beginning, at the end and the end of some of those projects. Mm-hmm . So, uh, learning a bunch of different things within the, within that, um, doing a lot of buyer's lists for our current clients that are going to market. Um, that's been great. But no, just, you know, living in Excel, living in PowerPoint, , learning the shortcuts. I mean, it is, it has been awesome. It's been really great and I've learned a ton. Yeah.

Grant Freking: (05:26)
Can you share a challenge you've maybe faced during this current co-op and how you've kind of approached solving it? Maybe based on sort of like your, your observation from being at the co-op, maybe your previous co-op experience or even stuff you've maybe learned here in the building at Lindner. Yeah.

Preston Simon: (05:40)
I would say asking for help. Um, the biggest thing I've learned in this co-op and over the summer is that so many people are willing to help you. Whether that's if you have a problem in your actual day-to-day job or if you're looking for something in the future for just your personal life. There's so many people who are ahead of you in their career who are willing to take a moment and talk to you and give you their time. But the hardest part is asking, uh, the biggest thing I've learned is just to ask. If you ask, you probably will receive. So if you have a problem, if you have a question, you just have to have the courage to ask. Um, I would say that's the biggest thing I've learned so far.

Grant Freking: (06:14)
Cool. What advice would you give for other Lindner students pursuing, co-ops you shared a little light on your, in your process, which is applying to, um, a wide range of companies and organizations, which is obviously not a bad strategy work for you, but would, what would your advice be to other Lindner students that are maybe, maybe a year younger, new, they're just starting out trying to look for some co-ops?

Preston Simon: (06:34)
Yeah, absolutely. I would say just get involved. Um, like I said, there's so many people who are willing to help you. Yeah. Um, ask upperclassmen, ask, you know, career coaches, people within Lindner, people on ucs campus try to get involved in things that aren't necessarily connected to uc. Just Cincinnati organizations. If you can, um, meet people, build relationships, don't always try to network. I think that worked really well for me. I just try to meet people, um, didn't expect anything to come out of it and great things did come out of it. Um, so that's, I would say just get out there, get in clubs, uh, go to the places where other people are getting internships. If you go there, you'll probably also get an internship. Mm-hmm . So just surround yourself with that, like-minded people.

Grant Freking: (07:17)
What would be your advice to yourself and your first year Lindner, maybe your first couple months on campus? There's a lot going on. What advice would you tell yourself about preparing for opportunities like this and just maybe in general?

Preston Simon: (07:28)
Yeah, I would say, man, that's, that's a good one. But I would definitely say just meet people. Um, build relationship with people. Um, understand what you really want, understand your why. I think that's something that I've been, I've been really thinking through recently. Um, understanding why I'm doing the things I'm doing, not just to do them for the resume, not just to check the box 'cause everybody else is doing it, but understanding why I truly wanna do the things that I want outta life. Mm-hmm. Um, when you understand that, it makes it way easier to kind of pick where you want to go, um, and then you can kind of build your life around that. If you wanna do this, you can do those things. If you wanna do this, you can do those other things. Um, but I would just say find out your why, understand why you wanna do the things you wanna do, um, and then surround yourself with other people who wanna do similar things.

Grant Freking: (08:16)
What's the adjustment been like as someone who is, you're part-time now? You said you were working full-time as your co-op. What's that transition been like from going from full-time student to full-time co-op and part-time student?

Preston Simon: (08:28)
Yeah. Um, it's, it's definitely an adjustment and I would say that it makes you realize that classes are pretty awesome. Uh, like working full-time is amazing, but it's a lot of work and it's definitely, there's a lot going on. So I think I'm definitely gonna enjoy those semesters of class so I can just kinda like, focus on studying and focus on learning. It's, um, I've learned so much already. Like I feel like I still am in class. I'm still, um, learning every day. My lessons aren't necessarily like a quiz, it's just the product I give to my, you know, my superiors, the vice presidents and the managing directors at the places I'm at. Um, so yeah, I would say it's, it's been, I wouldn't say difficult. It's been great. I've enjoyed the heck out of it, but, um, it's just been a, a, you know, a little hard to adjust to, but I've, I've enjoyed it for sure.

Grant Freking: (09:20)
In addition to your classes, in co-op experiences, you're also staying extremely busy with clubs. Tell me about your involvement with Lindner Investment, um, banking Club, queen City Consulting and Lindner Asset Management Club.

Preston Simon: (09:31)
Yeah. Um, so I joined all three of those clubs my freshman year. Uh, I tried to get involved in the things that I thought I would enjoy and the people in them. I like those people, so I just wanted to become close with them. Um, the investment banking club has taught me a lot, taught me to be successful today in, in my current co-op. Um, QCC has been awesome. I've built a ton of great relationships and got to do some pretty cool things around Cincinnati for some of the projects there. Um, and the, the asset management club, we actually started, me and me and some buddies last year. So that's been an also an awesome experience. Completely kind of a different route, starting a club at uc and, uh, getting buy in from other students, but we've had a lot of people really interested and I think we're at around 40 people now in the club and we're having a guest speaker here in two weeks, so shout out to that. But that, uh, we got a bunch of stuff going on there. So all three have been very different kind of, um, communities, but really great people in all of them. And, um, I've learned a ton and they've been great.

Grant Freking: (10:33)
The Asset Management Club in particular, it sounds like you've pa basically taken a leadership role from the beginning. What's that been like to try and create something from the ground up and then also trying to transfer your passion into other students who maybe aren't quite as passionate about the subject as you are?

Preston Simon: (10:46)
Oh, absolutely. Yeah. It's a lot of, a lot of trying, a lot of failing. A lot of you think something's gonna work out and it doesn't. It's actually the opposite works out. Um, but that's been super eye-opening and got to meet a lot of freshmen this year as they came in and, and have no idea what asset management is and explain what that is and why I love it so much and why we have a group of people who really enjoy it and they should also come check it out and just see if it's for them or not, uh, has been really awesome. Um, but yeah, it's, it's definitely, it's been a little, it's been tough at times, but it's when we have the success of people showing up and people buying in, that's what makes it all worth it. Um, then we have alumni who also are like, this is great. I wish I had this when I was around at uc. Um, that, that means the world to us. So having them come back and speak and do guest panels and help with interview questions and networking, like, you know, that, that makes it all worth it. Okay.

Grant Freking: (11:44)
Preston, let's close with five rapid fire questions and let's, you know, I'm sure the questions you get on the day-to-day at your coop are tough. Nothing like this though, I'm sure. Yeah, no. All right. Number one, what's your go-to study spot?

Preston Simon: (11:54)
Shoot. Okay. So I would say, uh, the fourth floor attic up in the attic. Kautz attic. Yeah. At Kautz Attic. Yep. Um, that's great. There's not, if you go there kinda later in the day, there's not too many people up there normally, so it's a quiet place. Pretty, it's pretty up there. The view's pretty cool, so Yeah.

Grant Freking: (12:11)
Yeah. You've got the view, you've got the tables, you've also got that like phone both looking thing that has that soundproof

Preston Simon: (12:15)
Too. Yeah. The soundproof. Yep. Yeah. Yeah.

Grant Freking: (12:16)
Number two, what's a business buzzword that you secretly love? The business world's full of buzzwords, acronyms that we're all, you and me, both and everyone here are familiar with. What's your, what's one you actually secretly love? Ah,

Preston Simon: (12:27)
Hedging. Uh, the word hedging. It's such a interesting word. 'cause when I first got here, somebody would say, oh, we're hedging a portfolio. And I was like, whoa, this is, like, this is so complicated. But now looking back, um, it just kinda makes me laugh 'cause it seems so complicated, but I can understand it now. So that's, that's one of 'em for sure. All

Grant Freking: (12:44)
Right. Number three. What's a song that instantly makes you feel happy and inspired?

Preston Simon: (12:48)
Yes. I'm a big Thomas Rhett guy. Okay. I'm a big country guy. Um, ain't a Bad Life by Thomas Rhett is one of those songs that just gets me going, man. It's, it's one of my favorites for sure. Okay.

Grant Freking: (12:59)
All right. What's an accomplishment of yours that you are proud of? Let's, let's move the co-ops aside. Yeah. We talked about those. What's accomplishment of yours that you are particularly proud of?

Preston Simon: (13:07)
Yeah, so, um, I, I'm paying for college, um, by myself. Uh, and one of the things I'm, I'm pretty proud of, which I didn't kind of think about till recently is I haven't taken out a loan yet. Um, so I'm, I'm currently working co-oping, but on the side and over the weekends I'm working at a country club. Mm-hmm . About 20, 25 hours a week. So it's a lot of work, but I am so proud that I have not had to take out a loan yet, and I've just been paying my way through. Um, it's definitely been a little rough, but like, it's so fulfilling to be able to do that and say everything I have is because I've worked for it. I, so that would be the thing that I say for sure. I am the most proud of.

Grant Freking: (13:44)
Congrats

Preston Simon: (13:45)
To you, man. Thanks, man. I appreciate that.

Grant Freking: (13:47)
All right, number five, one word to describe your time studying business at Lindner so far.

Preston Simon: (13:54)
Okay. Just one man. Oh, that's hard. I'll

Grant Freking: (13:56)
Give you two or three words if you do

Preston Simon: (13:57)
That far. Okay. Alright. Yeah, I, okay. Um, definitely rewarding would be a word I'd use. Um, with that you put what you get out, what you put in and you get it. I don't know how to say

Grant Freking: (14:08)
It. You put in what you get out.

Preston Simon: (14:09)
Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Um, if you put in a lot, you're gonna get a lot out. Sure. I feel like I've given a lot to Lindner and it's been really awesome to me. And I would say maybe like the second word could be transformative. Okay. Um, like if you looked at me from a year ago, I am a completely different person, uh, from the people I've met, the things I've experienced, I've experienced more in the last year than I could possibly imagine. Um, and I think Lindner and uc, the people of uc, the, the professors, the students altogether have changed my life for the better. And it's been awesome. It's been, it's been great.

Grant Freking: (14:45)
Preston, thanks for being here. Thank

Preston Simon: (14:47)
You so much for having me. It's been great.

Grant Freking: (14:49)
All right. That's a wrap on today's episode of Bearcats Mean Business. My thanks again to Preston Simon for sharing his co-op and Lindner journey with us today. Be sure to subscribe, leave a review and share this episode with someone who's ready to take the leap at Lindner.

Grant Freking: (00:00)
Welcome back to Bearcats Mean Business. Today's episode is all about project management and the upcoming Project Management Institute Summit at the Lindner College of Business. On November 8th, the Lindner College of Business is hosting the annual summit, the Institute's Southwest Ohio and Dayton Miami Valley Chapters. Lindner assistant professor educator Steven Jones and Lindner Senior Ryan Baillie are here to discuss their passion for project management, the project management opportunities afforded by Lindner and uc, and how students and professionals can each benefit from attending the summit. Welcome, Steven and Ryan.

Steven Jones: (00:35)
Thank you.

Ryan Baillie: (00:35)
Thank you

Grant Freking: (00:37)
Guys. Let's start with your project management. Why, Ryan? What's your why for your interest in the project management field?

Ryan Baillie: (00:44)
For me, it's the applicability to all industries. Project management isn't just a hard skill, like, say, Python or R. Project Management goes far beyond that. It's a mindset of thinking that you can apply to almost anything.

Grant Freking: (00:57)
Alright. Steven, you enjoyed a distinguished career as a project management professional prior to joining Lindner. Why did you decide to enter the field in the first place? And then why did you then decide to make the decision to become a professor?

Steven Jones: (01:08)
Yeah, I think, uh, I don't know that I found project management. I think it's more applicable to say project management found me, uh, early in my career. I, I started in sales, uh, before I moved into sales management. Um, and, and what I found was there was an opportunity to improve the efficiency of my teams. And as I improved the efficiency of my teams, ultimately we were more successful. So this is kind of how I got into project management and I, I really stuck with it because I saw the, uh, ability for its, uh, uh, value in continuing my career across multiple industries. So to, to go from, uh, telecommunications to IT services, to contact management, to consulting, uh, and, and now in higher ed. You know, what I realized in hindsight is that project management is one of those skills that will allow you to maintain your value and your value proposition as a professional throughout all the unforeseen changes that will happen in our economy.

Steven Jones: (02:15)
Uh, I think back over, you know, over the last 35 years, I've, I've traversed the, uh, economic disruptions of the internet, uh, the advancement of, uh, cell phones. Uh, and, and my project management skills have enabled me to continue to frankly make a living through all those, uh, changes. So that's ultimately what brought me into higher ed. I think after, I won't say after my career, but I got to a point where, um, I think I had achieved a, a frankly, more than what I had expected. Uh, and I had the opportunity to return here to my alma mater and I, and I'm really passionate about being able to help our students develop the skills necessary to be successful and maintain a long-term career. Um, I, I don't know if we are always intentional about that, you know, as, uh, higher educators, but for me personally, I, I recognize the importance of being able to have, uh, an adaptable skillset that's gonna enable you to, to, uh, maintain a, a career, uh, throughout all the unforeseen changes that are gonna come through your, uh, professional lifespan.

Grant Freking: (03:22)
Alright. And I think your response leads into my next question, Steven. So you're also the academic director for Lindner's undergraduate operations management program. What's the essence of that program and what careers are you striving to prepare students for?

Steven Jones: (03:35)
Yeah, that's a good question. Um, fundamentally what I'm trying to do is help the, you know, help the students develop the skills necessary to maintain a career over 30 or even 40 years without knowing what that's going to bring. Uh, and so as the academic director, my focus is identifying ways we can make our major of operations management more valuable. In, in that, uh, we are helping the students become more valuable in the marketplace. So when they graduate, they're able to consistently earn higher starting salaries, uh, be more desirable by candidates, uh, and, uh, give them the, the mentality and the understanding of how you create value. Because one thing that will not change in our economic, uh, landscape or any business landscape is the necessity of being able to create value. And if you know how to do that, regardless of what, uh, changes may come, you're going to, uh, continue to be able to, to maintain a position, uh, uh, and, and, and frankly maintain, uh, a value position in the marketplace.

Grant Freking: (04:40)
Ryan, operations management is not one of your, one, not two, but three majors. Can you provide some examples of in-class and sort of out of classroom experiences that have positively impacted your academic journey?

Ryan Baillie: (04:52)
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, he is sitting right next to me, professor Jones, in his Lean Kaizen class, OM 5086. We had an in-class project where we got to identify a process at a company that would say, you know, needing improvement. And through my class time, I got to work on that project, analyze that process, and actually make recommendations for them to improve that. For me, that was a really great experience in the classroom because I got to take what I was learning in class and apply it to the real world. At the same time, I also think our faculty and operations are phenomenal. You know, we're learning what they've done in the real world. We have Professor Jones right here, a lot of, uh, experience outside of the classroom with his own professional career. And we're seeing how those concepts in the classroom actually come to life.

Ryan Baillie: (05:37)
And for me, that really helps with the learning journey and making that connection to the real world. And outside of the classroom, it has to be my student clubs. Of course, we have Project Management Club, but I'm also involved with the Association for Supply Chain Management. Through those orgs, I've had the opportunity to meet so many incredible students who are in my major, um, you know, build those close relationships, but also network with professionals getting those skills, how to have professional conversations and really learn from them. One of my favorite questions to ask is, you know, what's, what's something you learned later in your career that you wish you knew on day one? Mm-hmm. And for me, I love asking that question, you know, because you get that advice. If they learned it 20 years down the line, they wish they knew at day one, they're more than happy to share that knowledge with students. So out outside of the classroom, it's getting involved with those student orgs, learning from professionals who are doing the work every single day.

Grant Freking: (06:24)
Right. Lindner is hosting the Project Management Institute's 2025 Summit for the organization's Southwest Ohio and Dayton Miami Valley chapters. The Summit features two keynote addresses, breakout sessions with three tracks, networking opportunities, and a welcome address from Lindner Dean Marianne Lewis, purchase your ticket by visiting pmi sw ohio.org. Ryan, what are you most looking forward to about the event and why should students attend? For

Ryan Baillie: (06:50)
For me, I'm looking forward to the opportunity at getting in front of project management professionals. You know, as the president of the student org, we're constantly looking for the next set of speakers or what skills that we can, uh, provide to our students through different events. We love doing those hands-on events. Is there a workshop a professional wants to run or we can give those students those real skills outside of the classroom? And for students, it's absolutely, it's the networking, learning what professionals are doing. One of the key highlights of this year's summit is AI. We hear all about AI all the time. This is an opportunity to learn from those professionals how they're actually utilizing these tools.

Grant Freking: (07:25)
All right. And Steven, what are you most looking forward to and why should project management professionals attend?

Steven Jones: (07:30)
Yeah, I, well, I'm probably looking most forward to one. I reconnect with some, uh, professionals, folks that I've worked with for years, some folks I trained in, uh, other companies that I was a part of. Uh, I also look forward to the opportunity for my students to meet some of these professionals, to help them build out their professional network, um, and for, you know, the professionals to be able to identify their next wave of talent. You know, as Ryan mentioned, you know, as he is the president of our project management, uh, student led project management club, they're constantly looking for the next wave of leaders, so are business professionals. And I think this is a great opportunity for those, uh, two worlds to connect. I'm also really excited to see and learn from other professionals who are really, um, you know, on the bleeding edge of how AI is changing project management to understand what they're doing. And, and these are things that I need to learn in order to incorporate in my classes, so that what we're teaching our students is always currently valuable and applicable to give them a strategic advantage when they, uh, begin to launch their career and go out into the marketplace and look for their first job.

Grant Freking: (08:37)
And Steven, you're also, um, overseeing a session which is entitled, Leveraging Generative AI for Enhanced Project Efficiency. Tell us more about that.

Steven Jones: (08:45)
Yeah, so I'm also not just a professor, I'm also a student. Mm-hmm . I've currently enrolled in our AI certificate program, which eventually will be a master's in AI. Uh, and what I've learned in these classes is how to build, uh, artificial intelligent agents. Uh, basically an AI agent can do anything, uh, task wise, um, software wise that a person could do. And so what I'll be demonstrating is how I built an AI agent that actually will conduct and do all of my project reporting, and it does it just as efficiently, uh, at, at the same, uh, or better level of accuracy without any human involvement. Uh, and for a project manager, you spend approximately about a third of your time doing project reporting and communicating. And so to be able to automate that level of work, uh, gives you a competitive advantage because now you're able to be that much more efficient and do that much more work.

Grant Freking: (09:41)
Alright. And Ryan, as we mentioned, you're the president of the uc Project Management Club. How is your organization getting involved with this?

Ryan Baillie: (09:47)
Yeah, so we'll be providing volunteers for the summit. We have a lot of professionals coming in who it's their first time at Lindner, so we'll help them navigate the building. We're also gonna have a booth set up, so any listeners out there, if you wanna learn more about the uc project management club, feel free to stop by. We'll be set up in the atrium. And my favorite part about getting involved, we are doing a lot of marketing for the, uh, PMI Southwest Ohio chapter. So on Instagram, we're making reels, uh, other promotional materials, just helping them get more of those marketing materials out to students.

Grant Freking: (10:18)
Right. And as a general overview, and maybe it's advice from our student listeners, Ryan, what's one piece of advice you would give to learn students interested in project management that are maybe not sure where to start?

Ryan Baillie: (10:29)
Yeah. I, I'd say getting involved early. Mm. Uh, if there's one thing, I look back on my academic career, it's felt like I got involved a little too late. I wish my first or second year I would've made the jump join the clubs. You know, I've met so many incredible people through that. But I'd say for project management specifically, check us out on Instagram at uc_pmc we post all of our events there. And then if you have the opportunity, I highly recommend any, uh, professor Jones's project management courses. It's a phenomenal educator, and I've learned so much from those, those classroom experiences with him.

Grant Freking: (11:02)
Steven, you, you're also involved, um, with our student organizations. I was wondering if you could touch on the importance of getting involved, um, from day one, as Ryan said, just said he wished he kind of would have.

Steven Jones: (11:13)
Yeah, I, I can't echo that point enough. You know, I was an undergraduate student here at uc. I graduated in 1991, and, uh, during my time here, I was a part of a lot of different student organizations. And I also interned, uh, throughout my last two years. And one of the things I wrote in a, in a paper, my undergraduate, was that, you know, a degree, uh, I'm sorry, an education is not a degree, you know, my education is beyond just the bachelor's degree that I earned, but it also is what I learned about interpersonal skills, communication skills, conflict management that I had to develop through my undergrad organization as well as my professional skills that I learned in my internship. So I would encourage any and every student to approach their college experience, not only in the classroom. I mean, that is important, but also to ensure that they have the opportunity to develop their interpersonal skills and leadership skills as well as their professional skills through co-oping in order to be the most well-rounded candidate possible, and really position themselves to be successful long-term in their professional career.

Grant Freking: (12:23)
Cool. Alright. And Steven, what's a common mistake young professionals make in project management and how can they avoid it?

Steven Jones: (12:30)
I would say there's fundamentally, the, the biggest common mistake is just the fear of making a mistake. Mm-hmm . Um, I, you know, I try to adopt a, a philosophy that, you know, you can make a mistake, just don't repeat a mistake because you learn from the mistake. And so either we, we can't lose. We either win or we learn. Uh, and I think that's one, and the second one, I guess to almost go along with that is not adding to their network or, or not really connecting with professionals and assuming that more seasoned professionals don't want to be, uh, have a business relationship with you. When I, I believe it's quite the opposite. And so I think that, you know, that's, that's kind of two, but they go hand in hand. And, uh, I would encourage any young professional, simply don't be a don't be afraid to make a mistake. You know, just learn from them and, and move forward. Because nothing great happens when people, uh, don't step outside of the, the norm of their comfort zone.

Grant Freking: (13:24)
All right, gentlemen, let's close with three rapid fire questions. Ryan, I'll start with you. Number one, what's your favorite project management tool or software?

Ryan Baillie: (13:33)
I love the Vertex 42 Gantt chart templates through Excel.

Grant Freking: (13:36)
Steven?

Steven Jones: (13:37)
That's funny. Actually. Mine is, it's not so much a tool, it's the, um, the ability to ask the right question, right? In order to really be effective in, in, in managing a project, you've gotta ask the questions that sometimes other people won't ask. And while there are many tools out there that you can use, and honestly, right now chat, GPT is one of my favorites, but knowing the right question to ask, even with a AI tool, you still have to know the right question to ask.

Grant Freking: (14:05)
Sure. I'll jump back to you on question two. Steven, what's one word to describe project management at Lindner?

Steven Jones: (14:11)
I think it's an evolving practice. You know, I think the, the organization is still coming to understand just how ubiquitous the skills are, how applicable it is across any and all majors, not just within Lindner, but across the university as a whole. So I really see it as evolving.

Grant Freking: (14:28)
Okay. Ryan?

Ryan Baillie: (14:30)
So for me, interactive, looking at it from the student club perspective, where we have professionals come in, we have hands on workshops, and then the classroom getting to take those concepts and applying them to a real project.

Grant Freking: (14:41)
All right. We'll close with this one. Tough question, Ryan. Last one dream project that you'd love to manage?

Ryan Baillie: (14:49)
That's a tough one. I'd say anything at an airport. Okay. And I've been an aviation nerd most of my life. I think airports are super fascinating. Anything to do with how, you know, if you look at the cargo perspective, anything that has to do with cargo flow, incoming traffic, anything like that in an airport would be super fascinating.

Grant Freking: (15:08)
I like that. Steven?

Steven Jones: (15:10)
Well, Ryan will get a kick out of this one because he knows I'm a Peloton addict. . So pretty much anything Peloton related, if it was in the studio, uh, a new product, oh, that would be my dream. Managing product development for a new Peloton piece of equipment, that would be my dream project.

Grant Freking: (15:29)
Okay. I like those two great answers to close. Well, that's a wrap on today's episode of Bearcats Mean Business. My thanks to Steven Jones and Ryan Baillie for joining me today to talk all things project management and the Project Management Institute's 2025 summit to the organization Southwest Ohio and Dayton Miami Valley chapters. Be sure to subscribe, leave a review and share this episode with someone who's ready to take the leap at Lindner. Your feedback helps more Bearcats discover the show. Until next time, keep showing the world how Bearcats Mean business.