IMPACT MBA Strategic Projects

AAA
2018-19
Developed an approach leading to valuable insights for business and strategy transformation to address the needs of millennial consumers and promote the digital deployment of their product offerings.

ABB
2019-20
Worked with the team in Zurich to propose sustainable, profitable business models, including go-to-market approach and organization capabilities to nurture and grow channel partner engagement and sales in the ABB Ability Marketplace™ ecosystem.

Agilent Technologies
Characterized the communication preferences of Agilent’s current and future customers, surveyed various communications strategies and vehicles, and developed actionable recommendations with respect to appropriate media mix and communications strategy.

AGR Partners | Pure Nature Foods
2018-19
In conjunction with private equity firm, conducted an analysis of the future of the grain industry with respect to snack food trends and where to focus strategic efforts.

AT&T
Analyzed the impact of and created a framework for transitioning from direct mail marketing to digital marketing for AT&T Wireless products for both general and diverse market segments.
Developed a clear market definition of eSports and surrounding industry landscape, projections for long-term profitability, conceivable competitors, trends in the market and potential advantages and pitfalls.

Blue Diamond Growers
Generated a complete analysis of potential business features, opportunities, and comprehensive financial model and key recommendations for implementation of a farm-to-factory tour attraction in downtown Sacramento.

Blue Shield of California
2019-20
Provided insights into market-informed recommendations for continued improvement of their rotational leadership programs with respect to recruiting, onboarding, curriculum, retention and placement.
2018-19
Evaluated, benchmarked and provided recommendations for a pilot program intended to offer support and retraining to employees who will be displaced by evolving healthcare models and improved technological processes.

Broadcom
2018-19
Real-time market analysis of new, high-speed semiconductor product release and development of social media marketing strategy and how to engage target consumers.
Developed a branding and implementation strategy to increase awareness of technological improvements and position the company as a leader in Wi-Fi 6 technology.
Prepared an independent market assessment for the Over-The-Top content delivery market. Developed a recommended IC investment strategy based on this assessment.

California Department of Insurance
2018-19
Analyzed data collected over three years to illuminate key findings and trends in diversity among insurer governing boards in California.

California Design Den
2019-20
Analyzed competitive advantages, evaluated team structure for scalable growth and developed overall strategy for branding, marketing, product positioning and extensions to continue growth and achieve revenue goals in the U.S. market.

Chevron Energy Solutions
Developed a competitive positioning strategy for Chevron Energy Solutions; addressed market gaps and identified effective ways to communicate CES’ value proposition in the civic and public education markets.

Cisco Meraki
2018-19
Profiled the likely drivers and detractors of the shift from Command Line Interface (CLI) to cloud-based infrastructure, including key beneficiaries, expected timing and placement, and defining potential value-added to companies.

City of Sacramento
2018-19
Explored the economic impacts of the transition to a legal cannabis industry, including labor demands, tax implications and consumer profiles, as well as industry forecasting.

The Coca-Cola Co.
2018-19
In alignment with Coca-Cola’s World Without Waste initiative, the project goal was to connect understanding of consumer recycling behavior to deeper material trends and technological advances in the marketplace.
The Coca-Cola Co. | Minute Maid Business Unit: Assessed the industry for whitespace opportunities in plant-based beverage categories, considered consumer usage and barriers, and identified new platforms and constructed an innovation pipeline.
Provided insights on the impact of and drivers from other influencers (music, fashion, media and entertainment, beauty, health and food) on the beverage industry, and created a roadmap for how to synthesize trends to new products.

Daikin
Developed an assessment of how the Internet of Things could be leveraged for the company’s future product development. Recommended opportunities to pursue in the “smart” and “solar” spaces.

Driscoll’s
Assessed technological advancements in agricultural production, including evaluation of key issues, financial impact modeling and generation of a high-level deployment “road map” for targeted potential solutions.

E&J Gallo Winery
2018-19
Analyzed the capability to optimize inventory throughout the enterprise through evaluating the benefits of rebalancing vs. production; demonstrated financial advantages via working capital; and created a prototype for the process.
Past Project
Proposed and analyzed various plant workflow and configuration alternatives to accommodate a 2x increase in production capacity. Recommended a solution that optimized both product throughput and end-to-end transportation costs.

EllieMae
Explored blockchain processing technology for registering transactions to effectively challenge title-related business entities and disrupt current systems, incorporating an analysis of risks, practical implementation, and assessment of market opportunities.

Engage3
2018-19
Evaluation of market readiness for personalized retail pricing technology and recommendations for market positioning.

Engie Ventures
2018-19
Identified innovative approaches to financial deal structures and evaluation of potential strategic partners and the competitive landscape, and made recommendations on approach best suited to the company’s target markets to drive company growth.

First Northern Bank
Developed an approach, plan and set of initiatives to help First Northern Bank more effectively serve the small business market segment to increase profitability in a competitive landscape.

Gartner
Conducted field interviews, a survey and independent analysis to identify key traits associated with increased selling productivity by Gartner’s managing partners. Developed a recommended go-forward approach to drive the maximum productivity ramp.
Defined a globally consistent onboarding process for new associates, which involved a market scan of onboarding strategy with comparable agencies, defining best practices, identifying cultural and geographical challenges, assessing KPIs and success criteria, and offering recommendations for implementation.

Gemini Bio-Products
2018-19
Assessed key market trends, identified potential market opportunities and developed recommendations regarding new market entry, drivers and competitive sales projections for the company to broaden portfolio into reagents and consumables.

Get Satisfaction
Conducted industry analysis and gathered competitive intelligence for Get Satisfaction, an innovative SaaS company with an industry-leading community platform that helps customers unleash the power of conversation.

2018-19
Validated new cloud software value equation for enterprises moving to a hybrid and multi-cloud world, quantifying success metrics and understanding costs and benefits for technology and cloud adoption, and a competitive analysis of competitors and go-to-market approaches.

Greater Sacramento Economic Council
2019-20
Analyzed costs of relocating companies outside California including moving costs, hiring new staff, productivity down-time, etc., and created a predictive model to use in laying out a comprehensive value proposition to keep businesses in the region and state.

HALL Wines
High-end Napa Valley winery sought to segment their customer base through analysis of buying patterns and product preferences and values, and identify most attractive segments for growth and effective direct-to-consumer marketing channel mix.

Hanson McClain Advisors
Built out a national survey to help measure the most predictive indicators of happiness in retirement based upon the company’s framework.

HarvestMark
Explored, evaluated and tested go-to-market strategies and product features to accelerate growth of a personal nutrition app for HarvestMark, a late-stage venture building internet and mobile platform for farm-to-fork traceability and shopper feedback.

HM.CLAUSE
2018-19
Built out a set of goals and metrics that would support the execution of strategic initiative plan to maintain overall competitive advantage; identified KPIs and ways to monitor execution, operational effectiveness, and other critical aspects of culture and engagement using “balanced scorecard” methodology.
Past Project
Evaluated the evolving market for vegetable production in protection production systems and identified the implications for overall vegetable production in North America. Proposed new market strategies that identified top opportunities, key success factors, required investment and potential risk factors.

HP
Developed a growth strategy focused on providing value-added services to small- and medium-sized businesses for HP’s imaging and PC business.

IBM
Produced a detailed market analysis of engagement models, trends, success criteria, tools, campaigns, use cases and recommendations for increased collaboration between industry and academia in addressing the skills gap in emerging technology sectors.

Impossible Foods
2018-19
The company sought a team to valorize co-products created from plant-based meat alternative production, create a bio-refinery business plan, and a strategy for monetizing co-products including key opportunities and risks.

Intel Corporation
2019-20
Developed an analysis of thermal solution vendors regarding technology and market position and provided recommendations for investments, partnerships and/or potential acquisition targets to allow the company to increase vertical integration as a component supplier.

Intermatic
Developed a business plan for entry into the building/energy management system solutions space.

Intrexon Crop Protection
Prioritized potential market segments, developed theory of competitive advantage, and evaluated potential go-to-market strategies to introduce the company’s successful self-limiting insect technology to US fruit and vegetable producers.

Johnson & Johnson
Developed a framework to measure and value Johnson & Johnson’s sustainability initiatives in the medical device and diagnostics business; identified key sustainability-related customer purchase drivers, and recommended areas of focus to address emerging needs and the competitive landscape.

K Coe + Isom
2018-19
Analysis of U.S. and foreign investments in a new targeted area of the world including growth trends and barriers in the agriculture market to inform their overall company strategy.
Conducted targeted market research and analysis on the key strategies and trends in the food and agriculture industry to help inform the company’s overall roadmap for providing consulting services

Keysight Technologies
2019-20
Focused on implementing the learnings from recent organizational shift around industry segments and customers and resultant higher level, strategic relationships and an increase in the company’s growth rate to identify additional opportunities that leverage the company’s full portfolio for specific industry focused bundled solutions.
Past Project
Made recommendations to inform company’s transformation from a product-centric hardware company to a software-centric solutions company including how to dynamically adapt the consumption, delivery, monetization models and associated operational processes to the markets they serve.

Logitech
2018-19
In conjunction with ZHAW School of Management and Law in Switzerland, provided an outsider view on how an existing or new competitor might disrupt the market and impact Logitech’s leadership position in workplace innovation.

Marrone Bio Innovations
Identified potential opportunities for natural herbicides and pesticides in the legal cannabis market, assessing product needs and positioning and developing an understanding of how to approach and market to key players in the industry.

Mars, Incorporated
2018-19
Built a tool used to evaluate available technologies and potential strategic value of investment options for digital marketing analytics.
Assessed the commercial viability of a new technology; helped the firm develop product applications and identify opportunities based on new and existing consumer insights, effectively serving as the initial marketing team for this cutting-edge technology.

Micron Technology
2018-19
Developed and recommended disruptive strategies that Micron could adopt to offset competitive moves and maintain market leadership in the autonomous vehicle semiconductor market.

Microsoft
2018-19
Microsoft’s Airband Initiative aims to bridge the digital divide by enabling internet access to rural America. In partnership with Cal.net and Synnex, the project focused on developing a model to drive business opportunities in targeted verticals through untapped technologies like TVWS and IoT.

MomKit
Start-up breastfeeding assistance app engaged a team to define target customers and company valuation; project involved efforts in customer discovery, market research, product pricing, and financial modeling.

NetApp
Analyzed the changing strategic context for NetApp and data storage as more businesses move to cloud solutions. The team built business cases and associated pricing models for hybrid cloud/on-premises solutions evaluating both the data storage industry and comparable industries that have experienced disruptive changes.

Nor-Cal Beverage
Developed innovative options to reduce, recover and reuse wastewater from the company’s reverse osmosis water filtration system. Identified recommendations to reduce the need for additional municipal water and provide long-term sustainability advantages for the company.

Nugget Markets
2019-20
Identified operational and cost savings opportunities in order to improve efficiency and profitability in prepared food offerings including an analysis of operations and production flow and timing, and developed an inbound forecasting tool based upon sales data as well as a scorecard to measure loss of inventory.

Ooma
2018-19
Team conducted market research aimed at understanding customer base for the company to target potential small and medium-sized business customers and effectively meet their needs.

OpTerra Energy Group Inc
Completed Smart Cities opportunity assessment based on analysis of customer needs and client capabilities. Delivered a customer targeting methodology and framework.

Pachamama Coffee Cooperative
2018-19
Developed a creative strategy to access long-term, patient capital in the US in order to invest in expansion of the direct-to-consumer distribution platform for this fast-growing coffee company, owned by thousands of family farmers.

Parsable
2018-19
Defined and developed a ubiquitous ROI calculation approach to be used throughout the company’s selling platform; plans are to deploy the ROI calculator to demonstrate the value in sales cycles and calculate results in implementation across all verticals.

Permanente Medical Group
2019-20
Assessed current delivery model for urgent care and recommended future paradigms through an assessment of patient needs and perceptions of urgent care, current workflow and process mapping, and modeling costs and staffing needs for maximum efficiency and an optimal patient care experience.
2018-19
Assessed current access points for care delivery systems to help leaders understand what strategic options can be implemented to provide quality care to members, with a special emphasis on the millennial patient population.

PG&E
2019-20
The project sought to understand how best to implement a portfolio transition with an emphasis on new CPUC requirements and how that impacts working with internal partners, and developed tools for leadership as they put into operation changes in energy efficiency.
2018-19
Developed a comprehensive benchmarking effort to define and assess a major organizational transition and business model change, and recommendations for how to move forward through the shift.

Plantronics
The leading designer, manufacturer, and marketer of headsets and other communications accessories sought a team to assess and refine a business model, competitive positioning and pricing strategy for an innovative and high-potential new product.

Redpine Signals Inc.
2018-19
Evaluation of the competitive market for a SaaS model-based feature, recommendations for business model covering competitive pricing and marketing messages, and a benchmarking strategy to evaluate model success.
Evaluated go-to-market strategies for the software to identify the right customer segment, studied existing business models, and made recommendations for competitive market positioning, pricing strategy and messaging.

Sacramento Kings
2019-20
Analyzed the bourgeoning market of e-Sports competitions and how to best leverage Kings Guard Gaming and NBA 2K league competitions, and further, how gaming will drive interest in the Sacramento Kings and create new and deeper relationships with the franchise and the community at large.

Sacramento Republic FC
2018-19
Built an operational and financial model intended to enhance, develop and rebrand the club’s soccer camps and clinics programs, and support this with a marketing strategy to drive participation and revenue.

Sims Recycling Solutions
Developed an implementation plan to integrate the S3i business model into the existing Sims Recycling Solutions operations.

SkySlope
2018-19
Explored pursuits of new verticals, competitors and market opportunities in the complete real estate transaction from contract to close for this rapidly-growing software company.
Assessed how the next generation of home buyers envision the ideal home buying process and developed strategic recommendations for the company to disrupt the space, including building a blueprint of needs for new homebuyers and recommendations for market positioning to meet evolving demands.

Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD)
2019-20
Conducted an analysis of comparable upward mobility programs in order to create a comprehensive career path model to attract and maintain qualified talent allowing employees to recognize opportunities for advancement, and developed recommendations for an internal marketing campaign and phased roll-out of program.
2018-19
Researched and developed recommendations for a rotational employment program to complement the existing corporate culture while addressing emergent issues in a competitive labor environment.
Past Project
Conducted an analysis of the benefits and challenges of creating a regional Security Operations Center (SOC) to provide a proactive approach to cyber-security risks and vulnerabilities within its infrastructure.

Snell Memorial Foundation
2018-19
Assessed the global market for their certified products, and identified the most impactful opportunities and markets to grow awareness, interest, and purchase intent for Snell certified headgear.

Square, Inc.
2019-20
Developed creative ways to use data to inform strategic priorities and investments and make sound financial decisions for the company including an analysis of data and summary of outcomes, key correlations and recommendations for next steps.

Stanley Black & Decker
2019-20
Researched development of products that will compile a digital history and record of data about a house that can be used and referenced by homeowners through identification of customer segments and needs, product roadmap, competitive analysis, feasibility and go-to-market strategy.

Sutter Health
2018-19
Evaluated prototypes of care models, technical feasibility and user desirability for unmet millennial user needs, and a forecast of how each model might perform against those demands.

Synaptics
2019-20
Conducted an analysis of what kinds of devices will have video or voice processing at the edge of a network as opposed to in the cloud, including market study and product positioning.

Synnex
Analyzed the IoT device landscape and evaluated potential paths to fill the most promising opportunities with current or acquired resources, and an assessment for how such an effort would integrate with existing Cloud and Mobility businesses.
Analyzed sales data, and interviewed and surveyed customers to identify opportunities in Software-as-a-Service products for Fortune 500 information technology supply chain services company. Developed sales and customer segmentation strategies to accelerate cloud services adoption.

UC Davis Energy Conservation Office
Conducted a complete analysis of methods, recommendations, opportunities, challenges and barriers for successful execution of a project converting the campus heating system from steam to hot water, supporting the Carbon Neutrality Initiative, which commits the campus to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2025.

UC Davis Global Affairs
2018-19
Traveled to Santiago, Chile to participate in the startup phase of an international venture intended to strengthen UC Davis’s visibility and presence in regions around the world. Pinpointed the UC Davis center in Chile as a prototype to develop KPIs and engagement strategy in the region and globally.

UC Davis Health
Identified and analyzed opportunities to develop specialized state-of-the-art training programs across myriad surgical specialties, evaluating current facilities and making recommendations for how they should be repurposed to meet the needs of stakeholders.
Explored opportunities to launch a University-supported business incubator or accelerator with an eye on alignment with the institution’s mission.

UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine
2018-19
Completed a strategic evaluation the veterinary medical school’s pricing across major clinical lines of service in order to complete a comparative analysis and economic model to inform the impact of shifting pricing strategy on services.

UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC)
2019-20
Researched and analyzed aspects of creating a marketable product from a removed invasive species in order to create a revenue source, improve lake clarity and restore the natural food chain balance.

UC Davis Viticulture & Enology
2018-19
Created a nonprofit entity that will work to facilitate legal wine transfers and generate revenue that can be returned to the program.

UCSF Medical Center
Developed a marketing plan to build awareness focused on the consumer (patient) audience.

Varian Medical Systems
2019-20
Analyzed factors involved in Varian’s Cloud initiative, including competitive intelligence offerings, value propositions and adoption challenges that should be considered in order to create a leading market position.
2018-19
Assessed potential new market size and structure, analyzing the competitive and regulatory landscape, and developing and testing hypotheses on the most successful way to enter the veterinary oncology market.
Past Project
Created objective metric strategy to assess engagement performance across the ways that the company interacts with customers and other constituents at the user level, and developed specific set of measurable, achievable, and relevant standards to improve the company’s performance.

VSP Global
Proposed actionable marketing and business strategies to expand the company’s individual vision care line of business.

Wells Fargo
Identified attractive target markets and developed strategies in support of Wells Fargo’s goal to become a leader in mass market retirement savings.
Cleantech banking unit worked with student team to maximize market intelligence and developed recommendations to establish a competitive EV finance practice.