Fowler Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit

We are happy to share with you the exciting news that Chuck Fowler has received one of the Weatherhead School of Management's inaugural Hall of Fame Awards. Please join us in celebrating the enourmous achievements of Chuck Fowler. We are grateful for his leadership and kind heart and can't wait to see him honored by the school.

?? Innovation Meets Impact: The Story of Conserve India ?? Conserve India is revolutionizing sustainability by transforming plastic waste into beautiful, functional products like vegan leather fashion accessories and low-cost housing tiles. Beyond reducing pollution, they empower women in the ragpicker community with fair wages and financial independence—an inspiring example of how business can drive a circular economy and uplift grassroots communities. In our latest Aim2Flourish interview, we explore how this social enterprise, led by Kanika Ahuja, has saved thousands of kilograms of CO2, upcycled hundreds of tons of plastic, and created global impact through their brand, LIFAFFA. ?? Watch the full story on YouTube (https://lnkd.in/eVRTQJPU) and learn how Conserve India is making a difference while addressing UN Sustainable Development Goals like Responsible Consumption & Production and Gender Equality. #Sustainability #SocialImpact #CircularEconomy #Aim2Flourish #UNSDGs #ConserveIndia #InnovationForGood

?? Social Entrepreneurship ?? In the ThinkImpact program, we believe in more than just business—we believe in impact. Eduardo Bautista shares his appreciation for being part of a social venture project, saying: "It’s about doing business beyond the sake of profit." Eduardo’s journey is a testament to the power of social entrepreneurship, where students apply their skills to create real-world change. #ThinkImpact #SocialEntrepreneurship #RealWorldExperience #BusinessForGood #Changemakers #BeyondProfit

??Hear from Mark Wani, a Computer Science and Finance major, as he reflects on his experience in the ThinkImpact program! Before joining the program, Mark believed he understood social impact, but the program gave him a deeper perspective. He gained the skills to create a solid business plan and practical insights on how to effectively run a social impact business. Catch his full story in the video! ???? #ThinkImpact #StudentTestimonial #BusinessPlanning #ComputerScience #Finance #CWRU

Last week we had the Interim Presentations for our current projects under Fall 2024 Business for World Benefit Clinic (BWB Clinic). It was very impressive to see the students articulate the project scope and share the progress made so far.?Some of the projects teams are working upon this semester include: ?? helping a business to achieve non-gmo certification for its products Mugsy Bakes (Devon Climer) ?? conduct gap analysis to increase score on B Impact Assessment to support their mission to gain B Corp certification pigybak (Shanna Greathouse, MBA, PMP) ?? undertake cost-benefit analysis of the current process & procedures to limit the GHG emissions?LayerZero Power Systems (Jack Dey) ?? research & analyze the SDG Action Manager Assessment by B Lab and become certified Got Produce Global Brands (Deborah Walliser) ?? develop a comprehensive guide containing best practice for community expansion & support the client in the follow-up post submission of B Impact Assessment Holmes Mouthwatering (Ethan Holmes) ?? Conduct research and market analysis to create marketing strategy & action plan for the client (Johnathon Jamison) ?? Create a strategic survey to assess the products of an organization working to support youth mental health and devise a marketing & outreach campaign targeting schools & hospitals COPE Network The breadth and depth of these projects are commendable. Super proud of this cohort! Very excited to see how they progress and look forward to their achievement/ deliverables in the final presentation to be held on Dec 6th. Thank you to our Coaches (Lorraine Schuchart, APR, Beau Daane (he/him/his), Cole Mellino, Karen Shulman, MBA, Megan Kuhar )who came to support our students. Megan (Schulstad) Buchter, MBA Dr. Ayushee Agarwal Luke O'Connor, Pehel Patel, Aisha Bello, Keren Hu, Shourya Gera, Divyesh Aashiya, Naomi Joseph, Adam Saar, Elise Rolston, Jasper Tenga, Priyanshi Gupta, Shaffin Karani, Ayten Tamahkar, Tegan Hurlbut, Rohan Borse, Shamiso Ruwende, Loukik Rawal, Jayshree Srinivasan, Iris Dou, Tarush Bachal #bwbclinic #fowlercenter #weatherhead

?? Check out this inspiring student testimonial from Prabin Dahal, a Finance and Accounting major, who participated in our ThinkImpact program! Prabin shares how the program helped him build strong connections with fellow students and tackle real-world problems alongside his cohort. He’s grateful for the valuable experiences and growth he gained from the program. Watch the full video to hear more about his journey! ?? #ThinkImpact #StudentTestimonial #Finance #Accounting #ProblemSolving #CohortLearning #CWRU

?? We are grateful to Cole Mellino for an engaging and insightful session conducted as a part of Fall 2024 Business for World Benefit Clinic’s Speaker Series. ?? Sharing about the trends in the sustainability domain, the session outlined the increased regulatory pressure to disclose more, the new SEC climate rule, the nudge from the investor community and the over consolidation of sustainability reporting frameworks. ?? Cole also highlighted the skills that must be learned for anyone aspiring to become a sustainability consultant. Thank you Beau Daane (he/him/his) and Karen Shulman, MBA for chiming in and making this sustainability-focussed discussion more engaging.?We are always thankful to the professionals sharing their knowledge & wisdom with student community. Megan (Schulstad) Buchter, MBA Dr. Ayushee Agarwal #bwbclinic #fowlercenter #weatherheadschool #sustainability

?? ThinkImpact: Innovating for Social Good ?? Through the Fowler Center, the ThinkImpact program brings students together to tackle social and environmental challenges, creating innovative solutions that positively impact communities and the environment globally. MATAGARI OUATTARA, a biomedical engineering and business student, as she shares her ThinkImpact journey: “When I'm facing challenges with my idea, I can talk to others in the program who I wouldn’t have had access to without ThinkImpact."? #SocialImpact #ThinkImpact #Innovation #FowlerCenter #Sustainability #GlobalCommunity

During Spring Break 2024, students enrolled in MGMT 315: "Managing in a Global Economy: Social Entrepreneurship in Ireland" traveled to Ireland to expand their knowledge on sustainable business practices. This photo from the trip won the Faculty Favorite category in the 2024 Study Abroad Photo Contest! ???? Big thank you to the Office of Education Abroad for highlighting the global learning journey. #StudyAbroad #PhotoContest #FacultyFavorite #GlobalExperiences #SocialEntrepreneurship #Ireland

This week is all about giving back to the startup community in Cleveland and I am JAZZED. This evening, I get to be a judge in I-Corps for the startup showcase where many talented entrepreneurs will be pitching their ideas. If you're not familiar, I-Corps is a program sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) which was originally designed to support technical research students in finding product market fit for their research and innovation. It is now accessible to any early entrepreneurs - so find it in your local ecosystem if you're kicking around a new idea. pigybak went through 2 rounds and got to interview more than 100 people as a result of the program, refine our Lean Canvas, while also learning additional frameworks like the Mom Test and Jobs to be Done. Can you tell I'm excited??? Then, Friday we get to speak to 30 students on our mission and progress at MAGNET: The Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network. We are so honored to get to share our enthusiasm for building in Cleveland and our passion for our mission to build up communities from the home up! This week also begins our internship program through Greater Cleveland Partnership where we have 2 marketing interns coming on board from Cleveland State University. We also are beginning our journey to B-Corp certification with Fowler Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit with a talented group of students! Still more exciting things to announce for Pigybak - including our latest addition to the team. Stay tuned! #believeland #entrepreneur #founderlife #foundermode #giveback