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Students from Presidio School of Management Win Western Regional Competition of Wal-Mart's Better Living Business Plan Challenge

Students from Presidio School of Management Win Western Regional Competition of Wal-Mart's Better Living Business Plan Challenge

Published 02-25-09

Submitted by Presidio Graduate School

SAN FRANCISCO, CA. - February 25, 2009 - A team of MBA students from Presidio School of Management beat out teams from Stanford University and U.C. Berkeley’s Haas School of Business to win the Western Regional competition of Wal-Mart’s second annual Better Living Business Plan Challenge, started last year to give business students from around the world the opportunity to invent sustainable products and business solutions.

Sandra Kwak, Kendall Laine and Elizabeth Stuart from Presidio will be competing along with seven other teams in the semi-finals in Bentonville, Arkansas, in April. Three finalists will present to an executive panel, including Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott and executives from leading companies and non-governmental organizations.

"We are thrilled to have the opportunity to compete and incorporate everything we are learning in our Sustainable Management MBA program into our business plan," said Stuart. "The judges were impressed with the innovative Presidio approach to making a strong business case for sustainability."

The Presidio team wrote their plan for an easy-to-use smart-energy product called the Powerzoa, a technology product that meters and controls home energy use and connects to a personalized website that displays energy use information. The business plan incorporates sustainability principles throughout in a compelling integrated bottom-line approach. The students along with three other classmates developed the product idea last semester in a class on Sustainable Products and Services.

"Having three of our students win the Western Regional's of a global sustainability competition sponsored by Wal-Mart is an honor," said Nicola Acutt, associate dean, Presidio School of Management. "It is a testament to our innovative curriculum and validates our mission to develop leaders that have the competencies and courage to implement sustainable ideas in the business world. We applaud the students behind this business plan that so powerfully integrates bottom-line sustainability."

Presidio School of Management was one of the first schools in the country offering an MBA in Sustainable Management. With an emphasis on whole systems, the School’s curriculum teaches integrated bottom-line sustainability principles that serve as the foundation of a strategic commitment to sustainability, which has been proven to increase every aspect of shareholder value. More than a dozen studies done over the last two years have found that companies that behave in more sustainable ways have benefited through increased profits and market share and been able to drive innovation, attract the best talent and reduce costs and risks.

The students are scheduled to complete their MBA degrees at the School this May. They plan to develop a product prototype and further research product viability as they explore starting a company to develop and market the product.

Wal-Mart will present the winning team with $20,000 in prize money that can be used as seed money to fund their venture.


About Presidio School of Management

Founded in 2003, Presidio School of Management is an entrepreneurial business school with a groundbreaking educational model. Bringing together academic leaders, business practitioners and policy makers, the School’s initial success has been in the design and launch of an MBA Program in Sustainable Management. Today, more than 450 students are enrolled or have completed one of Presidio’s business programs. Students and graduates of the programs use proven sustainable management theory with practical experience to enable businesses to implement systemic changes for improving the way they do business and interact with their stakeholders. Presidio School of Management is an affiliate of Alliant International University, accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). For more information, please visit www.presidiomba.org.

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Presidio Graduate School

Presidio Graduate School

Founded in 2002, Presidio Graduate School (PGS) is a values-driven graduate school offering MBA, MPA, and Dual MBA/MPA degree programs and Professional Certificates in Sustainable Solutions. All courses in the first of its kind curriculum integrate social justice, environmental responsibility, and systems thinking.

A world-class faculty academy of full and part-time scholar-practitioners possess subject matter expertise across the full spectrum of sustainability disciplines. With over 1900 business and public administration alumni at the forefront of the field, PGS is a global hub for sustainability innovation and regenerative impact, helping forge a new definition of the common good at the intersection of for-profit and for-benefit. Learn more about PGS programs, people, and impact at presidio.edu.

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