Future Alumni Entering the Network

Sid Banthiya

Several years ago, while doing mergers and acquisitions work for an investment banking firm in Boston, Sid Banthiya, MBA ’07, decided to take a hiatus from the working world to travel, reflect and plan out his next career move. By the time he came back from his adventures abroad, he knew his future would involve international business.

During his journeys to Europe, Africa and Australia in 2002, fellow travelers inspired Banthiya to join the Peace Corps.

“They told me about the Corps’ business programs—one of which involves helping municipalities with strategy and financial planning.” Banthiya spent the next two years volunteering in a small town in Paraguay where he worked closely with citizens to reorganize the town’s property tax system.

“They had a haphazard system. Nobody knew where their taxes were going or what they should be paying,” he remembers. “The way the mayor and I set it up, everybody knew—based on what their homes were worth—what kind of tax they would get and what services would be directly affected.” With the new system in place, the town began a rapid program of renovation and rejuvenation.

When he returned to his home state of Texas, Banthiya decided McCombs was the right place to continue his work.

“I really liked McCombs because the broader university has so many different resources to tap into, including some specific programs that were right up my alley.” Banthiya now participates in the Venture Fellows program, which places students in an internship with a venture capital firm in Austin for 10 to 20 hours each week. His internship at CenterPoint Ventures, one of Texas’ largest venture capital firms, allows Banthiya to gain experience working on important issues for CenterPoint’s portfolio companies.

Ultimately, Banthiya wants to pursue international investing. “I always wanted my work to have an international side and a development side,” he says. “I see my time in the Peace Corps as my first exposure to that.” —Asher Garonzik

Chad Baumler

As an Iowa native and successful associate at CB Richard Ellis, Inc., Chad Baumler, MBA ’07, was slightly hesitant about packing up and moving south. But after learning about the great reputation of the McCombs MBA program, he knew The University of Texas at Austin would be the right fit.

“There are just good people here,” Bumler says. “The people are welcoming, not arrogant. It’s a real experience.”

Baumler has sought many “real” experiences while working his way through the program. One was joining the 20-student group that makes up the MBA Investment Fund, LLC. He and the rest of the team manage value, growth and fixed-income portfolios with managed assets exceeding $14 million.

“Working with the MBA Investment Fund has been an invaluable experience,” Baumler says. “I get real-world training on how to invest actual dollars; we’re not just talking about it.”

He has also participated in several competitions, winning first place in the 2005 Asset Management Stock Pitch Competition and third place in the 2005 Finance Case Competition sponsored by the McCombs School.

“Each of these competitions encouraged a competitive team environment, but it was about working with one another, not against,” Baumler says.

In his free time, he volunteers for the McCombs Admissions Committee, where he reads through piles of MBA applications and answers questions for prospective students. His advice to McCombs hopefuls is to come in with a plan.

“It’s easy to get distracted with all of the career options available,” Baumler says. “Texas offers so many opportunities to be exposed to all sorts of career paths, but it’s easy to get overwhelmed.”

Baumler’s main mission for his remaining time at McCombs is to continue learning how to manage money. Without ruling out any opportunity, his goal is to find a purpose by examining his skills and figuring out how they can best be used to benefit society—no matter where that takes him. —Kate McCann

Nick Bhavsar

After earning his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at the University of Illinois, Nick Bhavsar, MBA ’06, put his undergraduate education to use as an intern for Intel Corp. But after spending a year and a half in Seattle and two years in Portland designing servers, Bhavsar decided to pursue something closer to his real passion.

“I’ve always wanted to start my own business,” Bhavsar says. “After working at Intel for four years, I wanted to get some business background.” After examining many options for business school, the Houston-native chose to return home to Texas.

As a first-year student, Bhavsar designed his own project through the MBA Plus Program. After sifting through many ideas, he homed in on an idea for a company that would help home buyers find real estate offerings specific to their own tastes. In trying to bring this idea to fruition, he got a taste of running his own company. “I wanted to see what it was like to start a business,” he says. “With the Plus Program, you at least get in front of people and start talking about your idea. You figure out if it could work or not.”

Bhavsar’s second venture began as a 60-second pitch at the McCombs Pitch Party—where he earned third place. After the event, many people approached Bhavsar and encouraged him to produce his product, a durable cover for laptops decorated with various logos such as the Longhorn.

“After the Pitch Party people kept coming up to me, saying, ‘If you ever come out with these things, let me know and I’ll buy one,’” he says. The following semester, he workshopped the idea in his Opportunity Identification class, smoothed out the kinks, and put the project into production last summer. Bhavsar now sells Laptop Lids online at www.laptoplids.com  and at various retailers around Austin.

After he graduates, Bhavsar wants to stay involved in small business. “I’ve enjoyed working for big companies like Intel, but my heart is in my own ideas. I want to find a local start-up where I can keep my hand in things.” —Asher Garonzik

Emily Durrett

After spending five years as an analyst for American Airlines, no corner of the world was out of reach for Emily Durrett, MBA ’06. Even as she circled the globe, collecting countless passport stamps during travels for the company, Durrett realized that despite her early success, her career momentum would soon slow.

“I observed that those with MBAs from leading schools frequently earned promotions and held many senior-level positions,” says Durrett. “An MBA was on my radar for quite some time.”

Choosing to return to the same school where she earned her undergraduate marketing degree, Durrett has found that being an MBA at McCombs is different for her.

“Because MBAs are required to have work experience prior to enrolling at McCombs, I often learn as much from my classmates as I do my professors,” explains Durrett. “I also feel like I’m part of a tight community.”

One of her favorite MBA experiences has been participating in the Global Connections program—not surprising for a student who loves to travel. Last year, she went with the program to study South American cultures, economies and businesses while working on a project with Chilean MBA students from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. This year, McCombs Global Connections will take her to Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa.

In addition to her coursework, Durrett just ended her term as president of the student organization, Graduate Women in Business, which gave her the opportunity to sharpen her leadership skills, perform under pressure and gain real-world experience.

“These experiences are important because they will help me contribute more to my future employer when I graduate,”
Durrett says.

As for the future, her goal is to assume a high-level, senior leadership role at a marketing company. With one more semester of MBA coursework to go and interests that range from sports to designing clothes, she is leaving her prospects open to any of her passions. —Kate McCann

Sue Sohn

Sue Sohn, MBA ’07, has already mastered the art of wining and dining potential clients. Breaking from a successful career in hotel sales management, Sohn entered business school hoping to find her way back to the kitchen—preferably in the high-end restaurant, food or entertainment industry. “My passions are food and traveling,” she says.

As director of corporate sales at the St. Regis Hotel, a division of Starwood Hotels and Resorts, and as group sales manager at the Four Seasons Hotel, Sohn performed tasks ranging from negotiating contracts with potential clients to launching promotional programs. According to Sohn, her strong suit has always been dealing with people, and her time in hotel sales management helped her fine tune her business acumen.

“I’m very outgoing and assertive by nature, and I’ve always been competitive,” Sohn says. “The more concrete business skills I’ve acquired over time.”

While working at the Four Seasons, Sohn decided that she had to go back to school to move forward. As she considered different programs, she found the atmosphere at McCombs fit her personality perfectly.

“There was a strong feeling of community among the students at McCombs,” she says. “The people here are very genuine, smart and talented.”

Ultimately, Sohn wants a career in which her business training will complement her strong interpersonal skills. “I love serving and working with people, and I hope to mix those with the skills I obtain in business school to create a prosperous and enjoyable career.”—Asher Garonzik