Program offered needed flexibility

Brad Ohde, senior product specialist for voltage regulators and controls at Cooper Power Systems, Waukesha, has been part of several MBA programs, and is planning to graduate from UW-Parkside next year.
“I’ve been there a month,” Ohde said of his position at Cooper. Previously, he had been a product manager for Sta-Rite Industries in Delavan. “I started studying for my MBA in 1997. They (Cooper) appreciated the MBA coursework — and I feel they are better able to use my qualifications.”
Cooper Power Systems manufactures emergency back-up and temporary electrical power systems and distributes Kohler generators.
While his degree is not yet complete, Ohde said he and his employers are already benefiting from his increased understanding of business principles.
“Already I am able to talk to a higher level of management more intelligently because of my education,” Ohde said.
Ohde’s MBA studies started with conventional 16-week courses at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Ky. Upon returning to Wisconsin, he took classes at Whitewater and then transferred to Parkside.
Ohde will finish his degree at Parkside in Kenosha, in part because of the flexibility the program offers him.
He also considered programs from Keller Graduate School of Management, Milwaukee School of Engineering, UW-Milwaukee and Cardinal Stritch.
“I was familiar with the program and thought the quality of the program was worth what the tuition was,” Ohde said of Parkside, adding that Parkside’s reputation is excellent locally, but his degree might not pull as much weight outside the area.
“Each school has its own personality,” Ohde said. “A lot of MBA students at Marquette may have a very tight bond with alumni, whereas Parkside is a state school and fully accredited. That should be worth something. Many Parkside MBA grads have gone on to executive positions with major companies in the area.”
Like many working MBA students, scheduling was a top priority for Ohde.
“For the most part, it is because of the method of instruction — Internet-based versus in person,” Ohde said. “I also like how flexible they are for the working student.”
Demands placed upon Ohde made the availability of Web-based coursework very attractive, he said.
“The reason I wound up at Parkside was that they went to an eight-week schedule and started offering prerequisites online,” Ohde said. “I don’t have a business undergrad. I had to take all the prerequisites, which extended my time commitment.”
Ohde holds an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from UW-Milwaukee.
A good deal for everyone
Ohde and his employer both benefit from his education.
“Cooper, like most employers, will provide tuition reimbursement up to 100%,” Ohde said. “Some employers even provide Internet fees and books. Most of my education will be paid for.”
A manufacturer like Cooper should find someone with degrees in engineering and business doubly attractive, according to Ohde.
“They would be getting a technical person who is well-versed in a business background,” Ohde said. “And also, I’d have exhibited the commitment it takes to pursue an MBA while working full-time, raising a family. You have to want to do it first of all. You have to be willing to make a commitment to give up a social life and other fun and games when you are pursuing the degree. For a lot of people, it is hard to go back to school. They have already been through the grinder once.”
But Ohde was motivated from the start to land his MBA in order to expand his knowledge beyond technical issues.
“It was more pertinent to what I was doing in the business world,” Ohde said of his MBA. “I felt that it followed the engineering background very well. I wanted to diversify a little bit.”
Ohde expects that his degree will help him get into a product management role.
“Some day when I am lot older I would like to run my own business,” Ohde said. “But for now I would really like a spot as product manager or senior product manager.”
Skills gained in financial management, production and operations management, accounting, marketing and economics will allow him to steer product lines into successful niches — for an employer or eventually for his own business. However, Ohde’s real enthusiasm is for international business.
“It requires a better awareness of marketability within different economies,” Ohde said. “You can take a product and sell it — and then take it to another country and it just won’t fly.”
August 31, 2001 Small Business Times, Milwaukee