Teamwork.

It’s part of every student’s experience in virtually every Stetson University School of Business Administration class.

That is the main reason MBA students functioned like a well-oiled machine when Peggy Stahl’s Management Strategy class turned its attention to helping an established local business, Fogleman Studio of DeLand.

“At this point in our academic careers, teamwork doesn’t phase us,” said Jessica Stark, an MBA Program student. “We know what it takes to get ourselves together, how to manage a group no matter the size, utilize strengths of each person and get the job done.”

The “job” in this case was to step out of the capstone class into the world beyond campus and create a real-life strategic management plan for a local business, one that would have cost many thousands of dollars. It seemed daunting, some said, but their years of training kicked in automatically.

“Learning to work well with a diverse group is probably one of the most important business skills one can learn from any graduate or undergraduate program,” said Tim Foli, a portfolio manager associate with U.S. Trust in Orlando.

The biggest challenge, he thought, was gathering and organizing essential information. His classmate Kathy Hannon, also of DeLand, thought the real challenge was assembling the final report.

But both agreed that teamwork is a skill they’ll use repeatedly in their careers.

“Working collaboratively on projects such as this prepares students for what they’ll encounter in the professional environment – no matter what job or career path,” said Hannon, assistant director of Graduate Business Programs.

“Everyone had something to bring to the table,” said Ketsia Samedy of Deltona. “Everyone played a part.”

Students quickly zeroed in on the business’ strengths: 40 years of good will in DeLand, Central Florida’s largest studio, a family business and a “long-standing legacy in the community – an invaluable asset,” said Elizabeth Martin, a Heathrow resident who works for Pershing LLC.

The business’ proximity to Stetson is an asset for it and for students. Fogleman has a long relationship with Stetson University and, because of this project, an intern program was born: Stark interned with the studio to help implement the plan.

“Working with this team went so smoothly,” said Stark, “that after we made the presentation to the client, and debriefed, not one of us had anything to say other than this went very, very well.”

“Very, very well” from the client’s perspective, too, and Stahl’s.

“We were very satisfied,” said Kimberly James, Fogleman Studio’s director of operations, speaking for herself and Photographer Bruce Fogleman, who gave every student free professional photos.

“The consulting team was incredibly cohesive,” said Stahl, a visiting lecturer in Management and International Business. “I was impressed with the quality of their work.”

James went even further. If she were grading the students, she said, they would get 100 percent on the management plan. Implementation has already begun, she said, and expects business to improve because of it.

Another group of MBA students also used teamwork skills to produce ready-to-implement business plans in the capstone course of the Executive MBA Program based at Stetson’s Center at Celebration, Fla.

Five teams of Cohort 8’s 15 students created business plans ranging from food to education to entertainment, but Wesley DuBose of Salt Springs, Larry Flory of Orlando, and Jason Plas of Davenport, took top honors with “Wash Works.” Their plan would incorporate social media to customize service by preferences in a technologically advanced business with an “extraordinary focus on positive experiences in an appealing atmosphere.”

The award was presented in a ceremony at Stetson University’s Center at Celebration campus when coursework was complete in March. Plas was also named the cohort’s “Best Student Overall.”

By Ronald Williamson, writer for the Lynn Letter