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Real world connections are a key part of how the Lubar College of Business prepares students for meaningful careers. By bringing industry professionals directly into the classroom, the College helps students see how data, analytics, and innovation are applied every day at leading organizations in the Milwaukee region.

That approach was on full display when 16 data science professionals from Northwestern Mutual – a Fortune 100 company – visited Business Scholars students’ Data Analytics and Innovation class. This fall, the capstone course was taught by Joan Shapiro Beigh, a teaching professor in organizations and strategic management, and Grace Iyiola, an MBA student specializing in data analytics. This year’s sustainability focus incorporated themes around the importance of fresh water. Students gained hands-on experience proposing solutions to real business problems for organizations and nonprofits.

During the visit, students interviewed nearly 20 Northwestern Mutual professionals in small groups based on their majors, including finance, accounting, marketing, human resources, and supply chain. The conversations focused on how data-driven thinking shapes decisions across a large financial services organization.

In their group’s reflective memo after the event, supply chain students said the experience changed how they view their field. “We were surprised to learn how supply chain principles apply even in a non-manufacturing setting like Northwestern Mutual,” students wrote, noting examples such as indirect sourcing for IT solutions, networking equipment, and services.

They also gained new insight into how analytics and artificial intelligence support daily work. “It was surprising seeing how embedded AI and data analytics are in everyday operations,” students shared, while still maintaining strict regulatory compliance.

Students said the discussions reinforced the importance of problem solving, not just collecting data. “Data is most valuable when tied to a clear problem or business question,” they reflected, adding that tools like SQL and PowerBI are essential across many roles.

The visit was coordinated by Shapiro Beigh and Mark Zachar, talent program manager at the Northwestern Mutual Data Science Institute (NMDSI). The NMDSI offers a data analytics newsletter to Milwaukee’s university students and hosts many events in the region. Northwestern Mutual is headquartered in Milwaukee, and UW Milwaukee is one of three NMDSI partners, with Lubar College marketing professor Purush Papatla serving as a co-director.

Experiences like this highlight the Lubar College’s commitment to connecting students with top employers. Its urban location gives students unique access to professionals, projects, and career insights that set the College apart from other universities in Wisconsin.

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How do you grow a hometown favorite while staying true to what made it special? Sharad Chadha, CEO and owner of Sprecher Brewing Company since 2020, shared his perspective during a recent fireside chat, held in partnership with the 51���� Research Foundation and 51���� student groups Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization and Minority Women in Entrepreneurship.

The conversation featured student-created interview questions and was led by MBA student Grace Iyiola. Chadha, a Lubar MBA graduate, spoke candidly about leading growth in a fast-moving industry while staying focused on product quality. Sprecher now holds about 21 percent market share in the craft soda segment, with soda making up roughly 90 percent of sales. Chadha has helped Sprecher triple its sales and expand its footprint to all 50 states, marking a 400% increase in distribution over the past five years.

“We are product-led first,” Chadha said. “If you make the best product, the rest follows.”

He highlighted what sets Sprecher’s top-selling root beer apart from the 300 root beer companies in America, including locally sourced ingredients, fire brewing with honey, and small-batch production. “We do it all from brewing to packaging and distribution,” Chadha said.

He also discussed lessons learned from products that did not succeed. “Not everything sells,” he said. “You have to learn fast and move forward.”

Growth, he said, can feel like a fast-moving rollercoaster. “Not everyone wants that pace, and that’s okay,” Chadha told students. His advice to future leaders was simple. “Always manage, don’t assume, and take action quickly.”

The fireside chat offered students and alumni a practical look at leadership, resilience and innovation rooted in Milwaukee.

For recent Lubar College alumna Kayla Lokker, entrepreneurship did not begin with a business plan. It began with a problem she experienced every day.

“When I look back on my time at 51����, the launch point for my entrepreneurial mindset happened in two key moments,” Lokker said. “My sophomore year I did my first pitch competition, and that experience ignited the entrepreneurial fire within myself.”

That spark turned into action during her junior year in the Intro to Entrepreneurship course in  the Lubar College. “That class pushed me to fully commit to starting a business,” she said. “It’s where I had my lightbulb moment for Easy Wear Jewelry.”

Easy Wear Jewelry is built around the Easy Clasp, a patented jewelry clasp designed to make necklaces easier and more secure to wear. “I realized how much I struggled with tiny necklace clasps each morning,” Lokker said. “The true ‘aha’ moment came one rushed day when I lost a diamond pendant my Dad gave me when I was born. That loss was heartbreaking, but it also sparked a realization. There had to be a better way.”

What began as a class project quickly grew into a company, supported by the College’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. “Without the support of the Lubar College of Business, and especially the Lubar Entrepreneurship Center, I truly don’t think I would have been able to start Easy Wear Jewelry the way I did,” Lokker said. “It wasn’t just about resources. It was about feeling supported while figuring things out in real time.”

Building the business required persistence. Lokker spent years refining the design and was told “no” by more than 100 manufacturers. “Hearing ‘no’ that many times was discouraging,” she said. “But it also strengthened my belief in the idea. You only fail if you stop trying.”

Her diligence and preparation paid off. Visibility from pitch competitions and Project Pitch It helped validate demand and build an early customer base. “The experience reinforced how important it is to clearly articulate a product’s value proposition,” she said.

Lokker also excelled in 2024 Lubar college competitions, winning a $10,000 first prize in the James D. Scheinfeld Entrepreneurial Awards competition and winning the La Macchia New Ventures Business Plan Competition first place prize of $10,000. In the same year, she received the People’s Choice Award at the Wisconsin Big Idea Tournament.

Looking ahead, Lokker envisions Easy Wear Jewelry becoming an industry standard. “Over the next three to five years, I see Easy Wear Jewelry becoming the go-to solution for effortless, accessible jewelry,” she said.

Lokker’s advice to student entrepreneurs. “Take the risk while you’re young. You’ll regret not trying far more than you’ll regret failing.”