Day 2. June 7, 2008

Day 2: Project Management, Team Dynamics, Process Management and Project Story Boarding ruled the day. Teams defined individual roles and began the process of understanding the current customers vs. the desired customers for our corporate partner on Project 1: Griffin Technology.

After 2 morning studios (Accelerator overview by Burcham and Project Management by Cherrie Clark), the teams loaded onto 2 chartered motor coaches and 104 of us headed out tot the Griffin corporate office to work on the project along side Griffin employees.

Teams were challenged by Griffin to design an accessory for our client company. Dave Owens, President of Griffin, hosted the Accelerator team at the Griffin offices. After an in depth tour, our teams set up their team meetings in the Griffin Technology warehouse.

We returned to Owen at 3:00 PM for 2 additional teaching studios – one on Personal Branding with Kimberly Furse; the other on Presentation Skills with John English.

After dinner, the teams divided tasks – sending some members out to collect information, capture images and complete research. Others began working on storyboard and final presentations. Lots of Dasani water, Red Bull, and Post Its.

The teams clocked over 14 hours of work today and consumed (while working) over 200 bottles of water, 4 gallons of coffee, a 3 flats of chips, 8 cases of soda (plus 3 full meals). “Twenty somethings” do get hungry!

June 6, 2008 - Opening Day

The big day is here – we launch Accelerator 2008. The months of work leading up to today seem a distant memory. Amid the flurry of last minute details, my mind is already racing toward tonight’s opening dinner. I see in the faces of our arriving students (who tonight become the “apprentice”) - full of anticipation, excitement, and a bit of worry. I know what lies ahead for them. The next 30 days will be an amazing adventure of self discovery, learning, and growing. They will “do more then they ever imagined.”

Before we “officially” begin, I’d like to thank the many individuals who have worked so tirelessly to make Accelerator 2008 an amazing experience. First – the core team: Carol Barry, Kristin Keiper, Kimberly Pace, David Furse, Cherrie Clark, David Franklin, Jeff Schwartzenberg, Yvonne Martin-Kidd, Chase Pattison, Ryan McGrath, Ryan Igleheart, Patrick Long, Sara Gable, Jared Degnan, Kyle Clay, Scott Williams, Abby Smith, and David Dailey.

Next, a special thanks to the many great Faculty and Staff of Owen. We have a great lineup of faculty for Accelerator 2008: Froeb, Willis, Van Schaack, Clark, Hoeffler, Lapre, Hyer, Boer, Clark, Franklin, Victor, Mahan, Furse, Bradford, Christie, DuBois, English, Johnsen, Moye, Pace, and Vogus.

We appreciate the support and participation of our Corporate Partners – who create with our faculty the “real world experiences” that define the Owen Accelerator experience: American Airlines, Griffin, Caterpillar Financial, Bridgestone, Gresham Smith & Partners, Humana, Yum! Brands, Livescribe and William Morris Agency.

We’ve loaded the warehouse with snacks; we’ve secured over 9,000 meals and stacked over 500 cases of bottled water and soda. Now it’s time to - Learn it. Apply it. Live it. Let’s roll.

Yum! Brands to Partner With Accelerator 2008

The 8th Corporate Partner firm announced for the 2008 Summer Business Institute at Vanderbilt's Owen Graduate School of Management is Yum! Brands. We're delighted to have this outstanding company a part of Accelerator 2008.

Yum will challenge Accelerator participants to focus on the KFC Brand – to think about how to broaden its market appeal to younger consumers. This may require changes in how KFC engages the consumer in its communications, service, menu, the in-store experience, and how the restaurants look, feel, and function. Key to addressing this strategy is transforming KFC into a brand that is relevant to the Millennia / Generation Y demographic segment without alienating KFC’s traditional customers.

About Yum:

Yum! Brands, Inc., based in Louisville, Ky., is the world's largest restaurant company in terms of system restaurants with more than 35,000 restaurants in more than 110 countries and territories. Four of our restaurant brands - KFC, Long John Silver's, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell - are the global leaders of their categories – chicken, quick-service seafood, pizza, and Mexican-style. A&W Restaurants is the longest running quick-service franchise chain in America. In 2007, Yum! Brands generated more than $10 billion in total 2007 revenues, including company sales and franchise fees.

Humana to Partner with Accelerator - The Summer Business Institute

The 7th Corporate Partner firm announced for the 2008 Summer Business Institute at Vanderbilt's Owen Graduate School of Management is Humana. We're delighted to have this outstanding company a part of Accelerator 2008.

This year’s Mission: Accelerator participants will be challenged by Humana to research the current Hispanic opportunity in the South Texas area and work to develop a “Spanish” version health plan. Humana’s intent is to educate and increase awareness in this underserved population.

About Humana:

Humana is committed to helping employers manage their healthcare costs, guiding consumers to make informed health and benefits decisions, and giving back to the communities we serve. Throughout our organization, Humana associates and leaders are dedicated to delivering value to customers, members, and shareholders.
Humana offers a range of products and services in addition to group health insurance. Our business units serve the military, individuals, seniors, and many others. We also offer specialty products, including dental coverage.
Humana and its leaders believe companies and employees should have health coverage where prevention comes first, employees feel empowered, and individuals have the financial tools and information to make smart choices for their health needs.

Gresham Smith & Smith will be the 6th Corporate Partner for Owen's Accelerator Program

The 6th Corporate Partner firm announced for the 2008 Summer Business Institute at Vanderbilt's Owen Graduate School of Management is Gresham Smith & Partners. We're delighted to have this outstanding company a part of Accelerator 2008. Gresham Smith is returning for a 2nd year – their Accelerator project last year was one of the top ranked among the student participants.

This year’s Mission: Gresham Smith will challenge Accelerator participants to prepare a master redevelopment plan for a property located at the site of Nashville’s old Thermal Plant. The 12-acre site was originally slated to be the new baseball stadium site, but that plan was unable to get funding. Given it’s proximity to the new pedestrian bridge and the downtown area, the site has significant potential to be a part of a growing downtown environment and has prompted area developers to evaluate the site.

About Gresham Smith & Partners:

Gresham, Smith and Partners is a practice-led business of architects, engineers, planners and designers focused on the goals of our clients and the growth of our employees. Over the past four decades, the firm has earned a reputation as a comprehensive, multi-disciplined firm with more than 850 employees in 18 offices located throughout the United States and China. GS&P is a private company with widely held employee ownership, reflecting a philosophy of giving the leadership that is responsible for our success the opportunity to share in the resulting rewards.
GS&P is one of the few design firms in the industry that offers professional services to such a wide range of markets. Staying true to our corporate vision of being the best consultant to the built environment, we employ experts in corporate and urban design, aviation, civil/land planning, environmental compliance, healthcare, industrial, transportation and water services who are uniquely qualified to develop comprehensive solutions tailored to meet the needs of the market they serve. This diversity also extends to our corporate culture, which fosters an appreciation of different backgrounds, viewpoints and ideas.

American Airlines to Partner with Owen's Accelerator Program for 2008

The 5th Corporate Partner firm announced for the 2008 Summer Business Institute at Vanderbilt's Owen Graduate School of Management is American Airlines. We're delighted to have this outstanding company a part of Accelerator 2008. American Airlines is returning for a 2nd year – their Accelerator project last year was one of the top ranked among the student participants.

This year’s Mission: How can American Airlines position itself as the leading carrier for travelers from small- to medium-sized enterprises (defined as companies with an annual revenue of $1 million - $100 million). Student teams will work on concepts and ideas and will propose recommendations to American Airlines.

About American Airlines:

American Airlines, Inc. (AA) is a US-based airline and also the largest airline in the world in terms of total passengers-miles transported and passenger fleet size (FedEx Express, a cargo airline, has 16 more aircraft than American Airlines), and the second-largest airline company in the world (behind Air France-KLM) in terms of total operating revenues.
A wholly owned subsidiary of the AMR Corporation, the airline is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, adjacent to the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. American operates scheduled flights throughout the United States, as well as flights to Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, Western Europe, Japan, China, and India. The Chairman, President, and CEO of AA is Gerard Arpey. In 2005, the airline flew more than 138 billion revenue passenger miles (RPM).

Griffin Technology To Partner with Accelerator 2008

  The 4th Corporate Partner firm to be announced for the 2008 Summer Business Institute at Vanderbilt's Owen Graduate School of Management is Griffin Technology.  The Griffin Technology team has provided an opportunity for Accelerator teams to understand the process of designing and creating products in the digital entertainment.  Teams will compete to create an interesting peripheral for the i-Phone.  The teams will gain knowledge about the create, building, budgeting and marketing process involved in launching a new product.

About Griffin Technology:

Griffin Technology began designing and manufacturing technical solutions with an innovative flair in 1992. One of the largest providers of accessories for personal computing and digital media, the firm designs, manufactures and delivers useful and fun solutions for digital entertainment and personal computing to people in the Americas, Europe, and Asia, through major retailers and online.

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