Sleepy Hollow student consults for Abbott in NIU class

William Finney, of Sleepy Hollow, recently was part of a team of Northern Illinois University students working as consultants to Abbott Nutrition.

The consulting project was conducted through the Experiential Learning Center in the NIU College of Business. For the last decade, teams operating out of the ELC have been “hired” by companies looking for fresh insight into a business issue. Companies such as Caterpillar, Wal-Mart and McDonalds have each used multiple ELC teams over the past decade.

The projects allow students, who are drawn from departments throughout the college and across the university, to apply concepts that they are learning in the classroom to actual business challenges. Along the way, they also learn lessons about team work, leadership, researching, presentation skills and more.

Finney, who is majoring in Management Information Systems, was part of a team that developed a comprehensive set of recommendations to drive market share growth; and improve customer knowledge of Baxter brands by leveraging digital marketing and social media strategies. The recommendations focused on overseas markets.

The team presented their findings to executives from Abbott Nutrition on Friday, May 4th. Abbott Nutrition has 90,000 employees and operates in over 130 countries. The company is devoted to the discovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceuticals, nutritional products, and medical devices, diagnostic tests and instruments.

About 80 students participate in ELC projects each year gaining real world experience and a unique experience to place on their resume.

For more information on the ELC, visit http://www.cob.niu.edu/elc/