Class of 2026
Recently, to cap off the first year of my journey as an MBA candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I participated in a comprehensive experiential learning opportunity through our program’s Consulting Practicum. I was beyond excited to discover that this opportunity was a consulting case competition featuring the Milwaukee Brewers as our client.
At a high level, the competition was structured as the culminating project of our semester-long Consulting Practicum, designed to transform classroom theory into actionable business recommendations. The goal was for students to apply analytical skills and business acumen in a real-world organizational context through an intensive consulting case competition challenge. Every first-year MBA student in the Class of 2026 participated in this initiative, with our cohort organized into sixteen distinct core teams. The competition addressed a substantive business challenge presented by the Milwaukee Brewers organization: strategically increasing ticket revenue while concurrently enhancing fan engagement metrics.
Each team was tasked with approaching this consulting challenge systematically, utilizing foundational consulting frameworks such as the SCQ (Situation, Complication, Question) model to structure our analysis and the pyramid principle to articulate our recommendations with clarity and precision. This methodological approach mirrored professional consulting practices, requiring us to conduct thorough market research, perform quantitative analysis, and develop evidence-based recommendations that aligned with organizational objectives.
The competition followed a two-tiered evaluation structure. In the preliminary round, each of the sixteen teams presented their strategic recommendations to a panel of Wisconsin School of Business faculty members. Our team, the Capitol Catalysts, which included fellow MBA candidates Gavin Welch, Onyinye Emeli, Ja’Nieka Forward, and me, presented to our Finance professor Kenneth Kavajecz, Marketing professor Jan Heide, and Operations professor Kaitlin Daniels. These faculty members had guided our foundational business coursework during our first semester, making their evaluation particularly meaningful as they could assess how effectively we had integrated their theoretical instruction into practical application.
Following the faculty’s evaluation of each team’s presentation against established criteria for analytical rigor, feasibility of implementation, and projected organizational impact, four teams were selected to advance to the final round. Our team was selected as a top-four team, earning the opportunity to present our strategic recommendations directly to Milwaukee Brewers senior staff, Wisconsin School of Business faculty, and our MBA peers.
Personally, proceeding to the final round of this competition represented a significant professional milestone, particularly given my background in sales. Throughout my nearly seven years of prior experience, I consistently found fulfillment in stakeholder interactions—diagnosing organizational challenges and developing targeted solutions. However, this competition elevated that experience to a more comprehensive scale, requiring the integration of multiple business disciplines and addressing complex organizational objectives.
Reflecting on this experience, it is clear that while my professional background provided a functional business foundation, the Wisconsin School of Business’s MBA program has significantly enhanced my analytical capabilities and strategic perspective. Through structured coursework in finance, marketing, operations, and business strategy, I have developed a sophisticated analytical toolkit that has fundamentally transformed my approach to complex business challenges. Preparing to present to Milwaukee Brewers executives, I experienced both professional accountability and the confidence derived from methodical preparation.
Diving deeper into the Brewers consulting competition, our team used relevant market research and quantitative analysis to develop a three-pronged strategic approach targeting distinct consumer segments: loyal supporters and casual/potential fans. Each recommendation was deliberately designed to drive both immediate revenue growth and sustainable stakeholder engagement.
Our primary recommendation proposed establishing “Brewers Buddies,” a youth baseball development program sponsored by the organization. Market data analysis indicated that individuals with youth baseball participation attended an average of four additional games annually as adults. By fostering early brand affiliation among Wisconsin’s youth demographic, we projected a substantial increase in customer lifetime value, directly applying customer acquisition concepts from our program’s marketing curriculum.
Our second recommendation outlined a strategic partnership with a regional transportation provider to optimize access routes to American Family Field. Leveraging operations management principles, we conducted a detailed break-even analysis to determine financial viability, calculated fixed and variable cost structures, and projected contribution margins based on realistic service utilization rates. This recommendation addressed a significant attendance barrier—transportation logistics during adverse weather conditions—while simultaneously creating additional revenue streams.
Our final recommendation focused on enhancing in-stadium consumer experiences through interactive baseball simulations appropriately designed for various age demographics. This recommendation acknowledged that the Brewers organization competes within the broader entertainment sector in Milwaukee. By creating engaging activities available on both game days and non-game days, we identified opportunities to drive primary ticket revenue while increasing auxiliary spending.
Presenting these strategic recommendations to Brewers executives represented the culmination of an intensive learning process characterized by analytical rigor, collaborative problem-solving, and professional growth. The competition effectively transformed theoretical classroom concepts into actionable business solutions with quantifiable financial impacts and measurable organizational outcomes.
Ty Day, Ja’Nieka Forward, and Adam Barton
This experience exemplifies precisely why I chose to pursue an MBA at the Wisconsin School of Business. I entered the program seeking to develop advanced business acumen and acquire sophisticated frameworks that would enhance my professional capabilities. To that end, the Brewers consulting competition provided tangible evidence that I am developing these competencies and learning to apply them effectively within complex business environments. While this is exciting in itself, the lessons learned are more fulfilling due to the collaborative nature of this program. In addition to learning practical tools that are applicable in real business settings, I get to study alongside a cohort of brilliant peers who only enhance the learning experience.
As I reflect on this event at the midpoint of my MBA journey, I am all the more confident that the Wisconsin School of Business was the right choice for me. The consulting competition demonstrated the value of integrating analytical methodology with strategic problem-solving—an equilibrium that my classmates and I will continue to refine throughout the remainder of this program. If this represents the caliber of professional development available midway through my MBA journey, I anticipate with eagerness the advanced learning opportunities that will characterize the program’s final year.
Of the many takeaways this experience gave me, most importantly, this competition further reinforced the critical importance of effective cross-functional collaboration as well as welcoming diverse perspectives when developing comprehensive business solutions. Each Capitol Catalyst team member contributed unique insights and complementary competencies, resulting in recommendations substantively stronger than individually developed alternatives. This collaborative approach mirrors the reality of strategic business problem-solving in professional environments—a lesson equally valuable to any technical competency.
As organizational challenges continue to increase in complexity, the ability to analyze situations methodically, develop structured solutions, and articulate recommendations persuasively becomes increasingly vital. Through structured experiences like the Milwaukee Brewers Case Competition, the Wisconsin School of Business is preparing candidates not merely for immediate career advancement but for sustained success as business leaders capable of driving meaningful organizational transformation.