United States

Mid-US

Harvard Business School (HBS) established the Mid-US Research Office (MRO) in 2021 to build a deeper understanding of business practice and innovation in the region. The MRO plays an important role in helping HBS develop and strengthen relationships with leaders in the Midwest, South, and Mountain regions of the United States. The office serves as a key source of new case writing on a wide range of fields including strategy, entrepreneurship, leadership, racial equity, economic inequality, and sustainability. The MRO also supports faculty research, student programming, admissions, and other initiatives of the school.

Location

Mid-US Research Office
midus@hbs.edu

News & Highlights

NOVEMBER 2023
SOCIAL ENTERPRISE INITIATIVE

Social Enterprise: Upswell Forum

This November, the Social Enterprise Initiative welcomed the pilot Upswell Forum cohort to campus for an extraordinary four days of learning and community building. Conceived in partnership with the Harvard Business School African-American Alumni Association and the Social Enterprise Initiative, the mission of Upswell is to accelerate the impact of social entrepreneurs working in communities of color. Faculty and guest speakers led energizing sessions on leadership, strategy, systems thinking, and power and influence, among others. The group will continue to work together through virtual sessions and mentorship with HBS alumni in the coming months.

NOVEMBER 2023
WORKING KNOWLEDGE

How Framebridge Founder Susan Tynan (MBA 2003) Managed Risk While Making an Impact

On the Deep Purpose podcast with Professor Ranjay Gulati, Susan Tynan (MBA 2003) reflects on the hard work and hard decisions of her entrepreneurial journey. Great business leaders are problem solvers. That’s what sparked Tynan to found Framebridge, a custom framing company. When Tynan couldn’t find a reasonably priced place to frame her beloved posters, she launched a business, which took off after years of hard work – and hard decisions. Tynan reflects on her learning journey, discussing how she managed the risks of entrepreneurship while aiming to make a lasting impact. A case study on Tynan’s journey is also available here.

OCTOBER 2023
INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF BUSINESS IN GLOBAL SOCIETY (BIGS)

Doing Business in a Divided World: Continuing the Conversation

This October 30 leaders of U.S-based public and private companies and non-profits gathered with five HBS faculty in Detroit for a frank talk about their role in addressing societal issues. Professor Debora Spar, HBS Senior Associate Dean for Business in Global Society, opened the Roundtable with a clear message: “Society is expecting business to be more involved. We are past the hand-waving stage, and you are seeking to move to substantive actions. If we want business to play a more active role tackling societal challenges, how do we do that?” Key takeaways from the discussion included understanding that 1) U.S. employees trust their own employers more than any other U.S. institution, 2) employees want to engage on these issues, and 3) leaders and employees need to better align on societal issues.

AUGUST 2023
MBA EXPERIENCE

Public School Innovation in Georgia: SE Summer Fellow Niki Patel (MBA 2024)

In the latest installment of the summer fellows blog series, the Social Enterprise Initiative spoke to Niki Patel (MBA 2024), who is working at one of the largest school districts in Georgia, building strategies for implementation at scale. Patel discusses her project on better preparing students for an AI-enabled world, why she chose this internship, her goals, and more.

New Research on the Region

October 2023 (Revised November 2023)
Case

Rheaply: Circularity For Every Business

By: Rembrand Koning and Alicia Dadlani

In March 2023, Garry Cooper, cofounder and CEO of Chicago-based Rheaply, needed to demonstrate that Rheaply’s expanded vision could translate into building cash flows and metrics needed to raise a Series B and turn the business into a model for financial and environmental sustainability. The eight-year-old company had originally been founded as an asset exchange platform for surplus materials at university science laboratories. Over time, the company evolved well beyond its initial market and expanded into a circular economy marketplace where cities, enterprises, and academic institutions exchanged everything from lab equipment to furniture to building materials. Cooper needed to determine whether the strategic shift to sustainability was working, and what, if anything, needed to change.