Students from the DMBA program visited the Kennedy Mountain Campus to meet with Katie Hecker, left, and kick off their Social Good Challenge.
A generous donation from management alumnus Jim Kennedy (BSBA 1970) created the eponymous Kennedy Mountain Campus (KMC). A significant gift from marketing grad Andy Taylor (BSBA 1970) and his wife, Barbara, set the area on the path to success.
Now, a quintet of Daniels College of Business MBA students are carrying the baton, helping sustain the 720-acre refuge well into the future.
Joanna Guhl, Luke Tanner, David Castro, Aya Moustafa and Abhinay Sharma used the Social Good Challenge—a hallmark of the Daniels full-time Denver MBA (DMBA)—to help the KMC create revenue and offset its operating costs.
The University of Denver’s Kennedy Mountain Campus sits adjacent to the Roosevelt National Forest, about a two-hour drive from Denver. In just a couple of years, the KMC has established programming that immerses students in DU’s 4D Experience, which emphasizes leadership development, physical and mental growth, and artistic expression.
How do students utilize the KMC? All undergrads go through First Ascent, a transformative experience that features challenge courses, guided hikes, climbing, community campfires and opportunities to build lifelong friendships. Throughout their academic careers, they can take part in monthly Relax & Recharge Weekends, quarterly Signature 4D Programs and even special outdoor skills offerings.
Daniels students have also made use of the KMC. Marketing classes have taken a weekend trip to study environmental, social and governance issues, while a recent Denver MBA cohort used the grounds for a culminating “clip-out” ceremony.
“Right now, we have our KMC core programs for students,” said Katie Hecker, director of Kennedy Mountain Campus operations, events and outreach, “but also, there are times—especially weekdays—where we could help fill a gap for schools and generate some revenue to offset our operating costs.”
That’s where the Daniels MBA students came in. The DMBA’s challenge-based curriculum includes a quarter-long project in partnership with a local nonprofit. Guhl and her team jumped at the opportunity to support one of DU’s signature offerings.
“I grew up in Colorado and worked at some summer camps in high school and college. I just love the mountains and the outdoors,” Guhl said. “I was also really interested in seeing a program start with a newer business. I wanted to see something from the beginning.”
After a visit to the KMC and several meetings with the KMC team, the DMBA students began to create a market analysis. Their primary objective was identifying non-DU groups within a 35-mile radius that they could target as clients. The group also wanted to identify gaps in the KMC’s current offerings and offer recommendations on products the site could offer, as well as tactics it could use to promote them.
At their final presentation, the Daniels students reported that the KMC has all of the pieces in place to grow. The existing outdoor infrastructure, overarching mission and commitment to experiential learning set the campus apart. More heavily promoting rock climbing, camping and a forthcoming Via Ferrata course can elevate the KMC’s profile, they said.
The team also suggested forming partnerships with local schools and growing the KMC’s social media footprint through a content calendar, targeted posts and paid ads.
“I think they gave us a really good starting point,” Hecker said after the presentation. “We’ve already started taking a few of [their suggestions].”
The KMC is also leveraging some of the connections the DMBA students made during their research. A new summer camp for Colorado and Wyoming teens, launching in July, is just one example of non-DU programming that Hecker hopes to develop.
“I would love to see the next iteration of an MBA program design and develop a product for summer camps,” she said, “at least to get a market analysis of that specific product and move it forward from there, and start identifying the asks we would need to make to specific clients.”
For Guhl and her colleagues the payoff was an in-depth look into marketing a business, new experience working with stakeholders and lessons in teamwork—along with the satisfaction of helping their school prosper.
“The five of us are really excited about working on a DU problem,” Guhl said. “It’s nice to give back and participate in a DU growth opportunity. It’s a fun little legacy.”