Value/Return on Investment

Nick Madvek MBA ’10
Manager, Legal Business Operations at NiSource

“I would never have come this far so quickly without my Valpo MBA,” says Nick Madvek. Nick was recently promoted to lead the legal business operations group at NiSource, a company that provides electric and gas services to customers from the U.S. Gulf Coast to New England and holds a spot on the Fortune 500 list. Nick now reports directly to NiSource’s executive vice president and chief legal officer, a position he achieved in spite of broader employment trends. When he finished his MBA in December 2010, the job market was a tough place for young job seekers. “I knew when I graduated that the job market was extremely soft. I figured securing a good position would be a daunting challenge,” Nick says. “No amount of school can prepare one for such a feat, but I persevered and stuck to it. I gained some experience that gave me the courage to not give up.” Nick spent a year working for an accounting firm before landing an entry-level position at NiSource in 2011. In 2013, he made a move to the legal department, and beginning in 2014, he took the lead of legal business operations. Now he oversees the day-to-day business functions of the legal department. His group manages budgets and finances for seven units and monitors growing technological needs. Nick collaborates with internal legal counsel, as well as outside vendors and external legal counsel. Though it is a big role, he feels Valpo’s MBA prepared him well. “The education I received, the value of the degree, and the classes offered have all gone a long way in preparing me for my duties,” he says. “Attending Valpo has also given me the confidence to execute my role at NiSource in an efficient and effective manner.”

Scott Gotshall MBA ’05
Senior Counsel at Roche Diagnostics

Six years removed from law school, Scott Gotshall secured his dream job as a corporate lawyer for an international company. Though the job market for lawyers is notoriously competitive, Scott’s business education at Valpo distinguished him from thousands of other recent graduates. “For me, the MBA was vital to empower me to pursue my career goals,” he says. “Most law school grads are trying to decide which areas they would like to practice and build a career. The MBA provided me a direction and a career path.” That path took Scott to the North American headquarters for Roche Diagnostics, a medical device company. As a corporate attorney for Roche’s molecular business unit, he supports sales and marketing, ensures compliance with regulations, and gives general business advice. He says the position requires him to be close to the business and have his “boots on the ground.” “When working with a law firm, you give your advice to a client, and that’s it. You never know if your advice was implemented. Being in-house is a different animal. They ask your thoughts, and most times they are going to take action based on what you say, so you need to know how your advice impacts the business as a whole,” Scott says. For a medical device company, that means paying close attention to both ethical considerations and industry regulations. Scott believes Valpo’s MBA served him especially well in this industry. “Companies are only going to be sustainable if they have a principle-based approach. To do that well, you need to go beyond what the law says, which many times is just a minimum requirement,” he says. “The values-based education at Valpo creates values-based leaders who ultimately create and join organizations that can make a positive impact in the world. It definitely factors into the advice that I give, and who I am.”

Nathan Parlee MBA ’05
Senior Department Manager at U.S. Steel

Nathan Parlee has advanced through the ranks at U.S. Steel because of his excellence in both technical and interpersonal skills. He now manages inventory teams, who track materials from the mines and throughout the manufacturing and delivery process, but the job is not all about numbers and data. “We have to know the process and track inventory accurately in order to execute good business decisions,” Nathan says. “We advise and deal with a variety of people. To be successful, you have to learn when to be assertive, when to relent, and when to adjust accordingly.” He says that Valpo’s MBA program — which he completed while working full-time — equipped him with the perfect blend of the kind of hard and soft skills he needs in his work. Nathan’s job involves teaching these types of skills to others. For example, in 2009, many of his more experienced colleagues opted to retire. Suddenly, he was called on to teach younger hires about the production process and the interpersonal dynamics around it. For him, that type of work is a joy. “I like to be in situations where what I am doing is making a difference, that what I’m doing matters to people,” Nathan says. “The steel industry is a fast-paced, complicated environment. When I can help young people understand the environment and build their own skills, then they can feel like they’re doing something that matters.” Nathan’s mentees remember his help years later. Some are now earning their MBAs, and they come back to him for feedback on projects and papers. He encourages colleagues to consider Valparaiso University’s program. “What Valpo calls ‘values-based leadership’ has really helped me resolve conflicts and see what’s important to the people I’m working with,” he says. “From that perspective, I’d say that anyone could benefit from getting their MBA at Valpo.”