MBV is officially underway! The campers arrived on Sunday, greeted by our very excited CEOs and Resident Business Leaders (RBLs). Move in went smoothly with the excellent instruction from the BestPrep staff and dorm monitors. Right off the bat, you could see the ice breaking as students began to build relationships. Watching the students open up to new ideas during the opening motivational speaker, Daniel Shannon, was extremely rewarding. Daniel Shannon’s personal anecdotes were transformed into an inspiration monologue about personal vision, and finding yourself in a world that tends to rely on past achievements rather than future goals. The students responded exceptionally well to Shannon’s presentation through his storytelling. At the end of the presentation, the students were eager inquirers,and learned more about Shannon through shared conversations about how to create their own personal vision.
The energy in camp rose dramatically after the opening speaker, and the company meetings were a flurry of excitement, ice breakers, and business planning. After being introduced to their companies and future friends, the campers were introduced to David Clark, the head of Haägen-Dazs International Strategic Business Unit. Clark spoke to the marketing challenge of taking an American luxury brand, and propelling it to international recognition. He spoke about brand recognition and the logistics of molding an exceptional product to appeal to cultures around the world. Clark’s speech left the campers ready to create their own product that could one day be a brand as internationally renowned as Haägen-Dazs. The day was long, exciting, and left the campers ready to relax and enjoy time with their new friends. The evening brought cooler temperatures, and the perfect atmosphere to play volleyball, lounge with friends, and enjoy the St. Cloud State campus.
Monday broke with warm temperature and the fresh faces of campers ready to begin their first full day of activities at MBV. The day kicked off with Jack Stahlmann, an actor turned corporate speaker, who shared spectacular stories about what he calls,“The intangible it”— how not to flinch in the face or seemingly insurmountable obstacles— and how this week was the perfect time to grow. Stahlmann ended his presentation by telling the campers the best way to seize the week was tomake someone else the most important person in the room, and by doing this they become the most important person. With Stahlmann’s words resounding with the campers, it was off to Corporate Olympics, a crazy mix of team building activities designed to form the campers into the strong companies with the relationships needed to carry them through the week.
The rest of the day flew by with breakout sessions, entrepreneurial speakers, and group photos. As we sit here, recounting the day’s flurry of activities, the campers are in their companies diligently working on their presentations, before settling in for the evening. We can’t wait for the rest of the week to be filled with even more learning, even more laughter, and even more MBV spirit!
Stay tuned for more updates from us- Caleb and Aimee, your MBV Communication Specialists!