EMBA XX Explores Local Businesses During Field Trip
On April 15, 2011, 35 students from EMBA XX boarded a bus at 8:15 a.m. for a field trip with an international flair.
First stop was Solar Turbines, which is located downtown near the San Diego airport. The tour was arranged by Peter Heavey, a graduate of EMBA VII and allowed the students to see how these huge turbines (about the size of an 18-wheel tractor-trailer rig) are constructed by lowering the units into the ground as they are built from the bottom up. Once completed, the turbines are generally used to refine natural gas.
The group next went to lunch at Casa Guadalajara in the Old Town section of San Diego where they had a working lunch. Dr. Stephan Hollmann, Honorary Consul of Germany, Mindi Hertzog of Life Sciences, and Jaime Gonzalez Luna of the Tijuana Economic Development Corporation gave presentations and answered questions during the group’s mid-day meal.
After lunch, the students headed to the Port of San Diego where Miguel Reyes, senior account manager, led the group on a tour of their facilities.
For the final tour, the group headed up to Stone Brewery in Escondido. Greg Koch, the company’s co-founder and CEO, led a group discussion about the brewery business. The discussion was followed by a tour of the brewery and a tasting of the company’s beers and ales as well as a light dinner.
The group arrived back at SDSU around 8:00 p.m.
"The EMBA program is a perfect fit for my busy lifestyle, balancing both my career and family life. I have found the level of instruction to be very high and the faculty members possess immense knowledge of the subject matter and a sheer joy for teaching. Furthermore, my fellow classmates add a wealth of information with their diverse backgrounds. I look forward to the educational adventures on which we will embark together."
