Meet the MBA Class of 2025: Christopher Pitts, University of Washington (Olin)

“Former Roller Coaster Tycoon fanatic…I used to play for hours at a time.”

Hometown: Hoover, Alabama

Fun fact about yourself: One of my favorite childhood memories is eating peach cobbler and vanilla ice cream while I watched The price is right at my grandparents.

Undergraduate school and major: University of Alabama at Birmingham, Electrical Engineering

Most recent employer and job title: Dessert Holdings LLC (a Bain Capital Company), Director of Engineering

What has been your favorite part of St. Louis so far? What makes St. Louis a great place to get an MBA? What I like best about St. Louis is that all the comedians stop in the city. What makes St. Louis a great place to get an MBA is that it’s a great place to focus and develop your discipline.

Did you complete your global immersion earlier this year? What was the best part of the immersion experience for you? What was the biggest lesson you learned? The best part of the immersion was spending time with my wife and classmates in downtown Barcelona. My biggest takeaway is to “fall in love with your customer’s problem,” a principle that Professor Doug Villhard teaches us about in “Introduction to Entrepreneurship.” This principle came in handy when we worked on a consulting project to bring Strange Donuts, a donut shop from St. Louis, to Barcelona.

Aside from your immersion and your classmates, What was the key element of the Washington Olin MBA program that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? The most important aspect of Olin’s programming was the opportunity to build a network of high-performing artists. I monitor my personal and professional development by evaluating the people around me. Olin did not disappoint, whether students, alumni or faculty.

What class, club, or activity have you enjoyed the most so far at Washington Olin? The course I enjoyed the most was “Entrepreneurship through Acquisition” taught by Brian Wolfe. Instead of starting a new business from scratch, acquisition entrepreneurs focus on acquiring and growing existing small businesses with the goal of selling at a profit. Over seven weeks, Brian guides us through the process of selecting the most effective research methods, developing an objective statement, and analyzing potential deals. We also benefit from insights shared by current business owners and researchers, who provide first-hand perspectives on acquiring and operating businesses every week!

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: The most significant accomplishment of my career was the installation of a sustainable HVAC system for a plant in the Mississippi Delta. This was my last project at the facility before accepting a global engineering assignment. Before I left, many associates shook my hand and thanked me for providing much-needed relief during the hot Delta summers. My next major accomplishment is leading a fundraiser for the St. Louis Public Schools Foundation; we set a goal of raising $2,000 by the end of April.

Describe your biggest achievement in the MBA program so far: My most significant accomplishment at Olin was founding the WashU ETA Club. Coming to Olin, I knew I wanted to learn everything I could about ETA (Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition). Yet once I started the classes, I realized that many other students would benefit from exposure to ETA because it provides a path to entrepreneurship without having to start from scratch. We have grown to 18 members since our launch in August and have two sponsors for professional development events this spring!

What has been your best memory as an MBA so far? My best memory is that of my meeting with Walker Deibel (Olin MBA 2004), the author of Buy then build. The book is the “first part” of the trinity of ETA literature (the HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business And Introduction to the Stanford Research Fund are the other two.) Meeting Walker and discussing his journey is something I will never forget.