Michael Ross, MBA
President & CEO, Ross-Conn, LLC.
Teaching focus: Management

Where I come from

After 13 years of management experience in corporate America, my career has evolved as an organizational management consultant targeting manufacturing and service-oriented companies as well as via my role as owner, president and CEO of a start-up company. My experience includes various manufacturing management positions, including director of manufacturing and production and of supply chain and fulfillment. During my tenure at these manufacturing companies, one of which is the world's largest fishing tackle company, I implemented sales and operations planning, significantly reducing inventory costs and delivery time. I drove lean manufacturing and Total Quality Management initiatives as well as created and delivered leadership training.

As an entrepreneur, I am the primary owner of Ross-Conn, LLC. and in the process of introducing an automotive appearance protection plan. Sales are growing in the first regional market and we are building towards expansion. In creating this company, I have been the financial, operations, marketing & sales, legal, IT and ultimate decision maker as President and CEO for the company. The entrepreneurial path is exciting and has challenged me to establish control, implement best practices and become a world class company leader in our industry. Since it's my money and my business partner's money on the line, I use the tools and principles I teach and try to use them more effectively every day.

Walking in your shoes

I began my educational journey as a non-traditional student after working in the field for nearly a decade. I empathize with my students who are managing a career, handling family responsibilities, and trying to successfully complete their degree program. I know the challenges they face. I earned my undergraduate degree while I was the second-shift Plant Manager at Pure Fishing and finished my MBA online the year I moved up as Production Manager. I'm now working on my dissertation for a Ph.D. in Organizational Management. Fortunately, I can do it online.

I teach with the learning outcomes in mind. What value can the student extract from my course and apply on their journey to a managerial position? What can they do to be impactful in their current position so as to solidify their presence or gain favor and possibly be rewarded with more responsibility?

Be prepared

People aspiring to achieve more need both the degree and relevant work experience to advance in their career. Education guarantees nothing but it opens doors. More opportunities opened up to me when I earned my MBA than through any other event in my life. I am grateful to the Human Resources manager who urged me to make time for formal education when I thought it was enough just to have a good job.

In fact, I hoped to succeed to that HR manager's job when he retired, so I earned my Human Resource Graduate Certification before starting my doctoral work in Organizational Management. Unfortunately, I moved to another company before he retired, but I am still preparing myself for future opportunities wherever they may be.

My father was a manufacturing plant manager for many years; I reported to him for two years when I was starting out. One thing he always told me was that I had to prepare myself for a position before I could be considered for it. I had to gain the knowledge, skills, and training needed before the opportunity came up. I have tried to follow his advice, and I give the same advice to my students.

Decisions, decisions...

I have been teaching at Keller Graduate School of Management since 2005. In my course facilitation I use many examples drawn from real life, from situations where difficult decisions had to be made. Many people confuse business decisions with personal decisions. They have to learn not only what criteria to use in making a business decision, but also how to deliver it in a professional, respectful, tactful manner so that even if co-workers are not pleased with the decision, they will understand the reasons for it.

For example, when I shut down a department I was managing, I had to look 60 people in the eye and tell them they did not have a job anymore. That was not easy, but it had nothing to do with me, it had to do with the greater good of the company moving forward. We were very fortunate that we had an aggressive product innovation group that had been busy working behind the scenes to create another department where about 80% of the people let go were absorbed.

Why Keller?

The amount of support that Keller provides to both students and faculty sets it apart from its competitors. Keller has a focus on how each course is put together and has clear expectations for the learning outcomes. It also clearly defines what is expected from instructors from an overall quality delivery standpoint.

Every online program has to ensure that the quality of their program is equal to or superior to traditional course delivery. The difference is that Keller has been at this longer than most. It was a pioneer in online education and has been committed from the start to a culture of continuous improvement. Keller is the industry leader in online education. It has established best practices in the field. Students can be sure of getting value for their investment at Keller.