Owl Have You Know Rice Business

We have plenty of Rice families in our history. But it's rare to see a mother and daughter earn their Professional MBAs at the same time.
Misty and Alexis graduated in May and co-founded La Mer Macaron, offering an assortment of homemade macarons for home delivery.
Misty is the CEO of La Mer Macaron. She spent most of her career as an independent petroleum landman for various companies in Texas, before pivoting to nursing. In 2023, she left nursing and co-founded La Mer Macaron with her family.
After years of working in public and behavioral health, Alexis eventually left those industries to launch La Mer Macaron with her mom, and is the vice president. Our host Maya Pomroy ’22 catches up with this mother-daughter powerhouse to discuss their motivations, the challenges of balancing family life with education, the importance of collaboration and the inception of their macaron business. The conversation highlights the support system within their family, their experience at Rice Business, and their aspirations for the future.

Episode Guide: 
01:10 Alexis's Journey from Public Service to getting her MBA
02:46 Misty's Career Pivot: From Oil and Gas to Nursing and Beyond
04:43 The Decision to Pursue MBAs Together
09:55 Launching La Mer Macaron: A Family Business
19:58 The Impact of Rice Business and Future Plans
27:40 Reflections on Family, Support, and Success

Owl Have You Know is a production of Rice Business and is produced by University FM.

Episode Quotes:
On the intricacies of macaron making

18:49 [Maya Pomroy]: When you're making macarons, take me through the process because I'm curious. They definitely have a shelf life, and they're just like perfection, right? When you get them, they melt in your mouth, and all that, and they seem like it'd be really hard to make.19:04 [Misty Fehler] They are very difficult to make. It's a lot of fun. So, I think that's the thing about that we like so much: that there's a challenge, and some of us are super challenge-driven, and then some of us are, you know, structure-driven. There's all, all of our personalities mix in, so we work really well together, by the way.
How the Blue Launch program helped scaled their ideas for their business
13:57 [Misty Fehler]: All the things that we learned in the MBA were very helpful to apply, and just backing up to the accelerator, why that was so amazing? Because everything we were learning in school, we were getting more of a specialized educational program catered just for that. So, we were learning a lot that we didn't know, which was the whole reason we wanted to do the MBA in the first place. So, it takes all of your ideas that you have to start a business and just trashes everything because you think that you can just go out and start a business, but it's not exactly like that if you want it to be successful. So, we started revamping. Okay, we've perfected making the macaron, but scaling up is incredibly hard. And we were mastering that when we started the Blue Launch program. It was very challenging, but it pushed us to actually put something into action, which we're so thankful for.On their plans for the future
23:36 [Maya Pomroy]: So, what are your plans for the future of your business?23:42 [Alexis Weaver]: We're always looking for what the new innovative thing is. I think we all don't want to get too caught into just being a small business. We'd, like, to find a way to make it more innovative, as my mom was saying. And so, hopefully we can take everything we've learned.

Show Links: 
TranscriptGuest Profile:
Misty Fehler | LinkedIn Alexis Weaver | LinkedIn La Mer Macaron Rice Alliance

Eager to learn how organizations can innovate their way out of a crisis? You may be surprised that the key to this comes from an arts organization.

Tune into a special live recording of our podcast, with John Mangum, the executive director/CEO of the Houston Symphony, and Scott Sonenshein, the Henry Gardiner Symonds Professor of Management – Organizational Behavior at Rice Business. 

During the pandemic, the performing arts faced an especially grave challenge beyond the shared difficulties with other industries: an existential crisis over the relevance of arts in times of extreme hardship. Professor Scott Sonenshein, a New York Times bestselling author and expert on how employees can create organizational, social and personal change, led a multi-year study of two prominent orchestras (including the Houston Symphony), resulting in a surprising insight with far-reaching applications. Resourcefulness is not just helpful for surviving adversity. It’s a strategic framework that enables organizations to become better versions of themselves.

In this conversation, John and Scott reflect on how the Houston Symphony transformed their operations and performance delivery during the pandemic, and how business leaders facing disruptions can benefit from critical changes Scott’s research uncovered.

Following their conversation, musicians from the Houston Symphony perform Fanny Mendelssohn’s String Quartet in E-flat major, illustrating the Symphony's commitment to diversity and exploration in music. 

Musicians:
MuChen Hsieh '17, violinAmy Semes '19, violinWei Jiang, violaJeremy Kreutz '20, cello

Episode Guide: 
00:36 Exploring resilience and innovation at the Houston Symphony05:16 Deep dive into Scott Sonenshein's research on organizational change10:42 The Houston Symphony's pandemic response and innovation26:30 Leadership, trust, and the future of the Houston Symphony37:26 Closing remarks40:16 Fanny Mendelssohn's String Quartet in E-flat major 

Owl Have You Know is a production of Rice Business and is produced by University FM.
Episode Quotes:

What made the Houston Symphony shine during the pandemic?
15:48 [Scott Sonenshein]: When you got to see an organization that was relentless in determining to keep playing and keep the music going no matter what form that looked like, you saw a lot of innovation and creativity in finding ways not to just put online what they were doing before but to really reinvent what they were doing so it would be suitable for the format that they could play in. And that's why you saw a lot of the Zoom symphonies and the little boxes, but what the Houston Symphony did was bring musicians into the homes of their audience. And that created a lot of new experiences for their audience. What has the pandemic taught the the Houston Symphony are taking forward for the years to come?
36:51 [John Mangum]:  [Music] It's one of the few spaces where you can go and really unplug and just be alone, and that is rare these days. And I think that the symphony is going to continue to scale great artistic heights and commission new works and support young composers and reflect the diversity and energy of our community.How did the pandemic pushed for the Houston symphony to think outside the box
21:30 [John Mangum] Even when we had our largest possible audience during that pandemic season, there were only about 400 or 450 people in Jones Hall, which at the time sat 2,900. That was because households had to sit together and then be a certain distance from anyone who wasn't in their household—back to this bubble idea. We weren't under pressure to sell tickets, so that gave us the ability to program whatever we wanted. You didn't have to do a certain number of Beethoven symphonies, or Star Wars in concert, or the kind of things that sell tickets. So we could really explore all kinds of repertoire.Show Links: 
To Adapt During Crisis, Take a Lesson From JazzHouston SymphonyTranscriptGuest Profiles:
John Mangum | L

For Adrian and Klaus Trömel, getting an MBA from Rice Business was a family affair. 
Klaus Trömel served as the secretary general of the European Investment Bank (EIB) until his retirement in March 2018. He began his career as an analyst at Hewlett-Packard’s European headquarters in Geneva before working as a trade and pre-export finance officer.
Adrian was named the assistant vice president for strategy and investments for Rice University’s Office of Innovation in August 2023. In this role, Adrian supports the design and integration of commercialization structures, resources and initiatives across the university to support early-stage inventors and entrepreneurs. 

The father and son duo join host Scott Gale ’19 to delve into their careers rooted in problem-solving, their decades-spanning relationship with Rice Business, personal anecdotes, and how an entrepreneurial mindset propelled them both forward. 
Episode Guide: 
00:42 Klaus’ Journey to Rice Business and Early Career
04:17 Klaus's Career at the European Investment Bank
12:28 Adrian’s Path to Rice Business
17:53 Adrian's Perspective on Entrepreneurship
25:00 Adrian's Role at Rice's Office of Innovation
29:46 Reflections on Adrian's Upbringing and Career Path
Owl Have You Know is a production of Rice Business and is produced by University FM.

Episode Quotes:

Entrepreneurship as a key to success
42:34 [Adrian Trömel]: Without having an understanding of entrepreneurship, I don't think you can necessarily be at the top of your game in that role, either. And so, finding a place where you can understand—in my case, at the time I thought I wanted to do commercialization—and whether that was big or small, I realize that field of study is entrepreneurship. Finding a place to study that entrepreneurship, to be able to decide whether you want to run an individual initiative, run multiple initiatives, or be able to evaluate those to be able to finance them is where I think finding a place to properly study entrepreneurship makes sense because you can apply those principles anywhere in life.Entrepreneurship is the discipline of being taught
23:00: [Adrian Trömel] Entrepreneurship is being taught the discipline of evaluating risks, and it's the discipline of being taught to make holistic considerationsWhat challenges does the Office of Innovation face?
27:32: [Adrian Trömel] [In] starting a company, you don't just need classes, and you don't just need a lab. You need a bunch of other things: spaces to work, money to do things with, and the ability to find talent. These are the challenges we're working through at the Office of Innovation—figuring out how to fill those resource gaps, how to provide assets to our community. So, when the next PhD student comes up with a new way to generate green hydrogen, a new method to remove PFAS from water efficiently, a new approach to produce carbon nanotubes and turn them into a valuable product, or a new medical device, they're not going out and trying to figure everything out themselves again. They have everything in a centralized location; they know where to work, find mentorship, seek advice, and secure funding.
Show Links: 
TranscriptGuest Profile:
Adrian Trömel | Staff | The People of RiceAdrian Trömel - Rice Business - Jones Graduate School of Business - Austin, Texas, United States | LinkedInAdrian Trömel joins Rice Office of Innovation as assistant vice president for strategy, investments Financing Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation: The Role of the European Investment Bank 

From an early age, Ashley Henry was interested in beauty. Despite getting her bachelor’s degree in chemistry and working for the CDC in epidemiology, her childhood dreams never faded.

After her stint in public health, Ashley went on to work as a hairstylist before getting her MBA and fully committing to beauty and luxury goods. 

Ashley is now the global product development manager at Fresh (an LVMH brand) in New York City. She accomplished her goal post-graduation from Rice in 2022, becoming one of the first alums to enter the luxury goods space.
Ashley joins host Maya Pomroy ’22 to share her journey from a science-focused career path to the beauty industry. She talks about pursuing an MBA to pivot careers, encourages others to pursue unconventional paths with their MBAs, and imparts an important lesson: closed mouths don’t get fed.
Episode Guide: 

00:41 Ashley's Unique Background and Pivot Story
01:55 Family Background and Early Interest in Beauty and Fashion
04:40 The Journey to Medical School and a Shift in Direction
06:27 Career Options with a Chemistry Major and a Passion for Beauty
07:49 A Career in Public Health: From CDC to Quarantine Officer
12:31 The Pivot to Beauty Industry: A Journey of Entrepreneurship
14:49 The Decision to Pursue an MBA at Rice Business
18:04 Reflecting on the Impact of Rice Business School
18:31 Finding Her Role in the Beauty Industry
19:57 The Journey to LVMH and Fresh Beauty
27:16 The Power of Storytelling and Networking
31:49 Future Aspirations and Advice for Aspiring Professionals
Owl Have You Know is a production of Rice Business and is produced by University FM.

Episode Quotes:
The power of storytelling in business school and beyond
27:27: The number one thing that business school taught me was the power and importance of telling your story in a way that resonates with people. Pay attention in Janet's classes, pay attention in comms, pay attention and leverage those things, and think about your story. Think about the transferable skills. Think about how you can connect the dots in a way that resonates with your audience. So, I went into those interviews with these beauty brands knowing how I was able to transition from pre-med, chemistry, public health, hair care entrepreneur into where I was going, and I was able to draw that through line for them and paint that picture for them. So the power of storytelling and your pitch is a story, right? It's a short story, but it's a story. And when you're in an interview, it's a story. It's your opportunity to tell about yourself and your journey and to connect with the person across from you. This was an important skill that I learned in business school that I still leverage every single day.
20:52: Business school is a time for you to explore and figure out what you want to do, especially if you want to transition and if you're a career switcher.Closed mouth don’t get fed
29:52: You have to ask for what you want in this life. No one's going to know what you want if you don't speak up for yourself, and you're going to suffer if you just swallow all of those things and take what you're given in life.The clarity is the work that you have to do within yourself to understand, “What exactly do I want?”How Rice helped Ashley in embracing authentic networking
04:19:  Business school gave me the opportunity to get my reps in on talking to people. Because I used to think networking was such a superficial, artificial thing. I'm like, "Oh, you're only talking to someone because you want something from them." But in business school, you have to break out of that quickly. And you had to be able to see someone, go, talk to them, and tell your story in a way that would grab their attention and be able to add value to them.
Show Links: 
Transcript
Guest Profile:
Ashley Henry | LinkedIn LVMHFreshRice Business - Meet Ashley Henry, MBA '22 

Brian Jackson is an expert when it comes to challenging himself in unchartered waters.

Brian is the manager of renewables origination at TransAlta Corporation, where he oversees the company's renewable energy power purchase agreement origination activities in the United States. Brian has a well-rounded roster of degrees from Texas institutions, beginning with a  BS in political science from Texas A&M University, a JD from South Texas College of Law Houston, and an MBA from Rice University.
But before transitioning to the renewable energy industry, Brian worked in the oil and gas sector as both a landman and a lawyer. Additionally, he has taken on entrepreneurial roles in business investing and prospecting, utilizing his diverse skill set and experience to identify new opportunities in the market.

The new Rice Business alumni board president joins host Maya Pomroy ’22 to tell us about the importance of finding a job that fits your values, figuring out one’s identity, and how the adversity he has faced was a blessing in disguise, serving as a gateway for his personal and professional growth.

Episode Guide: 
00:05 Brian's Early Life and Career Journey
01:56 Experience in the Online MBA Program
03:09 Global Upbringing and Cultural Experiences
11:22 Brian's Transition from Law to Renewable Energy
13:42 Challenges and Growth in the Legal Profession
17:42 Brian's Reflections on Diversity and Inclusion
25:24 Role as President of the Rice Business Alumni Board
25:24 Future Goals and Aspirations

Owl Have You Know is a production of Rice Business and is produced by University FM.
Episode Quotes:
What did Brian learn throughout his job-searching experience?
13:42: When you're searching for a job from a position of just necessity, it's so different. The questions you ask, the values you're looking for — kind of this idea of mentorship and growth — maybe are kind of all put on the back burner because you're just looking for a paycheck. And so that's where I ended up, kind of in a safe harbor. Maybe not the best fit, and having had that experience, now when I look at a role or, let's say, recently when joining TransAlta, it changed the questions I asked in the interview. It changed really what I was focusing on and the indications I was looking for because of that experience, right? But you don't know to look for those things or to ask those questions, I think, unless you've had that exposure.
Speaking from experience is bridge to understanding
19:30: The best thing I can do is be vocal and wear my heart on my sleeve and say, "Hey, this is what happened to me. I'm sitting at this table and here to work with you because I'm coming from this place of experience."What drove Brian to be part of an online program even after post-MBA?
24:35: I think the online program, what's so cool about it, is that everyone's still typically working. So, they all come from this different background where you're hearing not only about what's going on personally but in their careers at the same time. Everyone's backgrounds were so diverse professionally. And now, seeing where they've all filtered off and where they've gone is just even more fun."
Show Links: 
TranscriptGuest Profile:
Brian Jackson - Rice BusinessRice Business Alumni Association BoardBrian Jackson - LinkedIn TransAlta 

Looking at T. Canady Barton’s resume, she has some of the biggest company names on the list. After a few years doing chemical engineering, oil and gas, T. pivoted to consulting, tech and entrepreneurship for the bulk of her career. 
In 2014, she moved to the U.K., where she was the vice president of portfolio management, digital strategy and transformation for Garner. From 2006-2018, she was a founding member and CEO of ThinkPower, Inc., a boutique consultancy focused on driving positive disruption and game-changing results via strategic execution and operational excellence. 
She joined Google in 2020 as the customer experience and innovation leader for Google Cloud Consulting and was previously head of strategy and operations for YouTube marketing. Now, she’s following her own entrepreneurial path with BlackBoxx, redefining care packages and gift-giving!
Host Scott Gale sits down with T. to chat all about prioritizing joy and passion in her career, the satisfaction of entrepreneurship, and shifting focus to what her personal and professional legacies will be.
Episode Guide:
00:28 Journey from Engineer to Entrepreneur
01:07 Choosing Chemical Engineering
02:40 First Job and Early Career
03:58 Transition to ExxonMobil
05:33 Exploring Entrepreneurship
10:33 Fundamental Principles of Disruption
12:46 Rice MBA Experience
15:04 Entrepreneurial Journey
27:56 Building a Legacy
29:07 Final Thoughts and Advice

Owl Have You Know is a production of Rice Business and is produced by University FM.

Episode Quotes:
It's all about the people, not the formula
10:31: [Scott Gale] What are some of the fundamental principles of disruption, in your view, from your learnings? Just curious around the commonalities in that—things to look out for when you're trying to disrupt a big incumbent. 
10:43: [T. Canady Braton] Well, I'll say loud and clear that nobody has it figured out. Nobody has to figure that there's not some magic wand. There's not some special formula. Everybody's trying to figure it out in their own way. And the common thread that people get to or should get to is that we're still in the people business, no matter what business you're in—the people business. And if it doesn't matter how great your idea is, it doesn't matter how much money you're going to make. If people can't understand it, and people don't buy into it, and they don't understand how to use it, it doesn't matter. So our job as technologists, our job as business leaders, is to make it easy to understand, to simplify the process, to make it easy for them to explain to their team so it trickles down. If we don't do that, it really doesn't matter. It's not going to go very far. 
11:48: Your idea can be brilliant, but implementation matters. Adoption matters. And how do you get that, right? It's not just talking to the C-suite. Of course, you need their buy-in. You need them to validate and adopt it themselves. But you have to get to the heart of the people in any organization. You got to go to every single level of that organization and make sure people are clear that they're bought in. They understand it. And you're moving whatever roadblocks you have to do it. You have to stay scrappy. You have to have grit; if you really want to make it happen, you have to show passion.T's view of entrepreneurship shaped her as an entrepreneur
15:14: I saw entrepreneurship around me. It wasn't necessarily successful entrepreneurship, but I did see entrepreneurship, and I saw the reward of building something your own, even if it didn't always net the result you were hoping for, even if it didn't lead to insane riches. I saw the satisfaction of building something with your own hands, right? Whether it was a lawn service, a dealership, or a retail store. And that fire is just something special.Why T is driven by significance in doing something big
08:09: I think my biggest driver was just to do something big. Like, you need to do something. And I've said before that my only