Dana Krone & R.L. Poston

Dana Krone & R.L. Poston AT&T Solutions

Instead of simply running another company's computer network, AT&T Solutions wanted to purchase the assets of IBM Global Network and then lease the computer services back to IBM.  The challenge was daunting, but a trio from Rutgers proved equal to the task.

It was a serendipitous coincidence, perhaps, that three Rutgers EMBA graduates were working together at AT&T Solutions, the division of the company that runs other companies' network systems.  The three possessed the critical mass of talent and skills necessary to handle the multilayered project.  In crafting their plan, Dana Krone, R. L. Poston, and Howard Powlesson relied heavily upon their MBA education.

"It was a four-month process, and we were on a two-month deadline," says Dana, International Managing Director, Strategy and Alliances at AT&T Solutions, as he describes handling deadlines while navigating the elaborate and varying legalities of the sixty countries involved in the deal.

"The strength of the IBM project," he continues, "was the demonstration of skills we had developed in the course of study at Rutgers, including accounting, business law, business strategy, financial analysis, marketing, and the use of linear programming."

"The Rutgers program gave me a tremendous sense of confidence," adds R. L., who, like his colleague Dana Krone, was president of his class.  "It exposed me to a wide range of experiences that you don't get in the usual business track."  As the AT&T Solutions Finance Team's IBM Project Director, R.L. handled highly sophisticated financial analyses and bid integration for the project.  "We used every bit of the experience and knowledge we had gained at Rutgers in putting together the deal," he notes.

Strategic partnerships, such as those forged by the AT&T group, are the model for business in the global marketplace.  The solution to successfully creating and managing these alliances requires players to bring their best skills to the negotiating table.  For the EMBA graduates, their Rutgers education was an invaluable asset in achieving a true business coup.