A Different Road: Ari Supran MBA ’04 and Sonance
CBS alumni have always demonstrated high-level success within the traditional business settings. However, some graduates choose to veer from the standard MBA path to pursue an alternative corporate calling. Columbia CaseWorks has recently published a case study featuring an alumnus building his career in such a way. Sonance at a Turning Point, by Professor Natalie Mizik, describes how Ari Supran, MBA ’04, met a common corporate challenge within an unconventional organization.
Sonance, a high-end audio company producing and selling in-wall speakers, had long prospered by targeting a small market of custom installation dealers. However, the company recognized a unique growth opportunity in the housing boom of 2005. A new goal was set: extend the company’s reach beyond niche consumers and into the mass-market. Supran was charged with leading Sonance’s marketing and sales team in developing an innovative approach. The case details the various strategies he considers in the process.
Supran’s involvement in this case was key to delivering a comprehensive, well-produced case study. Ronnie Sacco, CaseWorks editor, comments on the importance of alumni involvement in case development at the Business School:
“Ari Supran’s support in developing the Sonance case and his decision to come to campus to help present it is a great example of alumni giving back. In addition to his marketing insights, he framed the case in a very personal way for the students by discussing his own decision to seek out a position in a nontraditional company in order to pursue his own passion.”
To learn more about how to contribute to CaseWorks, please contact Elizabeth Gordon at ejg40@columbia.edu or Ronnie Sacco at rgs36@columbia.edu.
