BMG Teams With No. 1 Ranked Babson College; Multi-faceted Alliance Creates 1st MBA Program to Include Strategic Partnering Curriculum

Business Wire, April 19, 2000

Business Editors

KIRKLAND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 19, 2000

Business Marketing Group (BMG), the leader in outsourced partner development and advisory services, will develop strategic partnering coursework for Babson's MBA core curriculum, three-day intensive programs and executive education.

The agreement will bring BMG's knowledge base in strategic alliances to Babson's entrepreneurial program, ranked No. 1 by Business Week, U.S. News & World Reports and The Financial Times.

The program will create a hands-on learning experience in which students work together to develop creative strategies for forging alliances that maximize business results. Additionally, BMG has funded endowments to Babson's entrepreneurial business plan competition.

BMG CEO Sarah Gerdes will lend her expertise as an adjunct professor.

Gerdes also has been named a 2000 Price-Babson Fellow and will participate with 25 CEOs and academics from around the world in a weeklong thought leadership forum at Babson College.

"BMG's relationship with Babson -- marrying partner development knowledge with the recognized leader in entrepreneurship -- represents the model that will drive thought leadership for the next generation of entrepreneurs," Gerdes said. "Be it through research, teaching or fellowship programs, harnessing and delivering partner-related content will give Babson a head start in this specialized field."

"Our alliance with BMG typifies our commitment to the continued excellence of our entrepreneurial curricula," said Steve Spinelli, director of the Babson Entrepreneurship Center at Babson College. "By working with the leader in the field of partner development, we are gaining real-world case studies, early trend identification and analysis, hands-on teaching capabilities and a growing endowment to our business plan competition. All of these will work to build the knowledge-base of our students, which continues to enhance Babson's position in the global academic and business community."

About BMG

BMG (www.bmginc.com) is a Washington-based partner advisory firm specializing in outsourced partner development and consulting. Providing a broad set of services, BMG has consulting, analyst and development business units, which have been utilized, by Fortune 50 firms and startups alike. BMG is headquartered in Kirkland, Wash., and maintains offices in San Francisco and Boston.

About Babson College

Babson College (www.babson.edu) in Wellesley, Mass., recognized internationally as a leader in entrepreneurial management education, was founded in 1919 by entrepreneur and financier Roger W. Babson. It grants BS, MBA, and custom MS degrees, and offers executive development programs to experienced managers worldwide. Babson's degree programs are accredited by AACSB -- The International Association for Management Education, and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.