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Karl Wedemeyer
Karl Wedemeyer plans to put his master’s degree in business administration from the College of Business to work growing White Diamond Farm, his family’s dairy farm in LaRue, Ohio.
What are your next steps or plans for the future?I plan to continue to manage my family's dairy farm. We have growth plans for business and want to continue to milk more cows. We are also growing a direct-to-consumer freezer beef business. Our primary target market for the beef business is Columbus, Ohio.
What was your ah-ha moment at OHIO—that point where you said to yourself, “I’ve got this!”?I think my moment ah-ha moment was when I was able to do well in the first semester of the PMBA (Professional MBA) program and did well in descriptive analytics. The class was challenging and without having done a business degree in my undergraduate education I was unsure how well I would do. After doing well I knew that I would be able to perform well in the program.
Why did you choose OHIO? I chose OHIO because of the PMBA program. I liked that it was online but also had an in-person component that used the cohort model. Being with the same people throughout the program to build relationships was important to me as I looked at different MBA programs. My dad also received his master's degree from Ohio University so there was a family tie as well.
Who were your favorite professors and how did they make an impact on your life?My favorite Professor was Professor Travis Davidson who taught the finance classes. He did an excellent job presenting the material and tied it back to real-world examples happening as we were taking the class. He also took the time to have frequent office hours where we were able to discuss the material but also career objectives, his experiences in working with different boards, and management concepts.
What was the hardest hill you had to climb at OHIO? And how did you overcome challenges or obstacles in your path?I believe the hardest hill I had to climb while doing the PMBA program was managing the workload from the classes while also working full-time. I also got married, bought a house, and started a family during the program. It was a lot of balls to keep in the air but I was able to stay focused and earn my degree. At times I wasn’t sure how I was going to get everything done but all the work was worth it to earn my degree.
What are your favorite OHIO memories?My favorite memories are going to the monthly residency for the PMBA program. Being able to get together with the cohort in person and interact was what made the program great. It was always fun when many of us would get together after class to talk not only about class but other things happening in our lives and our careers.
What’s the one thing you would tell a new OHIO student not to miss?Make sure you make friends and connections. The relationships, and diverse kinds of people you meet along the way add richness to life. Go to the events and make friends that you will know for the rest of your life.