Johnathan Flagg, MBA

Johnathan Flagg has significant professional experience working for a multinational chemical manufacturing company. 

When it came to choosing an MBA program, though, he sought small classes and personal attention. 

At Sage, he found a small and personal program that also kept up with the fast pace of his day job.

“Every day in class, something within the scope of my work came up,” he said. “I’d realize this is how I can fix this problem. or this is how we can address this situation.”

In his final semester he worked closely with three classmates and a motorcycle manufacturing startup, as the startup prepared to bring a new, patented frame design to market. The consulting project was part of the capstone class for the MBA program. 

The collaboration was amazing, said Johnathan of working with his MBA colleagues, their client and a local business accelerator. 

It was also hard, he acknowledged. It is customary for MBA faculty to limit their guidance during capstone experiences, and COVID-19 restrictions also affected the team’s advice to their client. 

“We had to figure it out,” said Johnathan. “But the key is at the end, when you realize it was supposed to be that hard. Because look at all the things you’ve learned. Nothing that’s rewarding comes without hard work.”

Johnathan completed his MBA in December 2020, and is still finding it relevant to his career in thermoplastic manufacturing. 

His Sage experience also inspired him to pursue opportunities as an adjunct business professor, he said, and to stay involved in the local startup community via business accelerator Ignite U NY, a connection made through Sage Entrepreneur-in-Residence Robert Manasier.