{"id":745992,"date":"2025-04-09T05:27:10","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T12:27:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=wherenext&p=745992"},"modified":"2025-05-12T08:40:03","modified_gmt":"2025-05-12T15:40:03","slug":"the-geospatial-pros-with-a-business-edge","status":"publish","type":"wherenext","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/the-geospatial-pros-with-a-business-edge","title":{"rendered":"The Geospatial Pros with a Business Edge"},"author":501,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[],"tags":[162592,241,296542,491722,491912],"department":[476782],"wherenext-category":[],"industry":[],"class_list":["post-745992","wherenext","type-wherenext","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-education","tag-gis","tag-leadership","tag-location-analysts","tag-mba","department-new-analyst"],"acf":{"short_description":"GIS meets MBA: Why GIS professionals are adding value to their organizations\u2014and their r\u00e9sum\u00e9s\u2014by pursuing business degrees.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Michael Yocius was raised in a family of business and finance professionals, so his decision to study geography in college came as a slight shock. As it turned out, the two fields were closely intertwined."},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Left","content":"Snapshot:<\/strong> Location analysts have long been go-to resources for business leaders. Now these spatial standouts are adding MBAs to their r\u00e9sum\u00e9s and delivering new forms of insight.","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Yocius could see what others hadn\u2019t fully grasped: that geographic awareness\u2014also known as spatial thinking\u2014is a coveted capability in nearly every business field, from supply chain management<\/a> to advertising.\r\n\r\nPropelled by his education in geographic information system (GIS) technology<\/a>, Yocius is now an associate channel manager in customer data and analytics at Kohler, a manufacturer and retailer of kitchen and bath products. By day, he supports the Kohler marketing team with location insights about customer demographics that help guide advertising investments<\/a>. By night, he\u2019s adding business skills to his spatial prowess, studying for his Marquette University MBA with classes on sustainability and risk analysis. The schedule is often a recipe for exhaustion, but it\u2019s giving him the complete picture of how an enterprise functions.\r\n\r\n\u201cI just think it's such a strategic advantage, being able to have a global view of things but also being able to get hyper, hyper local,\u201d Yocius told WhereNext<\/em>. \u201cAnd I think the only way to do that is through geospatial.\u201d"},{"acf_fc_layout":"quote","image":746022,"text":"Using what I\u2019ve learned from spatial and what I\u2019ve learned from an MBA, we\u2019ve been able to deliver very hyperlocalized experiences. We actively try to listen to the customer and deliver those great experiences.","author_name":"Michael Yocius, Kohler ","author_profession_organization":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Wanted: Location Analysts with Business Savvy <\/strong><\/h3>\r\nLocation analysts versed in business operations are versatile problem-solvers. They provide the location data and analysis that leaders ask for, and know how to contextualize the information to illuminate business impacts.\r\n\r\nThey anticipate what senior managers need and provide maps and dashboards that address core business concerns. An executive might ask to see sales data in a trade area, when they really want to understand the performance of a marketing campaign. Knowing this, a business-savvy GIS analyst can map sales activity before and after recent marketing campaigns, providing location intelligence on their impacts.\r\n\r\nPhuoc Pham, an associate professor at West Chester University, has seen the growing demand for graduates who bring spatial awareness to business problems. Several years ago, he began incorporating GIS technology<\/a> into his supply chain course in the college of business and public management."},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Right","content":"Related Read:<\/strong>\r\n\r\n\/\/ Insider tips<\/a> on careers in GIS and business","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"At first, he made up supply chain scenarios for his students to solve through location analysis. Soon, companies were sending Pham their own scenarios, leading to an annual competition where business undergrads apply their spatial skills to real-world challenges. Transportation services company Penske asked students to help design trucking routes. A restaurant equipment distributor tasked students with optimizing complex supply chains.\r\n\r\nAs the GIS case competitions grew in size and scope, companies began offering more prize money\u2014and managers and CXOs started showing up in the audience, scouting for talent.\r\n\r\n\u201cIf a student is hired by the company, that\u2019s a big advantage [for the organization] because they don\u2019t have to train them,\u201d Pham says. \u201cThere\u2019s lower costs and less time needed.\u201d\r\n\r\nHe recently heard from a student who said the GIS skills Pham taught had helped her land a job\u2014and analyze the flood risk at her new apartment.\r\n

How an MBA Can Put GIS Analysts on the Leadership Track<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nLiz Parrish, a senior manager of geospatial analytics and insights at grocery chain H-E-B, drew on her business and GIS proficiency to create a strategic road map for the program she leads. But she spent years as a GIS analyst before realizing she wanted to focus on strategy.\r\n\r\nShe considered three paths: a project management professional (PMP) certification, a master\u2019s degree in GIS, or an MBA. After consulting several business mentors, she realized the MBA was a key asset in the leadership roles she hoped to one day fill.\r\n\r\nCourses on organizational structure and business information systems at the University of Redlands transformed her perspective on enterprise operations. By understanding the diverse needs and goals across organizational roles, she developed the ability to interpret colleagues\u2019 requests and communicate solutions\u2014bridging the gap between technical expertise and business objectives.\r\n\r\n\u201cThis is really where I think that intersection of the technical GIS background coupled with an MBA<\/a> and understanding business at a high level really comes into play and becomes an advantage,\u201d Parrish says. \u201cYou need to learn what your stakeholders value, what language they speak, and what level of translation between technical speak and business speak needs to happen to drive them [toward] understanding the value proposition.\u201d\r\n\r\nAfter earning her business degree, Parrish was working as a consultant when she helped a major commercial real estate company develop self-serve maps for thousands of independent brokers. Relying on her location skills and business savvy, she became a liaison between executives and technology leaders.\r\n\r\nThrough collaborative development of enterprise mapping tools, the GIS department reduced repetitive work requests by over 40 percent. This freed analysts to focus on complex projects and conduct deeper spatial analysis, generating additional value for the company.\r\n\r\nLocation analysts with business training are able to divine \u201cthe need behind the need,\u201d Parrish says. \u201cGIS can help discover the underlying needs and really answer the core questions that are key to decision-making or insights that can support decision-making.\u201d"},{"acf_fc_layout":"quote","image":746032,"text":"Professionals who combine spatial and business skills can hone their problem-solving abilities\u2014and fast-track their careers.","author_name":"","author_profession_organization":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Graduating to Spatial Awareness at a Global Scale<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nFor Yocius, the intermingling of business and spatial thinking began before he started his MBA, but it has certainly deepened since.\r\n\r\nThe graduate business classes at Marquette have helped him apply spatial awareness at a broader scale, a trend he sees in his work with customer segmentation data.\r\n\r\n\u201cIf we\u2019re able to understand the consumer and we understand who we\u2019re marketing to and who\u2019s purchasing, it could also uncover an operational efficiency\u2014a store that isn\u2019t in the correct location, or a store that\u2019s cannibalizing this particular one,\u201d he explains.\r\n\r\nWith their business training, Yocius, Parrish, and other analysts see business opportunities in location data that others overlook.\r\n\r\nYocius applies location analysis to business challenges across the enterprise. He\u2019s analyzed the impacts of wildfires on employees and stores, and used GIS to assess Kohler\u2019s water footprint<\/a> around the world, finding the watersheds with the highest risk.\r\n\r\n\u201cCritical wins have come from not only being able to visualize the information, but then being able to explain: What is the potential impact? What is the potential risk?\u201d Yocius explains. \u201cBeing able to clearly articulate that definitely resonates with any manager.\u201d\r\n\r\nHe and other business-minded location analysts may have taken an unexpected career route, but they\u2019ve ended up right where they hoped to be: blending a love for business with a location analyst\u2019s knack for navigating through a challenge."}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"\nLocation Analysts Earn MBAs, Boost Value to the Enterprise<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Meet the small but distinguished group of GIS professionals and location analysts who have earned an MBA.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/the-geospatial-pros-with-a-business-edge\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" 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