20 A

Growing Your Social Capital

Domain Expert:
Who they are, what their background is:

Leon Flemembaum – Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering

2. How this person is a “domain expert”:

Dr. Flemembaum had been an engineer since 1964. He has worked for multiple municipalities working with water treatment and electricity.

3. How I found and contacted this person:

He is my grandfather.

4. Nature of Exchange: What they did for me, what is the return expectation:

I explained my product and what I believed were potential technical problems with the idea. He explained to me that he would be able to assist with the design; However,he advised that we will need a mechanical engineer to help us design the product.

5. How will including them enhance my ability to exploit an opportunity:

Having a person with a background in mechanical engineering is very helpful for my project. He was able to explain things to me that I never even thought of. I would want to speak with someone about the mechanical part as Dr. Flemembaum suggested.



Market Expert:

1. Who they are, what their background is:
Max Schrader-Grace is a UCF student who owns a home and has tenants to help pay his mortgage.

2. How this person is a “market expert”:

He is a market expert based on the fact he is a landlord that provides washing machines to his tenants.

3. How I found and contacted this person:

My sister who attends UCF is friends with him.

4. Nature of Exchange: What they did for me, what is the return expectation:

It was a casual conversation. I asked a few questions based on how laundry is done at his house. He felt this was a great idea and would free up time and foster peace amongst the roommates who at times fight over the use of the laundry machines.

4. How will including them enhance my ability to exploit an opportunity:

He is someone that would be a great potential customer. He has tenants and represents a market that this product would be good for. He definitely would be helpful in the future to determine consumer needs and price point for the product.



Industry Supplier:
Who they are, what their background is:

Steven Ricket
How this person is a “industry supplier”:

Vice President and Director of Manufacturing of UNIMAC. A company that manufactures laundry machines for businesses. This company builds and provides laundry solutions to industries.

3. How I found and contacted this person:

I found this person during an extensive internet search. I left several messages informing him that I was a University of Florida business student. To my surprise he called back.

4. Nature of Exchange: What they did for me, what is the return expectation:

Once I explained the nature of my call, he was very nice. I explained my product and informed him that I would need assistance in with the manufacturing of the product. He said the company does work with concept products and he thought the idea had potential.

5. How will including them enhance my ability to exploit an opportunity:

Finding this person was a real eye opener on the mechanics of the machine. However, having the concept, drawing, and interviews on what consumers prefer is a good start. Bringing this product to market will be challenging, but it is achievable.



Finally: Reflect. This experience requires you to do a little 'targeted networking.' How will this experience shape how you participate in any future networking events? Did this experience differ from your networking experiences in the past? How?
Finding a person who is an expert in the field and returned calls was certainly a challenge. I have learned that interviewing potential customers and persistence is imperative to having a good concept come to life. Also, if you have a connection in the field, it certainly pays to use it.