When Fisher MBA students Kyle Clark and Yui Yu set out to build a strategic business plan for a class project in spring 2025, they never expected it would help bring a European company to Ohio. Yet less than a year later, that’s exactly what happened. Their work, completed through Fisher’s Global Applied Projects (GAP) programme, helped guide MKV GmbH Kunststoffgranulate – a German industrial plastics recycling company – to open a US sales office in Akron this past January.
GAP is Fisher’s hands-on consulting capstone, designed to turn classroom theory into practice. The programme pairs MBA students with companies from around the world, giving them the chance to solve real strategic challenges while developing global and cross-cultural business skills. It partners with JobsOhio to connect students with international firms looking to expand – which is how MKV’s president and CEO, Kai Zies, first crossed paths with Fisher, after a chance meeting with a JobsOhio representative in Germany.
From the classroom to Limburg: how the project took shape
At the outset, MKV knew it wanted to expand into the United States but hadn’t yet settled on where. Clark and Yu, working alongside classmates Daniel Hottois, Sumaire Shamlal and Shuchi Sharma, spent the semester researching the market, legal and regulatory landscape, and logistics considerations before travelling to MKV’s headquarters in Limburg, Germany, for a week-long consulting visit. There, the team saw the company’s operations firsthand – including its injection moulding processes – and worked directly with MKV’s leadership to refine their recommendations.
Zies said the students’ varied academic backgrounds, spanning medicine, marketing, and data analytics, brought a valuable outside perspective to the project. None of them had prior experience in the plastics recycling industry, but their curiosity, work ethic, and thoughtful questions impressed the MKV team throughout the engagement. The students, in turn, came away with a deeper understanding of how business practices differ across borders – from the faster, more transactional pace of US dealmaking to the more relationship-driven approach common in Germany. They also learned how MKV’s environmental standards and customer-first philosophy could translate into the American market.
Narrowing the search: why Akron came out on top
As the project progressed, MKV directed the team to narrow its site search to Michigan, Illinois, and Ohio, building on the company’s existing business ties in Michigan. The students evaluated each state on logistics, labour availability, costs, and access to potential customers, including car manufacturers seeking high-performance plastics. Akron ultimately stood out, helped in part by its proximity to the University of Akron’s polymer science programme – a potential source of future collaboration and talent for MKV as it grows its US presence.
Beyond the location analysis, the students developed a competitive assessment and initial marketing strategy to help MKV position itself in a new market. Zies said this work played a meaningful role in confirming that the opportunity – and the city – were the right fit for the company’s expansion.
From recommendation to reality: MKV opens in Ohio
Since opening its office at the Bounce Innovation Hub in Akron, MKV has continued building momentum, forming partnerships with regional economic development organisations, logistics providers, and manufacturing collaborators with support from JobsOhio. Zies said the experience reinforced a simple lesson: consistent, collaborative effort – even in small steps – can lead to lasting results over time.
For Clark, the impact of the project has stayed with him well beyond graduation. He said he still feels a personal connection to MKV’s journey, describing a mix of pride and excitement in watching the company’s story continue
