Fall 2013 Magazine FINAL

College of Management and Business NLU ALUMNUS HAS COMPANY ON THE CUTTING EDGE By Brian Kush

National Louis University prides itself on being a school that provides access to education. Access to education, due to circumstances, can be tough for many people. In Scott Kartsounes’ case, it was being a working adult with a wife and two young children. National Louis University’s MBA program provided Scott the access to obtain his Master’s de- gree and move up in his company. Scott was recently promoted to Chief Technology Officer at Manufacturers’ News, Inc. Manufactur- ers’ News, Inc. is the nation’s largest compiler and publisher of industrial directories and databases.

able program, but also had a very good reputation for quality, and good faculty,” Scott said. “I liked that the program was fast paced and I was able to complete the program in under two years. In the end, I think it was good pick.” Scott was right. The MBA program at National Lou- is University allowed him to finish the program at his own pace while balancing his life at home. Scott was in the MBA program with eight other working professionals, and the small class size allowed the instructors to work closely with the cohort and give special attention if needed. After completing the MBA program at National Louis University, Scott was immediately promoted to Chief Technology Officer at Manufacturers’ News

Located in Evanston, Illinois, Man- ufactures’ News, Inc. dates back to 1912. Scott started at Manufacturers’ News, Inc. in 1999, right after he graduated from college, as part of the information technology department. Scott helped Man-

“I liked National Louis because it was very affordable, but

Scott Kartsounes

ufacturers’ News, Inc. develop new technologies to help customers access information in more ef- ficient ways. “Recently we launched an online subscription ser- vice where customers can get unlimited access to our database for an annual fee,” Scott said. “We also started a mobile app and an app for the tablet. It’s all about giving customers new ways, more con- venient ways, to access our information.” After working in IT for several years, as well as run- ning his own software company, Scott gained a lot of business experience, but he didn’t have the founda- tional experience in business. He decided to take his career to that next level, he needed an MBA. With several options in the Chicagoland area in terms of MBA programs, Scott did his research and found that National Louis University was the best fit for him and his busy life.

also had a very good reputation for quality.”

— Scott Kartsounes ’13 Chief Technology Officer, Manufacturers’ News Inc.

Inc. National Louis University made it possible for Scott to take the next step in his career. Scott is now focused on the future of Manufacturers’ News, Inc. and moving them forward in a rapidly-changing environment. Part of the changing environment is the customer becoming accustomed to paying one monthly fee for unlimited services. We see this with companies like Netflix and Pandora. With that in mind, Scott has developed a new service called “Easy Select.” It’s a new subscription service that looks to shift Manufacturers’ News, Inc. from the traditional one- time sale to reoccurring revenue. Subscribers to Manufacturers’ News, Inc. can now access all the

“I liked National Louis because it was a very afford-

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