It’s my ideal job: to interact with bright, hardworking people, exploring ideas about making business process work better, faster and cheaper to create value for people to share and enjoy. The Tauber Institute has opened many doors for me to meet people and learn about business all over the world.

Ann Arbor, MI - The Tauber Institute for Global Operations presents Michigan Ross Lecturer of Technology & Operations Eric Svaan with the Trailblazer Award at the SPOTLIGHT! 2021 Team Project Showcase Awards Ceremony in recognition of his contributions to the strength and depth of the institute's programs.

Eric inspires Tauber Institute students to think boldly - and teaches them the skills to turn their ideas into reality. He has served as a business faculty co-advisor for 45 Tauber team projects over the last 24 years, working together with Michigan Engineering faculty to guide business + engineering graduate student teams solving operations challenges for top global companies. Eric said, "It’s my ideal job: to interact with bright, hardworking people, exploring ideas about making business process work better, faster and cheaper to create value for people to share and enjoy. The Tauber Institute has opened many doors for me to meet people and learn about business all over the world."

In addition, Eric created a Tauber Institute-sponsored Project Management certification course that he has led since 2013, and has presented Project Management techniques as a part of the institute's exclusive LeadershipAdvantage^SM skill-building modules. Eric currently co-teaches the nationally acclaimed Integrated Product Development course hosted by the Tauber Institute. Together with co-instructor Stephanie Tharp of the Stamps School of Art & Design, Eric inspires multidisciplinary teams of students from Michigan Engineering, the Ross School of Business, the Stamps School of Art & Design, and the School of Information to create brand new products to meet consumer needs, then launch them in a competitive marketplace.

Thanks to the commitment of faculty like Eric Svaan, Tauber Institute students are well prepared for high-impact careers in the rapidly changing field of operations. Eric remarked, "Tauber students who engage fully with their on-campus coursework and field projects are packing a toolkit that will open many future professional doors for them. Our programs have led the way in action-based projects that also demand academic rigor."