Centers, Institutes,
and Outreach Initiatives

Supporting manufacturing and health care, ATAC delivers tailored training that combines foundational Six Sigma instruction with hands-on project coaching. These collaborations enhance continuous process improvement and lead to measurable gains in operational efficiency, quality and cost savings. In manufacturing, projects have addressed challenges like production bottlenecks, scrap reduction and process standardization. In healthcare, teams focused on workflows, reducing patient wait times and improving care delivery processes. In manufacturing, projects addressed production bottlenecks, scrap reduction, and process standardization.

The Center participated in the 2025 Daniels Fund National Business Ethics Case Competition. The Auburn team included MBA students Noble Sefton, Jordan Groh, Jake Richardson and Brooke Baker. 100 teams competed nationally, and Auburn was the only team from Alabama invited to participate. 80 teams were eliminated in the first round. Auburn out-performed a number of prestigious schools including Duke, Georgia Tech, University of Missouri, and Bentley University before advancing to the final round in Denver, Colorado. Though Auburn did not place in the top three, the team’s exceptional performance provided great visibility for the Center, the Harbert College and Auburn. The Center plans to participate in next year’s Daniels Fund Business Ethics Case Competition.

In May, the CSCI hosted its annual FUSION event at the Marriott Grand National Conference Center. FUSION 2025 brought together experts to address critical topics and potential solutions to the ever-changing environment that confronts today’s supply chain practitioners. The event featured keynote speakers, panelists, and participants from companies including Ernst & Young, Ford Motor Company, Penske Logistics, General Electric Appliances, APM Terminals, and DHL Supply Chain. 200 attendees representing over 50 companies attended.

Experts discussed the use of supply chains to create a strategic advantage, the use of artificial intelligence to enhance supply chain performance, the impact of tariffs and economic uncertainty and the importance of customer input when designing supply chain solutions. To tackle the chaotic operating environment, speakers addressed the creation of flexible and resilient supply chain networks.

The event ended with a networking reception and dinner to recognize Dr. Brian Gibson’s retirement and honor his many contributions. For more than 25 years, Brian was instrumental in the success of the program, including serving as the inaugural Executive Director of the Center since its inception in 2016.

The Harbert Investment Center remains committed to fostering career readiness and academic excellence through hands-on experiences, student engagement and faculty research support.

This year, the Financial Management Association (FMA) and the Auburn Student Investment Fund (ASIF) sponsored over 2,400 student impact hours, including Bloomberg certification, financial modeling workshops and practical finance forums. Students brought home four first-place finishes in national competitions against top-tier programs including Northwestern, Penn, Cornell, and Chicago. These victories netted nearly $15,000 in scholarship awards and reinforced Auburn’s growing reputation among elite finance programs. FMA and ASIF also led visits to New York City and Charlotte, connecting students directly with professionals in investment banking, private equity and asset management.

The Auburn Finance Society launched a new member series to help students build confidence and make connections early. Events included a Networking, Internships & Relationship Building Seminar, a Guide to Finance Interviews workshop, and a Women in Finance panel. AFS also hosted a “Know Before You Go” Internship Prep session open to all Harbert students and organized a site visit to Birmingham, where students met with leading wealth management firms and Auburn alumni.

On the research side, the Center hosted four visiting scholars from Purdue, Wharton, Penn State, and UT Dallas, each presenting their work and receiving constructive feedback from faculty. Internal brownbag sessions provided a forum for Harbert faculty to share and discuss early-stage research. Harbert finance faculty were once again recognized for their research accomplishments: Dr. David Cicero received the HCOB Outstanding Faculty Research Award, and Dr. Danny Qin was honored with the HCOB Rising Faculty Scholar Research Award.

The Center sponsored the annual FMA Leadership Summit in October with distinguished speakers: Richard McPhail, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of The Home Depot; Erwin Van Der Voort, Vice Chairman of Global Investment Banking at RBC Capital Markets; and Senator Tommy Tuberville.

This year, the Lowder Center earned certification to teach the nationally recognized curriculum of the Kauffman FastTrac Bootcamp. This program helps aspiring and early-stage business owners develop the core skills to start and grow sustainable ventures.

Over 50 participants from 10 cities took part in the 8-week course. Attendees included first-time founders and active small business owners from industries such as wellness, art, education and professional services. The virtual bootcamp featured live online sessions, flexible office hours, and a structured digital learning platform. Key topics included marketing, operations and business planning, helping participants take meaningful steps in their entrepreneurial journeys.

Aiming to meet entrepreneurs where they are, FastTrac expands the Center’s reach beyond campus and complements the Center’s in-person Jumpstart Bootcamp. With these offerings, the Lowder Center is building the strong, connected ecosystem to support Alabama’s next generation of business leaders.

MPG continued its 11^th year producing the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over and Click it or Ticket campaigns for Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The team started a partnership with Harbert Analytics scholars, including Pei Xu, to create the metrics to enhance the impact of the campaigns. MPG concurrently produces 3 different podcasts (The Harbert Podcast, We Spoke, and Secrets of My Playbook with Harbert alum, entrepreneur, Mark Forchette).

In support of the college’s MBA team, MPG created a “hype” video for the Auburn team to be shown at the opening ceremony of the SEC CASE competition. Media Production also produced and directed a promotional video for the University’s EAGLES program, which helps students with special needs at Auburn.

The Group supported the Harrison School of Pharmacy on 2 grant projects: one building a prescription database and a second on substance use awareness. Team members also taught an Acting for the Camera practicum for BFA students in the Department of Theatre. And in collaboration with the Alumni Association, the group produced, directed and edited videos for the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Awards as well as designed graphics, sets and wrote, staged and supervised the June ceremony at the Gogue Performing Arts Center.

The Group also produces the Dean’s Report which is distributed to AACSB Deans and Harbert stakeholders and the award winning Harbert Magazine.

The NVA established the Auburn University KickStart Fund, a designated fund within the Auburn University Foundation, that will provide direct, non-dilutive grants to select student and faculty startup businesses exhibiting the greatest potential for success. Kickstart will be supported through philanthropic donations, public and private sector grants and corporate partnerships such as the grant recently received from Truist Foundation. The Fund will operate under the governance and oversight of the Harbert College and the NVA. An independent investment committee will make the Fund’s grant award decisions, and a dedicated fund manager will lead the day-to-day operations.

Designed to bridge the gap between new business formation and initial seed funding, the Kickstart Fund along with increased coaching and mentoring will accelerate successful business creation across the Auburn entrepreneurial ecosystem. To date, Auburn startups have raised more than $110M in investment capital.

The RFID Laboratory leads pioneering work in RFID technology and collaborates with major partners across a range of innovative initiatives. The lab supports the Los Alamos National Laboratory on virtualization-grade RFID solutions. Auburn students deploy UHF tags and chamber-based testing to enable 100% inventory tracking of nuclear materials (even within radiation‑shielding glove boxes) which reduces exposure and boosts safety. Working with Walmart, Lowe’s, Dick’s, and Nordstrom Auburn supports the ARC benchmarking program, helping develop new RFID specifications (e.g., Spec R, Y2). These specs address tag performance for apparel, home goods, and sporting items. These collaborations aim to enhance inventory accuracy, reduce shrink and improve supply‑chain visibility.

By providing personal consultation to current and potential small business owners, we assist in making career dreams a reality and creating space for new businesses to thrive.

The Winchester Institute continues to expand its presence throughout the SunBelt. Over the past year, it has hosted numerous events including an Annual Outlook Panel with over 125 attendees. Guest Lecturer, Mr. Andrew Baum from Oxford University, spent three days on campus speaking to undergraduate students and presenting a public lecture on the Real Estate Company of the Future and Prop Tech—the use of new technologies that improve how real estate is developed, marketed, managed and occupied. He plans to return in the Fall of 2026 as The Institute’s first Visiting Scholar.

In July, the Institute hosted its first Certificate Program—a week-long event on Affordable Housing—held in the Auburn in Birmingham Building. The Institute has also launched CityCrew initiatives in Nashville, Dallas and Orlando with Atlanta and Charlotte coming soon.

Other events include the MRED Alumni Pitch event in August and the 6^th annual CityBuilders Symposium—The Future of Real Estate and Technology—held in September at The Marriott at Grand National in Opelika.