Spring Break
Alumnus says business in India is 'still wide open'
David Twomey
Issue date: 11/4/09 Section: News
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John Struck, a 1974 graduate of the University of Rhode Island, spoke to students about his role as managing director of Wand Partners Inc., a New York-based boutique investment firm currently financing an international venture in India's agricultural sector.
Struck is Director of SeedWorks India, an investment of Wand Partners specializing in the breeding, production and marketing of high yielding hybrid seeds. They have been engineered to tolerate the harsh growing conditions in India.
Through research and development, SeedsWorks India currently generates $27.3 million in sales and is growing at an astounding rate of 50 percent a year.
"India is still a wide open market place," Struck said. "Because there's so much growth going on in so many sectors, we'll be able to continue growing like this in the future."
Along with India's economic boom, Struck attributes the employee base at SeedWorks India to be the underlying key to the company's success.
"You have to have the right people or you can't successfully operate a business," Struck said. "That's the challenge, and we've got the right people."
Following Struck, Tobias Leuhrig, a distinguished alumnus of URI's business and engineering programs, briefed students on his experience in India's automobile sector.
He spoke about his exploration of the Indian car and commercial vehicle sector and illuminated the cultural barriers that impede manufacturers from entering India's market.
Leuhrig works as the head of strategy for KSPG, a manufacturer of combustion engine parts operating out of Stuttgart, Germany. In years prior to working for KSPG, he was an international automotive consultant for McKinsey & Company.
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