UALR MBA student Robert Airo of North Little Rock, who worked on a team that completed a sustainability assessment for the City of Little Rock, was recently hired as the sustainability coordinator at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Airo was in Dr. Nancy Landrum’s Corporate Strategy course in the spring when he worked on the city’s sustainability assessment. Landrum, an associate professor of management in the College of Business, said the city wanted to know the state of the industry (urban sustainability), an internal analysis of how the city compared to similar cities around the country, and some recommendations on how to be more competitive on urban sustainability indicators. The team presented their research to the Little Rock Sustainability Commission (LRSC).

“The LRSC project was the deciding factor to hire me,” said Airo. He said it was a direct correlation of school work to obtaining a job, adding that people have told him that they “never actually knew anyone who had it happen. I am the first one UAMS hired to specifically work on sustainability.” Airo said he never before would have considered sustainability as a career path.

“To continue building upon this success, with Robert’s help, my current students in Sustainable Business (MGMT 7398) will be completing a self-study for UAMS this semester following the Green Guide for Health Care,” said Landrum. “They will also conduct industry research to identify best ‘green’ practices in the health care industry. By the end of the semester, we expect Robert and this new team of students to make recommendations to UAMS on how to be more green and sustainable in their operations.”

Airo started in the MBA program in fall 2007 and will complete his graduate degree this December.