To the top: AU MBA alums promoted to president roles
BY ZACH WADLEY ’14
2 MIN. READ
A pair of Anderson University alums from the Master of Business Administration program recently made a move to the top. Jeremy Buchanan ’09 and Michael Good ’10 were each named to a president’s role at their respective companies.
Buchanan is the president of National Trade Supply, LLC in Greenwood, Indiana, while Good was named the president of Performance Racing Industry, a move that brought him back to Indianapolis from Hamilton, Ohio. Both began their careers by securing an MBA from AU, which has catapulted them up the corporate ladder.
Buchanan made stops at Remy International and Delta Faucet Company before moving to National Trade Supply as its chief financial officer in May 2022. After two years in the role, he made the move to president.
“I was brought in to instill discipline, business, and financial acumen,” said Buchanan. “The culmination of the lessons I’ve learned, reflecting on my experiences, mentoring relationships, and even failures all prepared me to step into this role.
Good was named PRI’s president in March, coming back to Indiana from Cincinnati, where he was the President and CEO of Dynamat Inc. The move brought him back to Central Indiana and closer to family. It also allowed him to stay in the racing industry, a passion of his.
“That’s the beauty of the AU MBA,” said Good. “Most companies have the business disciplines that need what the AU MBA offers. I am hopeful to attract the next generation to consider the racing industry as a place to grow your career. It is an industry filled with passion and potential.”
The AU MBA program played a role in both men’s stories and the classroom lessons are still paying off today.
“Early in my finance career, I was naturally drawn to being a partner,” said Buchanan. “The broad business perspective that I learned in the MBA program helped me become a good business partner.”
Good found that the business lessons were important, but that wasn’t all he gleaned from the program.
“Your emotional intelligence will arguably take you further in your career than your intellectual intelligence,” he said. “Anderson does a great job of balancing the importance of this with its curriculum. It’s not just intelligence gathering. There are courses that have an impact on shaping your emotional intelligence and I think that’s a big deal.”
Understanding how to relationally connect with a person, nurturing relationships, and how to shape culture are some of the most important pieces to succeeding in business according to Good and he felt the AU MBA program provided those lessons.
For Buchanan, the convenience of the program meeting in Fishers, Indiana, along with the foundation of Christian faith in its teachings drew him to the program. In the long term, he’s seen the benefits of learning next to others who would also enter the business industry.
“A good friend of mine went through the program at the same time as me,” said Buchanan. “We’ve remained friends and he’s been a great thought partner for me through the years. He challenges me and that kinship was formed through AU.”
Good also found the relationships formed as a long-term benefit.
“I developed friendships through the MBA that I still hold today,” said Good. “I still speak to a number of them today and it’s been nearly 15 years [since we graduated]. My connection with Dr. Jeff Buck (the program director at the time) also led to me teaching in the program as an adjunct for 4 years and now serving on the Purdue Global board with him. That’s all because of the Anderson MBA program.”
Benefits like those have helped mold two of Central Indiana’s business leaders. Leaders who began at AU, rose to the top, and will now shape the future of their industries.
Anderson University is on a mission to educate students for lives of faith and service, offering more than 60 undergraduate majors, 30 three-year degrees, 20 NCAA Division III intercollegiate sports, alongside adult and graduate programs. The private, liberal arts institution is fully accredited and recognized among top colleges for its business, computer science, cybersecurity, dance, engineering, nursing, and teacher education programs. Anderson University was established in 1917 in Anderson, Indiana, by the Church of God.