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Biddeford, Maine

Business students develop marketing plans for Biddeford-based buoyancy manufacturer

UNE students pose in front of a slideshow presentation with members of the DeepWater Buoyancy sales team
The DeepWater Buoyancy sales team with UNE student group Team Chile during final presentations for Tove Rasmussen's Global Marketing class in December.

Photo courtesy of DeepWater Buoyancy

The University of New England has again partnered with DeepWater Buoyancy — a Maine-based manufacturer of subsea buoyancy products used in offshore energy, oceanographic research, and other industries — to provide students in its flourishing College of Business with hands-on, global marketing experiences.

Throughout the fall 2024 semester, three groups of students in Adjunct Professor Tove Rasmussen’s Global Marketing class were tasked with developing strategies for DeepWater Buoyancy to enter into the Brazilian, Chilean, and Mexican markets. 

It was the second year Rasmussen, MBA, partnered with the company to offer the experience. 

In October, the class visited the company’s headquarters to tour the facility and learn about its operations from sales manager Dan Cote and sales engineer Jordan Tremblay. The groups also met with sales engineer and UNE alum Mike Nicholas, ’10 (Sport Management). 

Applying foundational lessons from business classes, the students created detailed market plans tailored to each country’s individual economic and industrial needs and presented them to DeepWater Buoyancy representatives in December.

  • Team Brazil: Isaiah Mojica, Tyler Richards, Jakob Rivers, and Nick Yohn proposed entering Brazil’s booming offshore oil and gas industry by forming partnerships with local companies and establishing local service centers. They recommended positioning DeepWater Buoyancy as a premium provider of subsea solutions for deep-water projects.
  • Team Chile: Zach Federico, Jimmy Hulland, and Jayden Thornton highlighted Chile’s diverse marine landscape and recommended a strategy emphasizing competitive pricing, multiple distribution channels, and promotional events. They identified significant opportunities for DeepWater Buoyancy to support Chile’s marine research sector with robust, tailored solutions.
  • Team Mexico: Zach Benner, Shea Courtmanche, Tommy McGuire, and Anthony Sciucco focused on Mexico’s needs in sustainable ocean management and climate monitoring. Their export-driven approach prioritized targeting the $185 billion oil and gas market, emphasizing product customization and strong client relationships through personal selling.

The collaboration underscores UNE’s commitment to preparing students for professional success while still in school, said Norm O’Reilly, dean of the College of Business at UNE, noting that the ongoing partnership is an example of the young college’s efforts to cultivate a strong network of industry partnerships.

“By working with an industry leader like DeepWater Buoyancy, students gained valuable real-world experience, applying their academic knowledge to practical challenges and developing skills essential for global business environments,” O’Reilly remarked.

Media Contact

Alan Bennett
Office of Communications
abennett11@une.edu

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.