Joel Montgomery

Current

Fellow at Acumen Fund

Past

Business Development Associate at MBAs Without Borders
Operations Consultant with the Business Development Center at Image
Change Management Consultant at American Red Cross

Small Business Consultant with Endeavor Global at Petfor
Director of Latin American Sales at Pace Packaging
Community Service Coordinator at Iglesia Evangélica Presbiteriana Costarricense
Member Acquisition Associate at Redladder.com

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4 more...

Education

Thunderbird School of Global Management
Yale University
Central High School

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Recommended

1 person has recommended Joel

Connections

497 connections

Industry

International Trade and Development

Websites

Joel Montgomery’s Summary

Joel Montgomery is currently working as a fellow with Acumen Fund, an innovative non-profit that utilizes market-based solutions to tackle some of the most critical social issues in the world. As part of the yearlong fellowship, Joel will spend 10 months in Pakistan with one of Acumen Fund’s investees, Micro Drip, an irrigation solutions company that works to increase crop yields and conserve water usage for poor farmers.

Joel is originally from Alabama, but he moved to New Haven, Connecticut to study Mechanical Engineering at Yale University. After graduation, Joel traveled to San José, Costa Rica, where he lived and worked in a poor suburb of the capital city doing community service. Afterward, Joel relocated to New Jersey, where he became the Director of Latin American Sales for a packaging machinery manufacturer. In 2008, Joel completed his MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management with an emphasis in International Development.

Joel Montgomery’s Specialties:

Small & Medium Enterprise Development, Entrepreneurship, Business Development, International Sales, Global Negotiations, Strategy, Marketing, Operations, Cold-Calling, Analysis & Problem-Solving, Non-Profit, Plastic Bottle Recycling, Packaging, Account Management, and Cultural Sensitivity

Joel Montgomery’s Experience

Fellow

Acumen Fund

(Non-Profit; 11-50 employees; Venture Capital & Private Equity industry)

September 2008 — Present (1 year 3 months)

• Exploring business model refinements that will increase scalability and financial viability.
• Designing sales model improvements that will reduce the sales cycle and better address the pain points of poor farmers.
Business Development Associate

MBAs Without Borders

(International Trade and Development industry)

August 2008 — September 2008 (2 months)

• Guided the restructuring of a social enterprise that was headed toward certain economic failure.
• Facilitated the formation of two microbusinesses and the restructuring of a third.
Operations Consultant with the Business Development Center

Image

(Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Marketing and Advertising industry)

January 2008 — January 2008 (1 month)

• Surveyed the production process and discovered that unbalanced metrics, ineffective incentives, high turnover, minimal communication, and large batches were all leading to gross inefficiencies.
• Developed a step-by-step guide to improving the company’s operational structure and presented recommendations to senior management. The company moved forward with the recommendations and is currently implementing the changes throughout the entire plant.
Change Management Consultant

American Red Cross

(Non-Profit; 51-200 employees; Civic & Social Organization industry)

September 2007 — November 2007 (3 months)

• Guided a Red Cross team in the strategy for reintegrating into 13 local communities.
• Initiated a pilot program, developed relevant change tools, crafted communications to key stakeholders, and trained Red Cross team members in change management best practices.
Small Business Consultant with Endeavor Global

Petfor

(Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Renewables & Environment industry)

May 2007 — August 2007 (4 months)

• Analyzed the business model, discovered pertinent cost drivers, and developed a financial model that forecasted expenses, net operating profit, and cash flow.
• Identified almost half a million dollars worth of production losses, pinpointed inefficiencies, and helped foster an environment of measurement and analysis within the company.
Director of Latin American Sales

Pace Packaging

(Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Machinery industry)

April 2003 — July 2006 (3 years 4 months)

• Reversed a four-year history of inconsistent sales with an increase of over 300%, surpassing $1 million in the region for the first time in company history.
• Negotiated international contracts with corporations such as Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, S.C. Johnson, Unilever, and Nestle.
• Secured over 30 new accounts and made hundreds of new contacts with key decision makers through relationship development and superior service.
• Rectified a history of sales force underperformance through coaching, counseling and motivating. Secured and trained several new representatives to cover underserved areas.
Community Service Coordinator

Iglesia Evangélica Presbiteriana Costarricense

(Non-Profit; 1-10 employees; Civic & Social Organization industry)

July 2001 — June 2002 (1 year )

• Designed and implemented three small business projects, involving recycling, food vending and teaching English. Created multiple marketing brochures. Energized a team of local residents and conducted a door-to-door campaign to thousands of homes.
• Initiated a fundraising campaign for a senior center and raised sufficient funds to provide operating capital and purchase a computer.
Member Acquisition Associate

Redladder.com

(Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Construction industry)

June 2000 — August 2000 (3 months)

• Awarded Best Marketing Plan out of forty interns participating from four universities.
• Conducted cold-calls and gave presentations to multi-million dollar construction firms.

Joel Montgomery’s Education

Thunderbird School of Global Management

MBA , Global Management , 2006 — 2008

Honors & Awards: MBA with Distinction, President’s Circle, Stephen & Marie Goode Values Scholarship, Beta Gamma Sigma, Pi Sigma Alpha, Leadership EDGE

Activities and Societies:

International Development Association (President), Thunderbird Student Government (Vice President)
Yale University

B.S. , Mechanical Engineering , 1997 — 2001

Course work included: Creativity and Product Development, Fluid and Solid Dynamics, Statics, Thermodynamics, Differential Equations, Multivariable Calculus

Student Projects:
• Spearheaded a comprehensive solution to data acquisition in engineering labs that greatly increased productivity. Design was mobile, adaptable to a variety of input data, and enabled users to interpret data in real-time.
• Participated in a team of engineers that designed a water-cooler that could be loaded and operated by 95% of the population. Improved upon conventional loading methods, bottle design, and space efficiency.
• Led a multidisciplinary team that developed a better car sun-visor and created a plan for releasing the product to market. Product outperformed conventional sun-visors in blocking sunlight for both tall and short drivers without greatly diminishing vision.

Activities and Societies:

Varsity Track & Field
Central High School

Additional Information

Joel Montgomery’s Websites:

Joel Montgomery’s Interests:

International Development, Small & Medium Enterprise (SME) Development, Local Supplier Development, Capacity Building, Public-Private Partnerships, Social Entrepreneurship, Social Enterprise, Corporate Social Responsibility, Base of the Pyramid, Technology, Travel, Photography, Snorkeling, Soccer, Volleyball, Basketball, and Running

Joel Montgomery’s Groups:

Thunderbird Alumni
Yale University Alumni
Thunderbird International Development Association
BUSINESS NETWORKING T-BIRDS
Base of the Pyramid( BoP)
Beta Gamma Sigma - The International Honor Society Recognizing Business Excellence
Ivy Referral Network (IRN)
Acumen Fund Fellows
NextBillion.net
Social Impact Games
IVY GROUPS - The Professional Network for Ivy League Alumni