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EFEB

Potomac’s Economics, Finance, Entrepreneurship, & Business Concentration (EFEB)The Economics, Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Business concentration is designed to provide interested students an opportunity to deepen their knowledge and understanding of economic and business issues through coursework, individual research, and/or hands-on experience. Rising juniors with a demonstrated interest in and a passion for exploring business through the lens of economics and entrepreneurship can enroll using an expression of interest form.
 

Students enrolled in EFEB take a minimum of three semester electives, at least one of which must be taken junior year.

Course list:

  • Entrepreneurship & Innovation
  • Why are Poor Countries Poor?
  • Advanced Microeconomics
  • Advanced Macroeconomics
  • GOA: Introduction to Investments
  • Economics, Business, & Finance
  • Speech That Matters
  • GOA: Personal Finance
  • GOA: Entrepreneurship in a Global Context
  • GOA: Game Theory
  • Advanced Statistics
  • Data Analysis and Probability


In addition to coursework completed during the school year, EFEB students undertake four weeks of summer work following junior year. They have two options:

1) a research project with a designated mentor; or
2) an approved practicum involving (a) a business internship, (b) work experience, or (c) volunteer work.

The culmination of their participation in EFEB is a Senior Capstone Project, which is completed during May of senior year and which relates to the themes explored in EFEB coursework and/or summer experience. Students present their capstone project at a showcase exhibition with invited guests in early June.

IT'S A CROSSOVER!

What do sharks, incubators, seed money, and design thinking have in common? They can all be found on Potomac’s campus in the popular Upper School elective Entrepreneurship and Innovation! The interdisciplinary, inquiry-based class is taught by Director of Public Speaking Harry Strong and Director of Technology and Innovation Sean Developing an Entrepreneurial Spirit Moran, who introduce the students to the fundamentals of design thinking, project management, financial modeling, prototyping, and marketing.

Ready the Full Story

EFEB Students Learn from Five Guys Leaders
EFEB Students Learn from Five Guys Leaders

The Economics, Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Business (EFEB) Concentration hosted its third speaker of the school year with a visit from Potomac parent Sam Chamberlain and Potomac alum Skip Calvert ’01. Mr. Chamberlain is the COO of Five Guys, and Mr. Calvert is the vice president of operations. In his talk "American Dream: History of Five Guys and Restaurant Economics," Mr. Chamberlain discussed the history of Five Guys, which opened its first restaurant in 1986 in Northern Virginia and has expanded into a multinational company with nearly 2,000 stores across 26 countries. He also covered the economics of restaurant management and the higher margins investors require to compensate for the associated risks, breaking down the Five Guys basic restaurant cost structure and where the business prioritizes spending to ensure a quality product. Fun fact: Five Guys has added only one menu item - the milkshake - in its nearly 38 years of operations! 

EFEB Speaker Shares Valuable Lessons
EFEB Speaker Shares Valuable Lessons

The Economics, Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Business (EFEB) Concentration hosted its second speaker of the school year with a visit by Potomac parent Anu Saxena. Ms. Saxena is the President of Hilton Supply Management (HSM). In her talk entitled "What Does It Take to Run 20,000 Hotels? A Lesson in Global Supply Chain Management," Ms. Saxena spoke about Hilton's "capital-light" business model driven by franchising and hotel management. As the largest global hospitality supply chain organization, with $12 billion of purchasing power across 16,000 properties worldwide, HSM is able to deliver hospitality and competitive pricing, both to Hilton and competing hotel brands. With Hilton's global footprint, Ms. Saxena described Hilton's commitment to the communities they serve and their approach to ESG. Ms. Saxena closed with a few anecdotes she has learned from her professional journey, including that there are no wrong choices if you are learning. 

EFEB Speaker Inspires with Remarks on Reinvention
EFEB Speaker Inspires with Remarks on Reinvention

The Economics, Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Business (EFEB) Concentration hosted its first speaker of the school year with a visit by Potomac parent and past board chair Sameer Bhargava. Mr. Bhargava is the CEO of Clark Asset Solutions Group. In his talk entitled "Value of Reinvention," Mr. Bhargava approached the topic of reinvention from a personal perspective, in terms of managing one's career and from the perspective of building a business. He encouraged students to embrace the bolder decision and described the benefits of a zig-zag career path, as opposed to a structured path, to broaden thinking and build knowledge across multiple disciplines. Mr. Bhargava described the importance of reinvention for established companies and the culture of reinvention that Clark leadership creates to ensure that their teams identify and capitalize on changing market forces but with multi-dimensional thinking.