Christopher Pitts

Washington University, Olin Business School in St. Louis

“Ex-Roller Coaster Tycoon fanatic … I’d play for hours at a time.”

Hometown: Hoover, Alabama

Fun Fact About Yourself: One of my favorite childhood memories is eating peach cobbler and vanilla ice cream while I watched The Price is Right at my grandparents’ house.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Alabama at Birmingham, Electrical Engineering

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Dessert Holdings LLC (a Bain Capital company), Engineering Manager

What has been your favorite part of St. Louis so far? What makes St. Louis such a great place to earn an MBA? My favorite part of St. Louis is that every comedian stops through the city. What makes St. Louis a great place to earn an MBA is that it’s a great place to focus and build discipline.

You completed your Global Immersion earlier this year? What was the best part of the immersion experience for you? What was the biggest takeaway you gained? The best part of the immersion was spending time with my wife and classmates in downtown Barcelona. My biggest takeaway is to “Fall in love with your customer’s problem,” a tenet Professor Doug Villhard coaches us on in “Intro to Entrepreneurship.” This tenet was helpful as we worked on a consulting project to introduce Strange Donuts, a St. Louis donut shop, to Barcelona.

Aside from your immersion and classmates, what was the key part of Washington Olin’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? The most important aspect of Olin’s programming was the opportunity to build a network of high performers. I keep track of my personal and professional development by taking assessments of the people around me. Olin has not disappointed, whether it be students, alumni or professors.

What course, club or activity have you enjoyed the most so far at Washington Olin? The course I’ve enjoyed most is “Entrepreneurship through Acquisition” taught by Brian Wolfe. Instead of starting a new venture from scratch, acquisition entrepreneurs focus on acquiring and growing existing small businesses with the aim of selling for a profit. Over seven weeks, Brian guides us through the process of selecting the most effective search methods, crafting a target statement, and analyzing potential deals. We also benefit from insights shared by business owners and current searchers, who provide firsthand perspectives on acquiring and operating businesses each week!

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: The most significant accomplishment in my career has been installing a sustainable HVAC system for a factory in the Mississippi Delta. It was my last project at the facility before taking a global engineering assignment. Before I left, many associates shook my hand and thanked me for providing much-needed relief during the hot Delta summers.  My next significant accomplishment is leading a fundraiser for the St. Louis Public Schools Foundation; we’ve set a goal to raise $2,000 by the end of April.

Describe your biggest achievement in the MBA program so far: My most significant achievement at Olin has been founding the WashU ETA Club. I knew coming to Olin that I wanted to learn everything I could about ETA (Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition). Still, once I started classes, I realized that many other students would benefit from exposure to ETA, as it provides a path to entrepreneurship without starting an idea from scratch. We have 18 members since launching in August and have two sponsors for professional developmental events this spring!

What has been your best memory as an MBA so far? My best memory has been meeting Walker Deibel (Olin MBA 2004), the author of Buy then Build. The book is “part one” of the trinity of ETA literature (the HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business and Stanford Search Fund Primer are the other two.) Meeting Walker and chatting about his journey is something I’ll never forget.

DON’T MISS: MEET WASHINGTON OLIN’S MBA CLASS OF 2025