From capstone to company impact

By Jennifer Ivanov

Jacob Adams used his MBA in Sustainable Innovation to chart a new path for his employer.

Since graduating in 2024, the 30-year-old has put a plan into action to cut emissions and lead Arrow Transportation’s fleet—one of Canada’s largest trucking companies—in a more environmentally friendly direction.

The idea came from Jacob’s capstone project, a comprehensive, team-based assignment that challenges MBA students to apply the knowledge and skills acquired throughout the program to address real-world issues. At the Gustavson School of Business, graduate students are partnered with a diverse range of businesses seeking solutions to complex problems their organizations face.

Jacob had already been working with Arrow Transportation at its headquarters in his hometown of Kamloops, where he was exploring decarbonization strategies for the company’s fleet. A long-established industry leader, Arrow operates extensively in bulk commodity hauling across BC’s forestry and mining sectors.

Applying capstone research to real-world strategy

“The capstone allowed me to take a step back and really analyze the entire business and go through the details in a much more in-depth way. We basically looked at how we could decrease emissions while continuing to grow the company—which is especially challenging in trucking, because expanding the fleet naturally means using more fuel,” explains Jacob.

Working with his team, Jacob began a pilot project exploring the potential of hydrogen and electric vehicles. The work later expanded to include renewable natural gas and LNG options, aligning with Arrow’s broader, multi-faceted approach to reducing its carbon footprint through renewable fuels, electrification, and optimized logistics. Recognized as a 2025 Clean Energy Champion by BC Hydro, the company is targeting a 2% annual reduction in emissions.

“The capstone allowed us to explore how to build a strong business model while also ensuring that it's beneficial to the environment. The sustainability lens in the MBA program went beyond the environment—which is a big part of it—encouraging us to consider everything from social impacts to business governance. I think this is so important because there’s always going to be a demand for this type of perspective,” Jacob explains.

“Now, when people ask me about hydrogen trucks, battery-electric vehicles, or renewable diesel, I feel like I have a solid understanding of their limitations. I know what works well and what doesn’t for our company, as well as for the customers and communities we serve. Through the capstone, we learned that some ideas may not be viable right now, but that’s the point of the project—there’s a lot of experimentation.”

Jacob worked on the capstone with fellow MBA students, Taylor Entz and Ian Schoeddert. The experience led Entz to join the company.

“I think that’s one of the biggest selling points of the program. You can work on a project for a company and show them what you’ve learned and how you can apply that knowledge,” he says. “Employers like what they see and think the projects are pretty interesting—then a year down the road you’re working for the company.”

Investing in growth

Arrow Transportation also played a key role in supporting Jacob’s graduate studies, demonstrating the value of employers investing in their employees’ education. By helping to subsidize his MBA, the company not only supported his professional growth but also benefited from the expanded knowledge and practical insights he brought back to his role. For Jacob, the experience underscores how these investments can create a strong return—for both the employee and the organization.

“It was great to have an employer invested in the financial piece for me to go to school, and even better to come out of the program with a capstone that directly benefited the company,” he adds.

Jacob’s commitment to furthering his education was significant; he completed the program while working full-time. That effort has already translated into career growth—last year he was promoted to Director of Sustainability and Optimization.

“There were a lot of flights between Kamloops and Victoria over the two years I was in the program—it was a huge commitment, but so worth it,” he explains. “I was in the weekend MBA program and really valued the classroom discussions and the chance to learn from different perspectives, with a cohort of students from across Canada and around the world. I learned so much.”

For potential students considering the program, Jacob recommends having at least five years of work experience under your belt. He says it helped him better understand how to apply the knowledge and identify gaps within the company.

MBA skills drive real-world leadership

Jacob now helps set the direction for Arrow Transportation’s sustainability strategy, identifying which initiatives to pursue and how to improve efficiency across complex supply chains. He credits the combination of his MBA and the hands-on capstone experience with giving him the foundation to lead in this space. That experience, he says, directly contributed to his ability to step into a more senior role within the company.

The MBA in Sustainable Innovation is designed to bridge theory and practice, equipping students with tools to navigate complex challenges from economic, social and environmental perspectives. For Jacob, it built a strong foundation in systems thinking, strategic analysis, and decarbonization—skills he now applies directly in his leadership role.

The blend of academic learning, peer collaboration, and real-world perspective has shaped his decision-making at Arrow Transportation and strengthened his ability to evaluate new technologies, while also balancing environmental and operational priorities. All things that are helping him guide the company’s long-term sustainability strategy.

Looking back, Jacob says the program helped him move from understanding sustainability in theory to applying it in practice—an experience that will continue to inform his work for years to come.