Michael Casper, President & CEO of UltraSource , delivered a presentation on “Modeling a Business” to a Financial Algebra class at Souhegan High School (SHS) in Amherst, NH.  Casper covered information about UltraSource and thin film manufacturing along with some of the high tech applications the product goes into, how he started UltraSource, what goes into starting a business, hiring employees, and some of the risks and rewards of being a business owner.  The students, taught by Ms. Jennifer Bonsu-Anane, had been studying modeling data with equations to make decisions, about supply & demand, analyzing fixed & variable expenses using equations and graphs, break-even points, and calculating profit. Casper gave the class various scenarios where algebra is used to run or improve his business.

Students provided feedback after the presentation commenting on the evolution of Casper as a businessman, from employee to employer, and how those experiences were used to improve UltraSource. They also commented on how hard it seems to operate a business and how surprised they were that Casper referred to the Souhegan High School (SHS) Mission Statement when speaking about hiring employees. Two of Casper’s children attended Souhegan so he knew the SHS Mission Statement and he drew parallels between the SHS Mission and the type of employee attributes that UltraSource ultimately seeks and hires.

USI believes in the importance of cultivating and supporting S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) relationships with local schools and has begun to discuss S.T.E.M ideas with the Town of Hollis-Brookline.