New Private Equity Impact Fellowship Offers Hands-On Experience in Impactful Innovation
This year, the Ross Impact Studio has introduced the Private Equity (PE) Impact Fellowship to its catalog of action-based impact opportunities. The PE Fellowship equips students with hands-on, real-world experience in the high-growth PE space, along with tools for impactful innovation. The Fellowship is offered in partnership with Cranbrook Partners. and its portfolio company, Roman Stone, which is developing a climate-friendly pre-cast concrete technology that replaces traditional aggregates with industrial byproducts. University of Michigan (UM) students, serving as Fellows, will be challenged to help build the commercialization strategy: go-to-market plan, financial model, operational plan and supporting market/technical validation for Roman Stone. The broader impact goal is to reduce the carbon footprint of concrete production by making use of industrial by-product as a cement substitute, and turn that into cost savings and environmental benefit.
In a wide-reaching student search that included 87 UM applicants, the Impact Studio chose four students who will take on this project:
- Michael Ettlinger – Dual degree Masters of Engineering and Masters of Science in Sustainable Energy Systems
- Sanya Gupta – Bachelor of Business Administration
- Nadia Hallaj – PhD Pre-Candidate in Materials Science & Engineering (MSE)
- Analeigh Majewski – Bachelor of Science in Materials Science & Engineering
This fellowship will run from October 2025 – February 2026, with the possibility of continued involvement in the initial setup of a pilot facility and early commercialization efforts. In addition to working 5-10 hours a week, each student receives a nominal stipend and paid travel to New York, NY to meet with the stakeholders.
Zachary Savas, President and Founder Cranbrook Partners., says, “We’re incredibly excited to be supporting the UM Impact PE fellowship this fall. We view it as a true win-win opportunity for both our portfolio company and the students leading the project. Only a couple of weeks in, we’re already starting to see tremendous value from the background and expertise of the students. We cannot wait to see what the end result looks like.”
Moses Lee, Innovator-in-Residence and Impact Design Coach for the Ross Impact Studio, says, “This partnership between U of M students and Cranbrook Partners to create tangible environmental and business impact represents the greatest aspirational goals of Michigan Ross’ Action-Based Learning ideology. Students working in the real world to create meaningful change is what it’s all about.”
About the Ross Impact Studio: The Impact Studio at the Ross School of Business is a campus hub for impact creators and innovators. Launched within the Business Impact Initiative in 2019, our mission is to bring impactful ideas to life using business knowledge, design tools, and research expertise.
About Cranbrook Partners & Co.: Cranbrook Partners is a private company creating value through active ownership of businesses and advisory engagements. The company utilizes creative management practices, productivity gains and growth as primary drivers to create value. Cranbrook partners with people at all levels within the organization, and creates the leadership training, priorities, focus, guidance and contacts that makes good companies great.
About Roman Stone: It all started when the Montalbine family—five brothers from Brooklyn with a desire for progress—established Roman Stone Construction Company in 1903. This historic foundation enables Roman Stone to engineer value-added solutions for the ever-changing demands of today’s modern infrastructure, renewable energy and coastal resiliency markets. Today, Roman Stone is focused on precast manufacturing know-how, a culture focused on making business simpler and a never-say-no mindset.