Summer Internships with I-CCEW Helps Price College Students Succeed

Three Price College students have gained a thorough understanding of the U.S. energy sector, developed in-depth market analysis, and generated growth recommendations for a major software provider through a summer internship with the Ronnie K. Irani Center for the Creation of Economic Wealth (I-CCEW). 

As student consultants representing I-CCEW at the University of Oklahoma, Peace Mojekwu, Irene Georgestone and Christabel Yohanna Afari-Acquah have spent the summer working with Power Costs Inc., a Norman-based energy trading software provider, to understand additional market opportunities within their industry.

“We believe there could be significant additional market opportunities for PCI within the U.S. energy market, but we’ve historically found it difficult to invest the time needed to research these opportunities,” said David Christopher, PCI’s senior director of marketing. “The work Peace, Irene and Christabel have done under the tutelage of the I-CCEW team has given us real data that we can act on today. They’ve operated like a lightweight, low maintenance market research team that would be an asset to any organization.” 

Power Costs Inc. (PCI) already offers tailored services and software for large-scale energy companies  ̶ roughly 70% of Fortune 500 Utilities in the U.S. utilize PCI software solutions. The summer team’s recommendations will provide the company with the market-entry plan for entirely new segments. 

“Throughout the summer, these outstanding interns have conducted over 10 expert interviews and countless hours of secondary research to fully understand the complicated energy landscape in the U.S.,” said Cassandra Rigsby, I-CCEW’s director of university programs. “They have also analyzed over 800 energy companies to deliver impactful recommendations to PCI.” 

Some of the questions the team has tackled, include: 

• What are the different segments within the energy provider market?  

• What are the use cases within segments that might suggest a PCI entry point? 

• For identified segments, what are their current solutions for PCI equivalent offerings?

“Interning with I-CCEW means I have the rare opportunity to apply what I've learned in the classroom in the real world while also learning different skills that I wouldn't have been taught in my classes,” said Peace Mojekwu, I-CCEW alumni intern. “It means I get to impact our economy by gathering research-backed insights to solve business problems. Through I-CCEW, I have learned from and connected with other smart students, experienced staff, and clients, all of which help mold me to become a well-rounded business leader.” 

I-CCEW engages more than 100 student interns, startup founders, and OU faculty each year and reaches over 1,000 community members per year through informational workshops and public events. 

As an economic development organization, I-CCEW specializes in technology commercialization, software business development, social entrepreneurship, and agile product design by running semester-long consulting style projects utilizing student talent to tackle big problems companies and startups are facing. 

I-CCEW provides immersive learning experiences, collaborative spaces, high-impact programming, and entrepreneurial consulting to students, young professionals, entrepreneurs and community members in Norman, Tulsa, and Oklahoma City. If you have a project in mind, feel free to contact I-CCEW at iccew@ou.edu.

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