VCU Executive MBA program bonds colleagues at work
Eleven years apart, one degree helped Brooke Hughes and Noah Reichel speak the same language.
By Susie Burtch
Brooke Hughes is the director of operations at Super Radiator Coils. Noah Reichel is the senior supply chain manager. Both earned their Executive MBA (EMBA) degrees from the VCU School of Business—Hughes in 2014, Reichel in 2025. Hughes has been working at the company since 2004; Reichel since 2021.
Yet these differences have been totally eclipsed by their shared experience. The similarities are remarkable. For starters, they are both highly motivated. Hughes had a demanding job as production manager of Super Radiator Coils at the time she entered the EMBA program, but she also had higher aspirations. So did Reichel.
“I wanted to accelerate my career in leadership—to grow beyond being a manager,” Hughes said.
“I had just gotten into my working life when I realized my job wasn’t a career,” Reichel said. “I needed to move up.”
Hughes hired Reichel in 2021, and he’s already been promoted twice. “This shows positions weren’t just handed to me,” he says proudly. “I pushed myself to apply what I learned. I’m always looking for the next thing.”
Super Radiator Coils supports education, both in terms of company culture and financial assistance. This makes it easier to pursue a degree while keeping a job, and the benefits ultimately accrue to the company. Both Hughes and Reichel agree they learned a lot that was both conceptual and practical.
“Previously, I had only seen the manufacturing side of business,” Hughes said. “But then I learned accounting, sales and marketing. The program gave me an accelerated path to all facets of how a business operates.”
“I am an engineer by background, so I like practical applications,” Reichel said. I especially liked the case studies where you take a concept and turn it into a viable business.”
Reichel says Hughes was a great mentor in many ways. She understood the value of the program and how much was to be gained from real-world experience. It was her idea to lead a plant tour for the 34 students and two professors of this year’s Supply Chain class, where the professor gave the lesson on-site. “That made it more than just an academic exercise,” says Reichel. “Now everybody knows Super Radiator Coils.”
Not unexpectedly, the two EMBA grads are mutual fans. They admire each other’s work ethic and accomplishments. Hughes says 11 years after finishing the program, she still “keeps those connections close.” It’s a good bet she and Reichel will do the same.
“Noah’s impact on our organization in only four years has been remarkable,” she said. I am so excited to watch his next chapter unfold.”
“It’s a special thing to be able to go through the same program as someone I admire,” he said. I want to be more like her.”
Categories EMBA-news, News