Kristopher Baker, a Software Developer at BioStorage Technologies, was featured for his March 2011 trip to Russia with the Kelley School of Business MBA program in Inside Indiana Business.

Kristopher mentions in the article, “This trip is about studying the economic environment businesses are facing in the rapidly changing economy,”

The trip was designed so the students could study how American businesses handle the importation and distribution of goods in Russia. The trip lasted nine days where they visited various companies such as;
Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, General Motors, Cisco, Cummins, and Baker & McKenzie. After his trip Kristopher brings back several observations, “I think the biggest thing learned is business can be difficult in Russia. There are many logistical and infrastructure challenges faced by companies. The only real means to move goods cross-country is via railroads. The road network is underdeveloped and probably never will be complete across the entire country because of the climate and terrain.”

Kristopher continues based on the interaction he saw with business and government, “Bureaucracy (red tape) is very prevalent and in many situations it can take weeks, months or even years to get permits, documents signed or clearance from officials. Corruption is very prevalent and a normal part of business for Russian companies.”

Kristopher’s advice for business faced with doing business in Russia, “One of the biggest suggestions for businesses would be to get a good lawyer as soon as possible.” Lastly, from a cultural standpoint Kristopher says, “Russians are very similar to us. I had a lot of preconceived notions prior to going based on media and growing up in the 1980’s. A lot of those notions are false and the people are friendly and willing to help.”

More about Kristopher L. Baker
Kristopher is a third year graduate student at the Kelley School of Business Indianapolis. Kristopher earned his BS degree in Computer Science from the Purdue School of Science at Indianapolis in 2005. Shortly after graduation, Kristopher accepted a position as a web application developer at Community Health Network, ranked among the top 10 most integrated health systems in the nation and among the top places to work in Indiana. Kristopher now works at BioStorage Technologies, Inc. as a software developer. BioStorage Technologies, Inc. is a worldwide leader in short and long-term bio-banking, sample management and cold chain logistics. In his current role, Kristopher is working on setting up the development environment with the latest technologies and moving forward with additional customer needs for the sample management system. Kristopher enjoys spending his free time attending local sporting events, traveling and attending comedy shows.