CDEP 85: Andrew Nelson (OR): Jungle Mai Tais and the Optimal Distinctiveness of Electric Organs

For this episode we convene at Jungle, a Boulder rum bar and burger shack inspired by the Tiki tradition. Jeff, as you learned in our Season 7 premiere, is an avid tiki afficionado, and here he lets his passion for big fruity drinks and the culture and lore behind them stand out like the loudest aloha shirt. Sadly, Brad was unable to join us at Jungle, but we’re fortunate to have Jeff’s good friend and colleague, Andrew Nelson, Professor of Management at the University of Oregon’s Lundquist School of Business, where he’s also the Academic Director of Lundquist’s Center for Entrepreneurship. This “battle of entrepreneurship center directors” begins with Jeff and Andrew breaking down the flavor profile of Jungle’s signature (and rather strong) Mai Tai. Jeff brings up the importance of studying all aspects of entrepreneurship, not just the headline-grabbing, venture-funded endeavors. They agree that the bigger story of entrepreneurship is how one can turn their passion into a business, and use entrepreneurship as a tool for having a good life. This segues into a discussion about Andrew’s latest published paper, which traces the competition between Hammond and Everett (maker of the Orgatron) to bring an electric organ to market back in 1935. While the Orgatron mimicked the pipe organ remarkably well, it was too close to the real thing, leaving little space for innovation, whereas the organ-like Hammond could be used to create innovative sounds. It eventually evolved into the Hammond B3, an instrument still ubiquitous to any keyboardist’s arsenal. Funny how the Orgatron never really caught on… Enjoy and cheers!
 — This episode of Creative Distillation was recorded at Jungle in downtown Boulder. Learn more at jungletiki.com. Learn more about Andrew J. Nelson on his faculty page at the University of Oregon’s Lundquist School of Business. https://business.uoregon.edu/directory/faculty-staff/all/ajnelson) Read Andrew’s paper, “Even Better Than the Real Thing: Electronic Organs and the Dilemma of Product Mimicry” in the June 2025 issue of Strategic Management Journal. https://sms.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/smj.3704) -- Learn more about CU's Deming Center for Entrepreneurship: https://deming.colorado.edu Comments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note at [e-mail]. Thanks for listening. -
An Analog Digital Arts Production for the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship
Produced, recorded and edited by Joel Davis "Whiskey Before Breakfast" [Traditional] performed by Jeffrey York and Brad Werner. Recorded, mixed and mastered by George Figgs ___ CREATIVE DISTILLATION University of Colorado-Boulder professors Jeff York and Brad Werner distill entrepreneurship research into actionable insights. Jeff York | Associate Professor | Research Director
[e-mail] Brad Werner | Instructor | Teaching Director
[e-mail] Deming Center for Entrepreneurship | CU Leeds School of Business
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