by Amanda Pittman | Apr 6, 2011 | COBA Events, Current Students
Lots of ACU students traveled to far away places during our March Spring Break. A couple hundred students traveled to cities across the US with Spring Break campaigns – volunteering and working with local churches. And several other students planned a trip with friends to go hang out in the sun on the beach, or to their hometown to rest and relax with their families. Five students from the College of Business had another idea altogether.
They headed down to Honduras for a week of service and learning. I had a chance to ask Dr. Jinkerson, Associate Professor of Management, and SIFE sponsor, more about their trip. Here’s what he shared:
1) How many students went to Honduras?
5 SIFE Students
2) What was the primary focus of the trip?
To meet up with some 65 other college students from sister institutions (Harding, Freed, Lipscomb) and work with a local missionary (Marc Tindell) to serve the people in Honduras. The ACU students went to the “Dump” (landfill outside of Tegusagalpa) where people actually live and survive. Twice that week, they went to the Dump and fed the people living there. They provide beans, rice, totillas, and clean water. Two other days, they build houses for individuals that had no place to live. A house is a 16×16 structure with a floor, window, door and tin roof. For people who are used to having nothing, it is like a mansion. On another day, they went to visit the local hospital where they spent time with kids (some of which are dying). We provided hamburgers to the families that had kids in the hospital.
3) Tell us about three highlights from the group’s trip?
See poverty up close and treating those people with love and respect.
4) What lesson or lessons do you hope the students walked away with?
To thank God for the blessings that we have and never take those for granted. Also, Jesus in Matthew 25 said that we are to feed the hungry, cloth the naked, and visit the sick. That is what we tried to do.
5) How do experiences like Honduras enhance the business principles our students are learning in the classroom?
Our next project down there will involve establishing a business where they will grow produce and fish for food and provide enough to sell so that they can provide for their families. Our students will help with the business plans as well as some of the market research. Internships will also be available in the future.
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At the end of March, thirteen COBA students traveled to Chicago for a regional competition. Our team presented four different projects:
- Enterprise City – legacy project to teach business processes to 4th and 5th graders
- My Friend Morgan – ethics for college students
- New Horizons – part of the Lowe’s grant to provide and build furniture for kids in Foster Care
- Honduras (see above)
We are excited to participate in these types of competitions. They offer unique opportunities for our students to continue learning about the marketplace and using business to serve, outside the classroom, in real life ways that impact real people. We are so proud of our SIFE team – they placed First Runner Up in the regional competition and will continue working on the New Horizons and Honduras projects for the rest of the year.
To learn more about the international, non-profit organization, SIFE, click here.
by Amanda Pittman | Mar 30, 2011 | Uncategorized
ACU Alum Brad Moore graduated in 1999 with degrees in Accounting and Finance. His younger brother, Chad, graduated with degrees in Marketing and Management in 2001. Upon graduation, Brad went to work for Belew Averitt in Dallas, working in their tax division. After working in the accounting world for 5+ years, Brad left to begin a new venture. We are grateful to Brad for taking a moment to share his experiences with us.
Brad Moore ('99), wife Meredith, Garrett and Kathryn
Tell us about your company. What do you do?
The name of my company is called Moore Insurance Group, LLC. We are an independent insurance agency located in Frisco, TX. We handle home, auto, life, health, and business insurance all across Texas and represent many different insurance companies.
In a few brief paragraphs, how’d you get started?
My father, who has been in the insurance business since 1980, helped bring me to the insurance agency he worked for in 2004. I had been working in the accounting/finance world for five years and was looking to do something “on my own.” I worked there for almost 6 years and then I left to start Moore Insurance Group in February 2010. My father and brother came and joined my agency six months later so it’s a family affair now. I have always enjoyed helping people and that is one of the things I like most about the insurance business. I get to help people on a daily basis with something that is very important and is needed by almost everyone.
What class, project or professor helped prepare you the most for your journey?
I think having an accounting background has helped tremendously with starting my own business because I know how to handle the company finances. A business plan is essential to starting any type of business, and a huge chunk of that business plan revolves around a financial plan: calculating start-up costs, assembling financial statements, and projecting both short term and long term sales and cash flow. All of my accounting classes at ACU prepared me for the financial aspects of running my own business, although this is the first year that someone else besides me will do my taxes.
What’s one piece of advice you’d share with future and current business students at ACU?
Enjoy the ACU experience.
For more information about the Moore Insurance Group, or to contact Brad, click here.
by Amanda Pittman | Mar 29, 2011 | Dean Chronicles
Dr. Rick Lytle received his PhD in Marketing from Arizona State. He’s been invited back this month to attend their 25th annual Services Leadership Institute, which is focusing on “Do you know what your customers truly want from you?”. Leading academicians and many CEOs from Fortune 500 companies are gathering for three days in the desert where they will address the following questions and challenges:
- Do you know what your customers truly want from you?
- How do they need to receive your service offerings in the way that works best for them?
- What is the price the are willing to pay?
- What is the service experience they are expecting?
We checked in with Dr. Lytle while in Tempe to hear how things are going. Here’s what he said:
It is my first time back in 20 years. My professors extended me an opportunity to come and participate in the Institute this Spring where I used to do research as a doctoral student years ago. Today, ASU’s Center for Services Leadership is the premier center in the world for the study of Services Marketing. It is an honor to be back.
My focus areas were services marketing and strategy. I am seeking to stay current in my academic discipline though serving as dean. My purpose in coming is threefold 1) stay current in the discipline to further my teaching and research, 2)preparing to teach a services marketing class in our curriculum, and 3) I am beginning to work on a second book based on my dissertation research in this field.
I am gathered with about 40 managers from organizations like GE, Siemens, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Mayo Clinic, Abbott Labs, and CVS Caremark. Our first session today was led by Dr. Roger Hallowell former Harvard Professor and Services Marketing expert. One take away, don’t pay people excess money, pay them excess attention if you want to create a culture of service excellence and performance.
by Amanda Pittman | Mar 25, 2011 | City of Abilene, College Decisions, Current Students
ACU has been proud to call Abilene home for over 100 years. True, Abilene may not have all of the entertainment, shopping or recreational options that bigger cities might have – but we like to think that Abilene has a bit more charm, character and hospitality than some of the bigger sister cities.
April’s issue of Texas Monthly features the restaurants and shops of downtown Abilene, and even has Tom Perini – of Perini Ranch Steakhouse in Buffalo Gap – on the cover. Stan Smith (ACU Class of 1975) is the Events Manager at Perini’s. I called Perini’s to see if I could interview him and ask him a few questions – but he’s currently in New York, preparing for and catering a few top secret events at the moment.
Photo courtesy of www.texasmonthly.com
Check out the piece about downtown Abilene here.
And click on over to see a sneak peek of the April issue here.
What was or is your favorite place to eat in Abilene? And if you’re planning a campus visit sometime soon, to see your current student or to bring your prospective student, be sure to check out some of these delicious dining establishments.
by Amanda Pittman | Mar 22, 2011 | Uncategorized
Garrett Winder and Ryan Dunagan both graduated from ACU – Ryan in 2008 and Garrett in 2009. Garrett graduated with a degree in Accounting and Ryan graduated with degrees in Marketing and Management. We’re proud of these alumni entrepreneurs and grateful to Ryan for taking the time to share a little bit about GANDR Web with us.
Ryan Dunagan ('08)
1. Tell us about your company. What do you do?
GANDR Web – a web design and online marketing agency. I handle all of the internal marketing efforts and project management as well as research and user experience work for our clients.
2. In a few brief paragraphs, how’d you get started?
While roommates in college, Garrett Winder and I decided we wanted to work in the web industry. He learned how to develop and I learned the marketing and project management strategies involved in the web. The more we spent time learning it the more we enjoyed it. Our work started off small but projects started getting bigger and our small side gig became more real.
I graduated a year before Garrett and went into the commercial real estate industry. I enjoyed it but working on web projects was more of my true passion. A year later, once Garrett graduated we decided to make GANDR a full-time thing. So I quit my job and we started GANDR. We got an office in downtown Abilene, hired a few interns and a designer and began work.
3. What class, project or professor helped prepare you the most for your journey?
I would probably say the entrepreneurship class along with my marketing classes. It helped me to recognize some of the characteristics of an entrepreneur in myself. The marketing classes were beneficial in learning how to strategically put together a plan to grow a business.
4. What’s one piece of advice you’d share with future and current business students at ACU?
Be proactive with your career. It’s hard to achieve anything if you’re sitting on the sidelines.
Note: In 2011 GANDR became a part-time venture. Garrett was offered a great opportunity as a developer for a company in Nottingham England and I was offered a job as a Marketing Manager for a startup in Austin.
For more information about GANDR Web Design, visit http://gandrweb.com/
To take a look at what Garrett is working on these days, visit http://erskinedesign.com/.
by Amanda Pittman | Mar 18, 2011 | Current Students, Uncategorized
Looks like Alex, sophomore Management major from Little Rock, will have a great excuse when he misses class next week:
“Wildcat sophomore Alex Carpenter will become the first ACU student to play in a PGA Tour event when he tees off March 24 in the 33rd anniversary edition of Palmer’s tournament, presented by MasterCard, at Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando, Fla. Carpenter, who has won six collegiate tournaments since Fall 2010, is one of the NCAA’s top golfers the past two years.” –Ron Hadfield
Click here to read the full story on the ACU Today blog.
Alex’s twin brother and teammate, Adam, is also in COBA, majoring in Finance. We’re proud of both of these student-athletes and look forward to watching Alex at Bay Hill.
Photo courtesy of acusports.com
by Amanda Pittman | Mar 17, 2011 | Current Students
If you’ve started and are running your own business, we’d like to feature you and your company in a regular series for the blog. Maybe you’ve started your own business from the ground up, or you’ve opened your own office for a larger company (insurance, investment services, AVON, etc.), or anything in between – we want to hear from you. We are asking you to share your experience with our current and prospective students. Let us learn from you!
If you’d allow us to feature you, please send an email to amanda.pittman@acu.edu, with answers to the following questions:
1. Tell us about your company. What do you do?
2. In a few brief paragraphs, how’d you get started?
3. What class, project or professor helped prepare you the most for your journey?
4. What’s one piece of advice you’d share with future and current business students at ACU?
We looking forward to hearing from you! Thanks for letting us share your story.
by Amanda Pittman | Mar 16, 2011 | Careers In..., Current Students
ACU’s Career Center and COBA are honored to welcome the following employers for on-campus interviews in the next few weeks:
PFSweb – Tuesday, March 22nd
Weaver Tidwell – Wednesday, March 23rd
Whitley Penn – Thursday, March 24th
Lane Gorman Trubitt – Monday, March 28th
PriceWaterhouseCoopers – Wednesday, March 30th
If you work in HR or are a hiring manager for your company, and would like to schedule on-campus interviews, or find out more about how you can recruit on our campus, please contact Tim Johnston (johnstont@acu.edu) or
Bradon Owens (bradon.owens@acu.edu).
by Amanda Pittman | Mar 16, 2011 | COBA Events, Current Students
We’re currently in the middle of Spring Break here at ACU – which means three things:
1) It’s really quiet on campus
2) There’s only about 7 weeks of class left
3) We’re gearing up for the Senior Blessing
The Senior Blessing is a special time for all graduating seniors from the b-school and the i-school to gather for a meal and a time of blessing from their faculty and staff. This year we’ll gather at the Phillips home and after we eat, a professor will speak to our students – offering some of the most important little nuggets of advice they want to make sure the students hear before they leave us and enter the “real world”.
We’ll then have the opportunity to break into small groups, where professors and students can have candid conversations about such topics as work-life balance, salary negotiations, and the importance of staying Christ-centered in an ego-centric world.
Finally, we all gather together for a special prayer of blessing to wrap up our day.
As we hear from graduates months and years after they leave us, many mention the Senior Blessing as one of their favorite memories from ACU. They share how special it was to them that we took time away from campus – work and classes – to gather for a time of intentional prayer and blessing as we send them out for ‘Christian service and leadership throughout the world’.
If you have a senior business school or i-school student, make sure they RSVP to Kathy Garison (klg08e@acu.edu) by April 1st.
And if you have a special memory from your Senior Blessing, please leave a comment.
by Amanda Pittman | Mar 11, 2011 | Special Speakers, Springboard
Have you purchased your tickets for the Springboard Awards Banquet? You won’t want to miss it – not only will awards (and we mean cash and prizes) be given out to our Springboard Ideas Competition winners, we’ll also have the pleasure of hearing from Jessica Jackley, co-founder of KIVA.org.
Jessica will be on campus March 31st and April 1st
To learn more about KIVA, watch this. She was recently featured as a “Character Approved” honoree on USA Network.
She’ll be speaking at the dinner on Thursday night, March 31st. The next day, Friday, April 1st, she’ll be addressing the whole University during Big Chapel in Moody.
