by Amanda Pittman | Dec 1, 2011 | City of Abilene, College Decisions, Current Students, Faith Infusion
Students in Dr. Wright’s Creativity in the Marketplace (Marketing 440) class have been given a unique opportunity: to select a non-profit and use their marketing skills to solve a specific problem facing that non-profit. We had an opportunity to chat with the group leaders from two different groups to find out more about their non-profit and what they are doing to help.
Meet Corbin. He’s a senior marketing major from Coppell.
Corbin (he's the one jumping). This is in Europe when he went with ACU's Study Abroad for the semester.
His group is partnering with World’s Backyard, a non-profit started and based in Abilene. We asked him to share about their work. He’s what he told us:
1) Tell us a little about the details of the project:
The project was based on creatively helping a certain non profit overcome an obstacle they were facing. This involved figuring out the need these guys needed met most and doing whatever we thought would help the most. For my group it was helping the World’s Backyard (started by Brayden and Jason Boone), which is a simple organization that ministers to refugee children throughout Abilene.
2) How’d your group select your particular non-profit group?
Our group chose this non-profit because Brayden is one of my best friends and we had the opportunity to see tangible results from our help. (I’m also in involved with it so it made client contact easy.)
3) Tell us a little about your non-profit (what they do, how the help others) and how is your group helping them?
Essentially TWB links college students with various apartment complexes around Abilene that house foreign refugee children. Once a week they go and pick up these kids to take them to play soccer and other sports and games at Madison Middle School. The need they had was simply a matter of getting the name of their organization out there and telling people what they were about. We were able to do a small marketing campaign around campus and the apartment complexes for an event they hosted the weekend before Thanksgiving (it was actually a pushcart derby!)
Corbin and a new friend
4) What are you learning about business through this project? How are your business skills being sharpened and refined?
I’m learning that marketing is something that must be tailored to each individual demographic (i.e.: we had to make advertisements in 4 different languages to reach all the families!) and also it is alot more motivating and rewarding to partner with people you care about on a deep personal level – I’m learning how to take that motivation into situations where I might not know the client as well and still be excited about the project and think creatively. This class has prepared me for that by discussing the necessity of creativity in a sometimes boring and straight laced professional world.
***
Next, meet Ashley. She’s a senior finance major from Hallsville.
Ashley (far right). Pictured with COBA's SIFE team.
Ashley’s team is working with Operation Christmas Child, a seasonal project of Samaritan’s Purse. Here’s what she said about their non-profit and their project:
1) Tell us a little about the details of the project:
The assignment was to find a non profit and see if they needed help in any aspects of their business that we could solve using marketing. We then had to put that task in motion, or at least get the ball rolling. Ideally, we’d be able to come up with a solution to their marketing related problem, take the steps needed to accomplish it, and see results… All before the semester ended (which was about 5 weeks time).
2) How’d your group select your particular non-profit group?
We brainstormed numerous local nonprofits that we could easily get in touch with; then we focused on the actuality of us being able to do a real and effective job for them. We tried reaching out to one organization we thought might fit those criteria, but there was conflict in scheduling an initial meeting with them. This is when GW Shaw mentioned a project his church does every year and we decided to turn it into a marketing venture.
Operation Christmas Child table. The group set up in the Campus Center to promote this non-proft and to ask students to get involve and help out.
3) Tell us a little about your non-profit (what they do, how the help others) and how is your group helping them?
Operation Christmas Child is a national project hosted by Samaritan’s Purse. Their objective is to provide a box of small presents and necessities for underprivileged children in the Philippines. They are able to do this through a mass amount of volunteers (primarily churches) who fill up shoe boxes and drop them off at Samaritan Purse locations. GW was the only one in our group who had even heard about this project, so it was clear that we should bring awareness about it on campus through advertising and allowing students to get involved.
What we did: bought 100 foldable boxes from the website at a small cost. We set up an appropriately decorated table in the campus center with the boxes on them, in hopes that people would take them, fill them, and drop them back off at the table. We also put a big sign in the campus center, hung flyers in the dorms, made a my.acu login advertisement, made a slide for the chapel slideshow, and showed a one minute video during chapel on the day we set the table up.
We had a time span of two weeks for people to pick up, fill, and drop off the boxes. We had hoped for a return of 10 boxes, but we were pleasantly surprised when after exactly 7 days all of the boxes were gone. When it came time to pick up the boxes, there were a little over 20 full boxes which was double what we were expecting. So this project turned out to be a great success for the short amount of time we had.
Chapel slide promoting table that was set up in the Campus Center
4) What are you learning about business through this project? How are your business skills being sharpened and refined?
I used to dread doing group projects; but in most of my upper level classes, group work has been enjoyable. I’ve learned to trust and lean on everyone by delegating the right tasks to the right people. It’s amazing to see how much more you can accomplish through correctly allocating tasks. Surpassing our project goal wasn’t a bad feeling either.
We are proud of these student groups who are learning how to use business to serve and grateful for the good work they are doing to help others. We are blessed with a faculty who excel at teaching business skills and who are even more committed to helping our students understand how they can use their knowledge and skills to make a difference in someone’s life.
by Amanda Pittman | Nov 22, 2011 | Current Students, Dean Chronicles, Faith Infusion, Springboard
A note from Dr. Lytle:
In 1789, president George Washington declared that our nation should take time to bow its head and give thanks to almighty God for his sovereignty and provision and “that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions…” For some 235 years our nation has honored president Washington’s admonition to give thanks. This week, I invite you to join me in setting aside time to celebrate God’s goodness by gathering with family and friends to share a meal but also to give thanks to the one and only God who has blessed us as a nation.
Washington's prayer at Valley Forge
We had a chance to chat with a few of our students as they were wrapping up their school day yesterday. We asked them to share with us things they were thankful for. Here’s some of the comments they shared: “relationships with professors; the COBA family; professors and the way they care about us and lead us; the way we talk about the balance between faith and money; the study abroad opportunities; our awesome advisors.”
The Oxford study abroad group with Dr. Don Pope (and wife, Beth) and Drs. Mark and Laura Phillips
The faculty and staff in the College of Business are grateful for our incredible students. We know their families are looking forward to this break to be with them and love on them. Please join us in continuing to keep the Reid family in our thoughts and prayers during this time. We hope you have a blessed time together, safe travels and that you return to us refreshed and renewed, and ready to finish the semester strong.
“Come let us sing with joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our Salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving, and extol him with music and song.” Psalm 95:1-2
by Amanda Pittman | Nov 14, 2011 | COBA Events, College Decisions, Current Students, Distinguished Speakers Series, Faith Infusion, Special Speakers
On Thursday, Nov. 3rd, the ACU community had a unique opportunity to hear from the President and CEO of AFC Enterprises, Inc., the parent company of Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen. Cheryl Bachelder is many things – a mom, a wife, a female, a successful CEO, a brand manager, a gifted speaker and teacher.
Cheryl Bachelder, President of Popeye's and CEO of AFC Enterprises, Inc.
Mrs. Bachelder guest lectured in our 9:30am Consumer Behavior class. EJ Johnson is a senior marketing major from Frisco. He said, “I truly enjoyed the class with Mrs. Bachelder today! Her work hits close to home as I am a Louisiana Creole and run the largest social media organization for Louisiana Creoles in the nation.” Bachelder spoke about the rebranding of Popeye’s and how she is leading the company by helping find its ‘true north’ – going back to the company’s roots and the things that made the food unique and special.
Consumer Behavior students listen to guest lecturer and Distinguished Speaker Cheryl Bachelder
Bachelder teaching
After the class, Bachelder addressed an audience of over 300 at our 2011 Distinguished Speaker Series luncheon in the Hunter Welcome Center. After discussing the how the brand has performed over the last three years (world’s second largest quick service chicken concept based on the number of units) and is expanding rapidly overseas, Bachelder discussed how character, competence and motive are essential traits in successfully leading in the marketplace. She challenged the audience to lead by serving – and to evaluate and define their purpose and principles.
Bachelder speaking at Distinguished Speakers Series luncheon
At the conclusion of her talk, Bachelder answered questions that were submitted via text messaging. We received a large number of questions and she was only able to answer about 3 or 4 before we had to wrap up the luncheon event. We emailed her the remaining questions and she’s provided her responses below:
> As I hear you stressing the importance of having leaders with right motives and character, what strategies would you recommend for a future college grad to use when looking to work for a company with leaders that uphold these qualities?
I would encourage you to find out all you can about the leader of the team or department you would be working for. What is their leadership style? Is it driven by personal ambition or by ambition for the enterprise? What values can you detect? How do they treat people? What adjectives do people use to describe them? What are their interests/passions outside of work? Are they direct, candid, transparent? Are they willing to admit mistakes or expose vulnerability? If the company has a vision, mission, and/or values statement…ask them how they would explain it. Is it a plaque or does it have real meaning to the individual? I would also investigate the CEO of the company….read every article about them and explore what they mean to purpose and principles. The top leader sets the direction and sets the cultural norms. If you find concerns in the top leader, they will likely result in dysfunction somewhere in the enterprise. And conversely, if the top leader has a positive leadership motive, you can expect that will positively influence decisions that are made in the company.
> Can you elaborate on the Isaiah verse about grasshoppers? In what ways are we like grasshoppers?
New International Version (©1984) “He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers.” Isaiah 40:22a. I lean into this verse as a constant reminder of my humble role in God’s kingdom. The Creator of the universe is so much greater than I. I am merely one of his “grasshoppers.” I intend to be the very best grasshopper I can be, but I don’t want to lose sight of the fact, that God’s plan is far more encompassing and huge than any plan my small mind could think up. So for me, grasshopper= humility.
> How do you incorporate Christian values into a publicly held company? Legally…
I believe all leaders, with faith or not, bring their values into the workplace…so values are something we can and should discuss in the workplace. To work together effectively, we must know one another well. This requires time invested in building relationships with people and treating people with care and respect. If people know you well and believe that the work environment is a healthy one of candid conversations, they become open to values conversations. There is nothing illegal about discussing values like honesty, respect, and accountability. In fact, these conversations are essential…values conflicts will hurt the performance of the team.
For sharing faith, I have found the best approach is to live out your faith in your day to day actions. People will then see something special and genuine about you, and they will want to know more about it. If you are a content person, because of the peace you have found in faith, you will stand out from other discontented, anxious people. You will be asked where your peace comes from. If you have experienced trials and shared them with people, they will learn how you coped with those trials. They will be interested in hearing your story, including your faith lessons.
But importantly, no one will be open to hearing about your beliefs, if you have not invested in building an authentic friendship with them over time. Only in the safety of this relationship, do you have the opportunity to share your perspective and impact lives. Focus on building relationships, and this will bring forward the God-given opportunities to share your faith with others.
> How much of a role does technology play in your business? How do you leverage new technologies, such as iphones or ipads?
Technology plays a role, but perhaps not as large a role as other businesses. We use technology to track and analyze our business. We use sophisticated point of sale terminals that collect data on every purchase in a restaurant and allow us to analyze results and opportunities for improvements. We now use “cloud” type web solutions for collecting data and analyzing it, because it is cost-effective to do so. We have tools that allow us to track restaurant video cameras 24/7 on our ipads so that we can see what is going on at any time. And of course, like you, we communicate 24/7 with our PDAs…email and text. That allows us to work constantly, even on vacationJ.
> What was your best learning experience at a former employer that you have used at Popeye’s?
There are three learning experiences that I have applied at Popeyes.
1) ROADMAP: The leader must express a very clear picture of where the company is headed. We call that our roadmap for results. It gives the goal and the strategy we must pursue to be successful in our industry. We talk about these four goals and four strategies at every single communication opportunity so that the “destination” becomes well understood….and all people can contribute.
2) SUCCEED: The leader must be tenacious about helping the organization reach the goals, the destination. Failure is not an option. A winning team has to win. The leader has a responsibility to competently lead the people to successful performance, and to stop them from doing things that could interfere with getting to the goals. Without succeeding, the leader has let down the organization. Competence is a character trait.
3) ENVIRONMENT: The leader must create a healthy environment for people to grow and develop. It must be an environment of high trust, constructive conflict, candid communication, sincere concern for people. Without these traits, the environment is “toxic” to people; they do not thrive; they do not advance and grow, and eventually that holds back the capability of the company.
> Could you tell us what kind of challenges you face as a female CEO in a big company such as Popeye’s?
The challenges I face are fewer than you might think. But that reflects the fact that I chose this company (and this industry) because it is a good place for women to develop and lead. My Board is very supportive of my leadership and I believe they value and respect my contributions. My shareholders have focused on my results, and appear indifferent to my gender. My team members and franchisees have been open to my leadership, and over time, I believe have gotten to know me well and respect my approach.
Occasionally, there is a truly funny event. Like the time I went to Japan to help negotiate an acquisition. The Japanese executives assumed that I was at the meeting to take notes, so they offered me a lovely gift of writing pens with perfume in them. My team found this amusing, but I accepted the gift, and we moved on without incident.
Are their awkward times as a female CEO? Yes. People are often uncomfortable around me at first. They probably don’t know what to expect. They may have some assumptions about how female leaders lead. They may assume that I am unmarried and have no children. They may assume I do not have faith in God. So I make it my mission to reach out first with a warm, approachable conversation. I often share personal stories about my family as an ice breaker. I often hold back announcing my “title” until asked or after we’ve established rapport. It is still very unusual in our culture to be a female CEO. There are only four female chain restaurant CEOs. So I think that means I have to help people get past that first awkward moment.
> How has female leadership changed/improved the enterprise?
I do believe women are created differently than men, and that is a good thing. Women, as a group, have strong relationship skills. They are sensitive to people’s needs and are often, very responsive and caring. This contributes to a healthy workplace where people are valued and treated well. Women are often more candid and transparent in business discussions. They cut to the chase. They are less guarded. This contributes to a more open dialog of the real issues, and it saves time. Women often have strong business instincts that deserve further exploration. This more intuitive thinking leads to more creativity around innovation and problem solving. Lastly, I’ve noticed that women juggle many tasks well, and as such, they are often highly productive and help others figure out how to juggle as well. These are broad generalizations, but my experience has been that teams with a blend of men and women perform particularly well. Gallup research supports this. They found teams that were 50/50 male/female outperformed teams that skewed either male or female.
> What is the best way to get people on board to help you start up and fund your business plan?
The first thing is to have a thorough, thoughtful and complete business plan. I’m amazed at how many business proposals I have been given that were thinly prepared. No one will invest in something that they do not understand or that they cannot see a path towards performance results. When developing a business plan, take it in “draft” form to many experienced business people and ask them what you are missing. Asking for feedback, then filling the gaps will results in a much stronger presentation for your potential investors. The second recommendation is to have some “proof of concept.” You need some data that supports your premise. If you want to own a restaurant, you may want to cater for a few months to demonstrate that people love your food and service…and it generates repeat customers. As the saying goes, “the proof is in the pudding.”
> If the most competent people in your business lack good character, what should you do as a servant leader?
The first step is to be sure you have set crystal clear expectations for character traits and that you have given the leader an opportunity to adjust to these new expectations. You will know by how much effort the individual takes to change their own behavior. If they make significant effort, and the team is noticing progress, you can afford to give them more time. If they do not make effort and it is obvious to the team that they do not share the character traits, you must confront the situation. This person, left in place, will essentially message to your organization that the character traits really don’t matter, or else this person would not be allowed to continue. This is a cancer on the team and will hold back their performance.
One caveat:, I am constantly amazed at how many people have been “trained” by leaders without strong character traits. The result is that a person shuts down their own character traits and operates at work by the leader’s “rules.” They do not share the leader’s values, but they fear that they must simply conform or be fired. Therefore, you must assure your employees that your character traits are genuinely desired and that they are in a safe environment to become more authentic in their actions. By seeing this situation, I have been able to turnaround a few of these situations.
> How did you change the environment without being another flavor of the month?
Good question. I think many people DID view me as “flavor of the month” when I came to Popeyes. I was the seventh CEO in about 10 years. What else would they think? This made it very important for me to act with consistency in everything that I did, so that over time, trust would build.
I think that our business culture and financial markets have allowed this short term, flip-the-leader environment to develop and it is not healthy for any business entity. High performance comes from strong deep rooted leadership teams (trust). Trust builds from stable, consistent business plans and culture, not from short flips for financial gain. And legacy companies understand this.
> What should I do when I have a passion I feel God has called me to? Witness through as also a business…but no one in my family supports it at all. (verbatim text, not totally sure what her second question/statement is saying exactly)
God gives us our unique strengths and our gifts….and out of those talents, he provides us opportunities to serve him…our calling, if you will. As you read the Bible, you find many Biblical leaders had to pursue their God-given calling, despite the opposition of their friends and families. This is really hard to do. I urge you to spend much time in unhurried conversation with God to be sure you hear his calling clearly. This affirmation from God is critical if you receive a lot of conflicting feedback from others. I have experienced this at a very personal level. There are many people who think it is wrong that I have worked, while raising a family. There are many people, including a few of my pastors, that challenged whether I had accurately understood my calling. In my case, my brother has challenged my calling on a regular basis. Like you, I yearn for the love and support of my friends and family. But at the end of the day, my calling is between me and God, and I must be obedient to Him. When I am obedient to his call on my life, he blesses me with peace, that can only come from Him.
> How do you make time for your family?
I plan my time with my family, just like I plan work projects. This may seem a bit clinical at first, but it is the way that I ensure I block out meaningful time for meaningful conversations and experiences with my family. And I rarely allow business to override these commitments to my family.
Examples…I always plan my vacations for the full year ahead…so that we can plan, talk, and think about the next fun time we will all be together for a week. I plan dinners at home for my husband, daughter and I to eat together, not every day, but about 3 times a week…where we have unhurried time to connect, share and talk about our weeks. I have an “iron rule” that I will talk to my husband every day no matter where I am in the world to make sure we stay close and in conversation. Now that my two oldest children have left home, I make sure to call them once a week and send a thoughtful email once a week to encourage them. I also plan trips to visit my daughters when we can have one on one mother-daughter time. I just did a three day weekend retreat with my 20 year old and we both were better for it! Deep rooted connections are essential to family. I value them and I plan them to make sure I don’t lose sight of that important value.
> Is Chic Fil A included in your QSR?
Chick Fil A is considered a quick service restaurant, but not a chicken quick service restaurant. For some reason, the independent research firm categorizes them as a sandwich competitor…like a burger chain. We compare our performance to both chicken QSR and total QSR so that we stay aware of their performance.
>Do you have a daily routine to help keep you organized and focused?
I have more of a weekly routine and quarterly routine. I plan out my life in 3-4 month blocks so that I can see the “long view” and make sure my priorities are on my calendar. I then have a weekly meeting with myself to work on the details of that particular week. That is when I put my exercise, quiet times, and family connection points on the calendar. My goal is to honor my calendar to a grade of B+. It will never be perfectly balanced. I will have to make some tough trade-off decisions, but on the whole, I need to believe that my time is primarily working on the most important things.
> How do you balance family life and your career?
It’s important to allow yourself to be imperfect and to have a sense of humor. Some days are not balanced at all. Some days miraculously come together. Maybe in heaven I’ll experience perfect balance, but in the meantime I am a flawed human being that aspires to be better at living my life obediently to God’s purpose. So I am deeply grateful for the GRACE and FORGIVENESS given by a merciful God. And when it gets really bad, I watch old DVD episodes of I Love Lucy and laugh out loud.
We are so grateful to Mrs. Bachelder, for the gift of her time, talent, passion and advice. Join us in showing her our gratitude by heading to a Popeye’s and enjoying some chicken, red beans and rice and a biscuit – Louisiana fast!
by Amanda Pittman | Nov 11, 2011 | COBA Events, College Decisions, Current Students, Executives In Residence, Special Speakers
So, as we’ve mentioned here earlier, 27 business students, 2 COBA faculty members and our Executive in Residence (and his sweet wife) traveled to the Big City. For four days, our students took in an impressive line up of meetings: they visited NYSE – and took in the view from the Exchange floor; Tommy Hilfiger’s corporate headquarters, and received a tour of their facility from his sister; AmEx headquarters; CNN New York, and a tour of Johnson & Johnson’s corporate headquarters, in New Jersey, as well as an opportunity to hear from a variety of J&J executives.
COBA students at AMEX headquarters
We recently asked some of the students who went to reflect on their experience:
What was your favorite part of the trip?
- “The most enjoyable part of my trip to NY would be the chance we got to walk the floor of the NYSE. Standing on the floor was an overwhelming feeling after seeing it countless times on the news and in movies.”
- “I loved getting to tour the corporations and learn from the executive’s experiences. It was also really encouraging to meet ACU graduates that have achieved so many things in the few years they have been out of college.”
- “My favorite part of the trip was going to visit with Johnson & Johnson. The culture of that company is amazing; they have a love and passion for people, be it the employees, customers, or just people in general, they truly want to help above all else and that really showed through in their presentation.”
- “Visiting Central Park!”
On the Exchange floor
What business meeting or conversation did you learn the most from?
- “If I had to choose one business we met with that I gained the most from, I would have to leave it with CNN. I had no idea the level of involvement a news provider has in the actually news being announced. CNN has the knowledge of more details involving most news than the public is aloud to know.”
- “Johnson & Johnson was my favorite stop along the tour. They did a really great job of telling us about their company and its values. We got to soak up their culture while we were there. They showed us their athletic facilities and we ate lunch in their cafeteria. It was nice to see that a successful company that has been around for 125 years has values that match mine.”
- “I learned the most from the Sunday morning conversation at the Manhattan Church of Christ. There were so many business professionals there from all different kinds of industries and they gave us great insights and advise. I especially liked that we got a little time to connect with some of them before and after the panel conversation. It was truly amazing hearing from both young and older, hearing their perspectives, stories, and how their lives as Christians play a part in how they do business.”
- “I learned the most from visiting the New York Stock Exchange. We met with a young professional who was in marketing, he created markets for stock by buying and trading at incredibly fast rates. The process of doing business at the NYSE has radically changed in the last 4 years. It was awesome to have the opportunity to experience that.”
- “Interacting with Johnson and Johnson was the most beneficial conversation through out the whole trip. Johnson and Johnson really emphasized on teamwork and not so much grades which really impacted my life as a hard working ‘C’ student. “Its not the grades you make but the hands you shake.””
COBA students in NYC
How has going on this trip affected your studies and/or focus here in COBA?
- “Before going to NY, I had a goal to establish a moderate sized, successful business from my own hard work. My goal of a successful business has completely evolved into a much higher benchmark after seeing what was accomplished by the people we were so fortunate to meet with.”
- “The trip helps put some of your classes into perspective and reminds you why you’re taking these classes. It will definitely help me push through to the end of the semester and look forward to my future career.”
- “I want to push myself to take classes that are going to help me not only in the field I’m majoring in but classes that could help me differentiate myself and help me in whichever field I end up working in after I leave ACU.”
Tommy Hilfiger's Corporate Offices
What advice do you have for current students who might be considering going on this trip next time?
- “Don’t miss an opportunity to go on this trip. This trip will show you more successful businesses and individuals than you ever knew existed. I am so thankful for this trip, and I was blessed to be able to go. The best way to describe a trip of this scale is, “priceless.” “
- “I would highly recommend going on a trip like this. You will receive great advice from successful people and you will also receive several contacts that could possibly lead to a job offer one day. It was great to see what the business atmosphere in New York City was like and to meet some of the top executives at Fortune 500 companies!”
- “I would tell anyone that this trip is amazing; I was afraid about being in NYC without friends or family but with Dr. Lynn, Dr. Stewart, and the Swearingens, I was very comfortable and learned so much on the trip. You will have a lot of fun while learning about the city and the companies, it is a worthwhile experience. “
- “GO! Don’t hesitate attending this trip. You have to learn how to experience ‘the city life’ on your own time, and a COBA trip is the perfect time to be able to interact first hand.”
Meeting with Johnson&Johnson executives
COBA students had a mentoring session with business executives that are also members of the Manhattan Church of Christ
For more pictures from the trip, visit or facebook page.
by Amanda Pittman | Nov 10, 2011 | College Decisions, Current Students, Faith Infusion
Over the past summer, Kenli Viertel, a senior marketing major from Clyde, had the unique opportunity to travel to Ghana for her marketing internship. Kenli said about her experience:
My internship in Ghana taught me about myself, God, business, the world, and how He sees all of those things coming together. I spent a few weeks at the Village of Hope Orphanage before I went to Heritage Christian University College, and I think the combination of these experiences was a perfect opportunity for me to learn how my passion for broken abandoned people and my skills in business can work together and make a difference…somewhere. Faith in Business and International Business are both topics I’ve heard lectures over at ACU, but traveling to Africa alone and diving into that business culture was an experience I know will remain unmatched in my life and career.
by Amanda Pittman | Oct 25, 2011 | Current Students, Placement stories
As part of our professional development training and conversations, we are always discussing the importance of student’s on-line reputation and presence on social media websites. Here’s an interesting article and infographic that explains things from an employer’s perspective. Definitely worth the read…
How Recruiters Use Social Networks to Screen Candidates [INFOGRAPHIC]/.
by Amanda Pittman | Oct 24, 2011 | COBA Events, College Decisions, Current Students
It’s that exciting time in the semester when Intro to Business students begin selling their Venture Out products in and around the ACU community. The Loan Review meetings were last week and all groups have now received approval to procure or continue pre-selling their product.
Students in Intro to Business are presenting their product and mini-business plan to the Loan Review Board as part of the Venture Out project
The Venture Out class project is a frequently cited as a favorite project of COBA alums. Intro to Business students are assigned to teams within their class and together, they come up with a product to sell and a mini-business plan to explain how they will market it, drive customers to it, manage their inventory, and ultimately, what they will do with their profits. Favorite products of the past have been iphone covers, Kanye West style white shades, Rastafari wigs (hands down Dr. Lytle’s favorite!) and tshirts with clever, pop-culture sayings (“Do WORK, ACU”).
This year’s list of products reads very similar: tshirts, tank tops, Nike tempo shorts with ACU embroidered on the leg, iphone covers, and bracelets. Allison is a freshman marketing major, and her team is selling purple Nike tempo shorts with ACU embroidered on the leg. Allison says, ” We have pre-orders for 32 of 50 pairs of shorts that we need to sell. The typical reaction I’ve gotten when I mention the shorts is, ‘Oh, I’ve been wanting some of those!’. Since the campus store is unable to sell Nike products, ACU Nike shorts have been unavailable until now. Girls who already have Nike shorts are the ones who are buying them, because they’ve been looking for them for months or years and haven’t been able to find any. They then go home and tell their roommate how excited they are about finding the shorts and before we know it we have another order from someone we’ve never met”.
The other important component of the Venture Out project is the focus on philanthropy and giving back. 50% of the profits from each team will go back into the general COBA scholarship fund for future business majors. And the other 50% goes to a charity or cause of the group’s choice. Some examples of non-profit charities that have received donations from Venture Out teams are The American Cancer Society, Invisible Children, Eternal Threads and Make-A-Wish Foundation. Dr. Mark Phillips, professor of two of Intro to Business sections, says “the scholarship is about sustainability; the students’ work goes back into future students. The non-profit piece allows them to direct their giving to something they care passionately about; it not only gives them incentive to sell, it also starts them thinking about the role of business and profits in positively impacting the world.”
Venture Out also introduces our new business students (or undecided majors) the different roles within a sales team: the marketer, the accountant, the logistics manager, or the IS manager. At semester’s end, we hope the students have found a role or niche that they want to explore deeper, through classes, job shadowing, mentoring relationships or professional development experiences. And perhaps even ignite their passion for entrepreneurship. Allison says, “I’ve really enjoyed the project so far, because it has allowed me to work with my classmates to find a market niche and sell an exclusive product that is in very high demand. I’m learning that if you have the right product, entrepreneurship doesn’t seem like such a risk.”
by Amanda Pittman | Oct 21, 2011 | COBA Events, College Decisions, Current Students
Wednesday morning at 10am, 27 students, 2 COBA faculty, 1 Executive-In-Residence and his wife left dry and cool West Texas for the bright lights of THE big City. New York City. Dave Swearingen, COBA’s current Executive-In-Residence, is a former VP of Corporate Communications for Johnson & Johnson. He served as an elder at the Manhattan Church of Christ when he lived in New York, and he and his wife, Karen, have recently relocated to Abilene to be near family. Mr. Swearingen has arranged an incredible trip for our COBA students.
Dr. Lytle praying over NYC group before they leave for the airport
Their Thursday itinerary looked like this:
- Breakfast at Lindy’s (7th Ave and 32nd Street)
- Wall Street
- Tour of the New York Stock Exchange
- Meetings at CNN, New York
- Meeting with Matt Henegar, Lathm & Watkins, LLP
- Meetings at Tommy Hilfiger’s corporate headquarters – meeting with VP of Marketing
- Broadway show: Sister Act
ACU students enjoyed a hearty breakfast at Lindy's at 7th Ave and 32nd Street
Today, Friday, includes visits to:
- Johnson & Johnson corporate headquarters in New Brunswick, NJ
- American Express corporate headquarters
- And dinner on their own and exploring the city
COBA group at CNN studios in New York City
Saturday, the group will go on a 3 hour Island cruise and then have more time to explore the City. On Sunday, the group will worship at the Manhattan Church of Christ and will have a mentoring session with Christian business leaders. After the session and a meal, the group heads back to the airport and back to ACU.
Stay tuned for a wrap up of the trip and pictures/videos of the students’ adventures!
We’ll wrap up with this…
Amanda, sophomore management major from Denton just sent us a message about their tour of J&J this morning:
“We learned about the background and history of Johnson & Johnson, and got to take a tour thru their fitness center and media productions studio. We met Jeff Leebaw and Craig Rothenberg, who are their VPs of Corporate Communications, Charlotte Fox, their Director of HR Communications Integration and Jeanne Fedoryk, who is their Worldwide VP of J&J Recruiting Services. Biggest takeaway for me: intellectual curiosity. Ask question in interviews and be engaging. Try and find a company that has similar values as you do.”
by Amanda Pittman | Oct 8, 2011 | Careers In..., COBA Events, College Decisions, Special Speakers
In early September, COBA hosted two successful event planners, Luanna Cole and Rachel Hollis, for a Career Connect: Event Planning event. Over 75 students turned out to hear these two women share advice, insights and experience from their careers in wedding and event planning. You can read more about the events here.
And this past week, Rachel Hollis appeared on The Nate Berkus show, a nationally syndicated talk show focusing on interior design, decorating, entertaining and homemaking. Rachel is the Entertaining Contributor for Traditional Home magazine and she recreated a table scape from her September column for Mr. Berkus. Enjoy the clip! (Click on the sentence)
The Nate Berkus Show with special guest Rachel Hollis
<
Rachel Hollis on The Nate Berkus Show
by Amanda Pittman | Oct 7, 2011 | COBA Events, College Decisions, Current Students, Springboard
Wednesday was the final LIVE round of COBA’s first annual Elevator Pitch competition. Ten business ideas were pitched – by a team of students or an individual. Six prizes were awarded, with the top team taking home $1500 for their pitch. The ten business idea pitches were judged based on the following categories:
- Market
- Business Concept
- Value Proposition
- Presentation Skills
- Would you invest in this venture?
These six prizes were awarded:
- Audience Choice Award – $250
- Social Entrepreneurship Award – $250
- Best Presentation Award – $250
- Third Place – $250
- Second Place – $750
- Grand Prize – $1500
We were honored to have five highly successful businessmen make up our judging panel. Between the five of them, they’ve invested in or helped start over 1000 companies and have a passion for mentoring budding entrepreneurs. The judges were Dr. Jack Griggs, President and Director of Southwest Bancorp and former dean of the College of Business Administration, Mr. Jim Porter, Principal of Porter Capital Partners, Mr. David Bruce, Founder and CEO of Alliance Recruiting Resources, Mr. Matt Booth, VP of Regency Centers, and COBA’s very own, Dr. Rick Lytle.
Here is a list of the ten business pitches and the team members for the 2011 Springboard Elevator Pitch Competition:
- Virtual Exchange Accelerator – Levi Ritchie and Evan Whyte
- Heaven Inspired Hands – Laura Kiminsky
- Campuzon – Karsten Goodman and Courtney Martin
- Red Thread Movement – Brittany Partridge and Samantha Sutherland
- Rock and Trail – Asa Kusuma and Tim Johnston
- Decked Out – Brionna Sherer and Marcy Thorn
- Nascent – Nigel Bosch
- M.Y.O.P – Carlee Finkelstein
- Race Track Tarp – Brian Patterson and Jeremy Harrington
- Double Impact Socks – Eldad Campbell and EJ Johnson
And here are the winners:
Grand Prize $1,500
Campuzon
Karsten Goodman & Courtney Martin
Second Place $750
Double Impact Socks
Eldad Campbell & EJ Johnson
Third Place $250
Nascent
Nigel Bosch
Best Presentation Award $250
Misfortune Cookies
Robby Wiginton
Social Entrepreneurship Award $250
Red Thread Movement
Brittany Partridge & Samantha Sutherland
Audience Choice Award $250
Double Impact Socks
Eldad Campbell & EJ Johnson
The first annual Springboard Elevator Pitch Competition was a huge success and the packed room during the live final round testifies to the excitement this live competition generated here on campus. You can read more about the competition in this story, from the Abilene Reporter-News.
The Elevator Pitch is part of the slate of events, speakers and competitions in the Griggs Center for Entrepreneurship & Philanthropy. Students in any major can have a concentration in Entrepreneurship, and any student can participate in the competitions or attend any event. The Griggs Center also hosts four Entrepreneurs-In-Residence and is building a network of entrepreneurs that desire to have mentoring relationships with current students. As any entrepreneur will tell you – an essential component of success is building your own network of mentors and advisors. To that end, another component of the Griggs Center is the Springboard Accelerator – an on campus facility that houses student upstarts, where they have access not only to physical office space, but office equipment, phones, mailboxes, conference rooms and the guidance and advice of various business advisors (attorneys, investors, professors, and of course fellow student entrepreneurs).
Congratulations again to all of the finalists in this year’s inaugural competition!
Consider entering our next competition, our Springboard Ideas Challenge next spring. Find out more information here.
