Dawn With the Dean is Back!

The third year of Dawn with the Dean is on a record pace with the largest turnout ever of Wake Forest University business students, faculty and staff making the three-mile foot journey around campus. With a temperature of 60 degrees, the weather was perfect to start the season. Runners of all ability levels pounded the pavement.  Seasoned second year graduate students enthusiastically cheered on the first timers.

Dean of Business Steve Reinemund started this tradition because of his belief that exercise leads to both healthier bodies and sharper minds. He told participants, "We hope that through your involvement here, you will build a lifelong habit of physical fitness."

During these runs, students have the opportunity to chat with the Dean about the new school year and current events in the business world. When asked what motivates him to get up early for the Thursday morning event, Andy Rinehart (JD/MBA'13) laughed and joked, "I am a glutton for punishment. Seriously, it’s a great way to help stay in shape."

Rinehart, an Iraq War veteran, is among the most dedicated runners in the group, having attended almost every session last year. Always a good soldier, he helps keep track of fellow runners to ensure nobody gets lost or left behind.

It is not too late to lace up your sneakers and join in the fun!  Dawn with the Dean happens every Thursday morning during the school year. The group gathers on the Wake Forest University campus in the Worrell Professional Center parking lot at 6:20 a.m. and departs at 6:30 a.m. sharp.

Former Ben & Jerry's CEO to Speak at Wake Forest

Bob Holland, a managing partner at Essex Lake Group LLC, will visit the campus in November as part of the Wake Forest University Schools of Business fall speaker series. Holland is also a corporate director at Essex, a profit-enhancement firm with offices in China, India, London, Madrid and New York. His background also includes posts as a general partner with PE firm Cordova, Smart & Williams; CEO of WorkPlace Integrators; and CEO of Ben & Jerry's. Holland joined Ben & Jerry's in 1995 as the Vermont ice cream maker was moving to a more mainstream company from the cult-like firm that existed before. He also serves on the boards of Carver Federal Bank, Lexmark International Inc., Neptune Orient Lines Ltd. and Yum! Brands Inc. Holland will speak on Nov. 11 from 4-5 pm in Room 1312 at Worrell Professional Center. We will provide more details as we learn more about his topic.

Alumni News: Gordon Named Heckmann President

Heckmann Corp. of Palm Desert, Calif., has hired Charles R. Gordon (MBA '84) as president and chief operating officer, effective Oct. 1.

Gordon was most recently president and CEO of Siemens Water Technologies, a global business unit of Siemens AG. He served as executive vice president of the Siemens Water & Wastewater Systems Group from 2005 to 2007 and as executive vice president of the USFilter Water & Wastewater Services and Products Group from 1999 to 2005.

Gordon received his undergraduate degree from the University of South Dakota and his MBA from Wake Forest University. He also serves on the board of Insituform Technologies Inc., where is a member of the audit and corporate governance/nominating committees.

Heckmann builds and manages water-related infrastructure such as pipelines.

International Trips ... Detailed!

While combing around the Wake Forest University Schools of Business online archives, I discovered a pair of blogs discussing recent class trips to India and China. There were some interesting perspectives in both, so I am including links. This should provide good views as you consider your own trips.

Here is the blog for India: http://business.wfu.edu/apps/blog/india10/index.cfm/2010/5

And one for China: http://business.wfu.edu/apps/blog/China10/index.cfm/2010/5

Speaker to Discuss "Income and Wealth Inequality"

Alan Reynolds, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, will lecture on “income and wealth inequality” on Nov. 3 from 4-5:30 pm at Annenbury Forum, Carswell Hall, and Wake Forest University. His topic is a major bone of contention between free-market thinkers and those who would advocate greater government regulation of markets and industries.

Reynolds is a former director of economic research at the Hudson Institute. He served as research director with the National Commission on Tax Reform and Economic Growth, an advisor to the National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education, and as a member of the OMB transition team in 1981. His studies have been published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Joint Economic Committee, the Federal Reserve Banks of Atlanta and St. Louis and the Australian Stock Exchange.

Author of Income and Wealth (Greenwood Press, 2006), Reynolds has written for numerous publications since 1971 including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, National Review, The New Republic, Fortune and The Harvard Business Review. A former columnist with Forbes and Reason, his weekly column is now nationally syndicated.

BB&T Center for the Study of Capitalism

The BB&T Center for the Study of Capitalism at Wake Forest University welcomes graduate students to the a new semester! Whether returning from vacation, starting a new semester, or coming to campus as a new student, we hope you are looking forward to an exciting and dynamic new year.

Wake Forest’s BB&T Center for the Study of Capitalism was founded in 2008 through a generous grant from BB&T, with a goal of broadening the understanding of capitalism and its issues. Exploring issues relevant to business and the functioning of free markets is the focus of our effort within the Schools of Business -- through involvement of faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students at Wake Forest, courses that are taught, guest speakers and events, providing timely news about capitalism, and supporting interesting research by our faculty.

Please visit and explore our website, www.capitalism.wfu.edu, to learn more about the Center, connect with current events in markets and politics, and take advantage of the resources and events that are offered.  We will regularly post the week’s upcoming Center-supported events to this newsletter, but please check the calendars in the weeks and months ahead to plan and schedule for the many exciting speakers, panels, forums, and more that we will offer.  We have included several of our September events in this newsletter.

Also please contact us with ideas or ways in which we can help you or your club.  We look forward to working with you on this teaching and learning journey to excellence!

Dr. Page West
Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship
Director, BB&T Center for the Study of Capitalism

Experts to Discuss Healthcare Reform Logistics

Next week, the Wake Forest University Schools of Business will host a Dixon Hughes Healthcare Services Group Lecture. The event will feature Larry Hughes, the member in charge of the firm’s healthcare group, who will discuss healthcare reform.

The program will include an informative lecture, designed to provide an overview of healthcare reform and a discussion on how operations and supply chain consulting is so critical to this reform. The event will start at 3 pm on Thursday, Sept. 9, at Room 3209 at the Worrell Professional Center.

Joining Hughes will be Don McCall, Trent Messick, and David Hall, a Wake Forest alum. We’ll offer refreshments afterwards and time for students to interact personally with the speakers. Although reservations are not required we are asking attendees to sign up via DeaconLink if planning to attend, so we can plan well.