Alumni Update: Jermain Joins Plexus Corp.

Pat Jermain recently joined Plexus Corp. as corporate controller. He will lead the global finance organization, working with Plexus' finance teams in engineering solutions and manufacturing solutions.

Jermain most recently worked as the corporate controller at Appleton Papers. Before that, he spent eight years at Banta Corp.

Pat earned a bachelor's of science degree in accounting at Wake Forest University and a master's in business administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He is a certified public accountant.

Reposted from Post Crescent (Appleton, Wis.)

Talking About Integrity

Professor Michael Jensen will visit campus later this month to deliver a lecture: Integrety: A Positive Model of Morality, Ethics, and Legality.

A positive model of integrity provides powerful access to increased performance for individuals, groups, organizations, and societies. The model reveals the causal link between integrity and increased performance, quality of life, and value-creation for all entities. Integrity is thus a factor of production as important as knowledge and technology, yet its role has been largely hidden, unnoticed or even ignored by economists and others.

More details will be released soon, but he is tentatively scheduled to appear from 4-6 pm on Monday, Jan. 31.

Survey: Wake Forest Scores High Among Job Recruiters

Recruiters are taking notice of the skills and preparedness of Wake Forest University Schools of Business MBA graduates. On Jan. 6, Bloomberg BusinessWeek released a new ranking, "The Best US MBA Programs by Specialty." Bloomberg BusinessWeek in July 2010 surveyed hundreds of corporate recruiters nationally and asked them to rank the graduates of full-time MBA programs in 11 specialty areas and management attributes.

Wake Forest's Full-time MBA program ranked among the Top 25 in the nation in 10 of 11 specialty areas.  One point to note – Wake Forest ranked No. 5 nationally in the “Most Improved” program category.

 

Specialty Area / Attribute	Rank
Most Improved	5
Operations	8
General Management	12
Finance	15
Teamwork	15
Analytical Skills	15
Marketing Skills	15
Global Competition	16
Accounting	20
Most Innovative	23
Communication Skills	27

Source: Bloomberg BusinessWeek Best US MBA Programs by Specialty

“Our focus on providing exceptional talent to the business community is being recognized by corporate recruiters across the nation, as exemplified in this latest ranking,” said Dean of Business Steve Reinemund.  “We are proud of our students, faculty and staff for their tremendous efforts in achieving these results.”

Bloomberg BusinessWeek’s 2010 ranking of U.S. MBA programs report showed that 92% of Wake Forest’s Full-time MBA students secured jobs within three months after graduation, placing the School in a tie with Yale at No. 12 nationally.

A complete list of the Best US MBA Programs by Specialty can be found online at (http://www.businessweek.com)

Dean Reinemund to Speak at E&Y Event

Ernst & Young LLP will host more than 100 minority students from 58 U.S. colleges and universities at the firm’s 5th annual all-expense-paid Discover Tax event in New York from Jan. 5-7. The firm will also host its 3rd annual Campus Diversity & Inclusiveness Roundtable for key faculty and administrators from top undergraduate business programs.

The roundtable, set for Jan. 5-6, will feature a dialogue with Steve Reinemund, Dean of Business at Wake Forest University and a former CEO of PepsiCo. He is also a director at American Express Company, Exxon Mobil Corp., Marriott International Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Reinemund will share how he leverages his past experience as CEO of PepsiCo to enhance diversity and inclusiveness at Wake Forest.

The roundtable will also feature more than 30 faculty, deans, accounting chairs and administrators, who will discuss and share leading practices regarding diversity issues facing today’s undergraduate business programs. Topics discussed during the roundtable will include the business imperative for increased diversity, creating an inclusive culture, and strategies on leading and encouraging diversity and inclusiveness in the business school.

“There’s no question that diversity is an advantage in today’s global business environment,” said Ken Bouyer, Ernst & Young’s Americas Director of Inclusiveness Recruiting. “Given this reality, we are determined to continue a dialogue with business faculty to help them prepare students for the global workplace.”

During a panel discussion at the roundtable, three past winners of Ernst & Young LLP’s Inclusive Excellence Award for Accounting and Business School Faculty will share their successes and challenges around advancing diversity and inclusiveness on their campuses.

The three-day Discover Tax event consists of panels, hands-on learning activities, networking events and opportunities to speak one-on-one with Ernst & Young leaders. After the conference, attendees are eligible to interview for internships with the firm. To date, more than 70 percent of Discover Tax participants have been given internship offers, with a 90% acceptance rate. For more information, visit (www.ey.com/us/discovertax).

“Introducing diverse students to the tax profession early in their college careers is critical to attracting more minorities to the profession,” said Chris Yamamoto, Ernst & Young’s Tax People Leader. “Our people and their diverse perspectives are key to meeting our clients’ needs and this has only grown in importance as businesses have increased their geographic reach. The Discover Tax event has helped us recruit and strengthened our diverse talent pipeline.”

Since its launch in January 2007, Discover Tax has helped Ernst & Young increase the number of minority campus hires for its tax practice: underrepresented minority campus hires have increased from 11% to 16%. Minority partners and staff now represent 30% of Ernst & Young LLP’s total US employee population—more than double the representation a decade ago.

Family Business Center Unveils Charlotte Events

Succession planning in the family business and generational differences in the workplace are topics to be highlighted in upcoming Wake Forest University Schools of Business Family Business Center forums.

Robert Norris, founding partner of Wishart, Norris Henninger & Pittman PA, will present “The Business Owner’s Pathway to Maximizing and Preserving Business and Personal Wealth” at the first of the quarterly forums on Jan. 27. “Most business owners fail to maximize or preserve wealth during the sale or transfer of their business to the next generation of owners. It doesn’t have to be that way,” Norris said.

Participants will be introduced to a six-step exit planning process which greatly simplifies the business owner’s task of addressing business and personal issues in an integrated fashion. Application of this process along with the tools and techniques discussed will help ensure the maximization and preservation of the owner’s business and personal wealth.

For more than 34 years, Norris has represented family and privately-owned businesses in mergers and acquisitions, sales of businesses, business owner exit planning, and business succession planning. His passion is for acting as an exit planning and succession planning facilitator for business owners and their companies. He has handled succession planning matters for several of the largest businesses in the Carolinas.

“The Business Owner’s Pathway to Maximizing and Preserving Business and Personal Wealth” is from noon to 4 pm at the Whitehead Manor Conference Center located at 5901 Sardis Road, Charlotte.

Stacey Randall, founder and chief consultant of SBR Consulting, will present “Generational Differences: Reality or Hype” at the second of the quarterly forums March 2. Randall will discuss the key workforce attributes for each generation, and the implications for attracting, retaining, and rewarding different generations in the workplace. Forum participants will also receive copies of SBR’s proprietary research findings on how the recession is affecting the millennial generation and attraction and retention strategies.

In the second part of the program, Stephen Shuford, executive vice president of Shurtape Technologies LLC, will share the joys and challenges of growing a longtime maker of yarns and twine into leading global manufacturer and marketer of adhesive tapes, weatherization products and stationery products under the Shurtape, Duck, Painter’s Mate Green, FrogTape and Easy Liner brands. Shurtape has manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Canada and China and has sales and distribution facilities around the world. Customers include Sherwin-Williams, Walmart, Lowe’s, Home Depot, Staples, Michaels and an array of industrial distributors. Shuford is a fifth generation owner/manager of the family business.

“Generational Differences: Reality or Hype” is from noon to 4 pm at Whitehead Manor.

Family Business Center forums are only open to Family Business Center members, sponsors and their guests. For information on FBC membership and guest policies, please contact Rhonda Stokes at (704) 366-0540. Member dues and corporate sponsors Wishart, Norris Henninger & Pittman Attorneys At Law and RSM McGladrey fund the Family Business Center in Charlotte.

The Family Business Center, established in 1999 under the Angell Center for Entrepreneurship in the Wake Forest University Schools of Business, addresses issues faced by closely held and family firms. The member-based organization uses the capabilities and educational resources at Wake Forest, in the community and beyond to provide closely held and family firms the assistance they need to grow and succeed from generation to generation.

Family Business Center Announces 2011 Programs

Generational differences in the workplace and succession planning in the family business are two of the topics to be highlighted in upcoming Wake Forest University Schools of Business Family Business Center forums.

Stacey Randall, the founder and chief consultant of SBR Consulting, will present “Generational Differences:  Reality or Hype” at the first of the quarterly forums, on Feb. 22.  Randall will discuss the key workforce attributes for each generation, and the implications for attracting, retaining, and rewarding different generations in the workplace.  Forum participants will also receive copies of SBR’s proprietary research findings on how the recession is affecting the millennial generation and attraction and retention strategies.

In the second part of the program, local business leader David Congdon will share the story of his family business, Old Dominion Freight Line Inc.  Earl and Lillian Congdon founded the company is 1934. Today, the Thomasville company employs more than 10,000 people and is led by 3^rd generation family member David Congdon. He was named the 2010 Triad Area Business Leader of the Year.

“Generational Differences:  Reality or Hype” will run from 8 am to 1 pm at the Graylyn Conference Center, 1900 Reynolda Road, in Winston-Salem.

In the second quarterly forum, on April 7, Kathy Bowman Atkins of The Latitude Group will present “Succession Planning:  A Broader Perspective.” Just as the title suggests, her approach to succession planning extends beyond simply choosing a successor. The program will address such issues as strategic planning for both the departing and incoming leaders, and ensuring the most transparent transition possible.

The forum will also feature David Murphy, the chief executive of Greensboro’s Mother Murphy’s, a market leader in the flavorings and extracts industry. Over the years, Mother Murphy's customer base has expanded beyond commercial bakeries to include major food and beverage producers, the tobacco industry, and pharmaceutical companies. To stay at the forefront of flavor technology, Mother Murphy’s completely updated their laboratory facilities in 2003 with an expansion of its labs to more than 3,300 square feet.

"Throughout our development and expansion, Mother Murphy’s is at heart a family business that spans three generations," says Murphy, the son of founder Kermit Murphy. "We have seen an orderly succession of leadership throughout six decades.”

“Succession Planning: A Broader Perspective,” will run from 8 am to 1 pm at Graylyn.

Family Business Center forums are only open to Family Business Center members, sponsors and their guests.  For information on FBC membership and guest policies, please contact Kathy Baker at (336) 758-3568. Member dues and corporate sponsors BB&T Wealth Management and Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice fund the Family Business Center in the Triad.

The Family Business Center, established in 1999 under the Angell Center for Entrepreneurship in the Wake Forest University Schools of Business, addresses issues faced by closely held and family firms. The member-based organization uses the capabilities and educational resources at Wake Forest, in the community and beyond to provide closely held and family firms the assistance they need to grow and succeed from generation to generation.

Adjusting to the Market

John Eder, the founder and CEO of AutismSphere, was a guest blogger at www.elevatorcompetitionlive.com, giving his insight into this year’s competition. AutismSphere won last year’s social track competition. Here is what Eder offered as advice to aspiring competitors.

*****

Nine months after our participation in the Elevator competition finds the AutismSphere team making some dramatic shifts to adjust with the market.  The education market is starting to accelerate as schools shift toward mobile solutions like ours that cater to the individual learning styles of children.

This broader market shift mirrors the tenants we drive in our AutismSphere solution and reflects our philosophical basis driven by UNC’s TEACCH program and Social Thinking.  With this added support of our technology we now look to ensure that we can share our capabilities with the broader educational community, while providing more opportunity within the autism community at the same time.

The ensuing journey since participating in the competition brings to light a few key lessons (pretty much old adages that ring particularly true after taking this journey, the path to entrepreneurship):

• Build a strong team and wait, if necessary, to find healthy people. (You can rebuild and rework a great many things, but the team is different, and the foundation stone for everything else.)
• Stay true to the mission when things get tough and the next steps hard to discern.  (This sometimes feels like a light in the darkness.)
• Keep believing in your vision, your team, and yourselves.  (Easy to say…)

We have the attitude that everyone in the competition wins by going through the experience, and a few of us were lucky enough to receive some extra recognition through the awards.

We wish this year’s ventures great success in the competition and even more momentum in the market, launching your visions for the future.

- AutismSphere Team (photo courtesy of www.heraldsun.com)