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March 2018

Conway Named MMIB 2018 Distinguished Alum

Mike Conway

EKU's Department of Management, Marketing and International Business is pleased to announce its distinguished alum for 2017-18. Mr. Mike Conway will be recognized by faculty and students at the 2018 College to Careers Conference, on Friday, April 13, in the Business and Technology Center Rogow Auditorium.

Conway is the Chairman of Winegardner & Hammons Hotel Group (WHG) and is a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University with a degree in Business Administration. Mike joined WHG while attending EKU and upon graduation accepted the position of Assistant General Manager. 

Over the next five years he was promoted to General Manager, Regional Director of Sales and District Director of Operations while in Lexington, Kentucky. In 1983 Mike and his family moved to the Cincinnati area and accepted the position of Vice President of Sales & Marketing. He continued to advance his career with WHG as Senior Vice President of Development, Chief Executive Officer and now Chairman. 

Founded in 1958 by Roy E. Winegardner and John Q. Hammons, WHG is a privately held, full-service hotel development and management company based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The company has grown to one of the most recognized and respected hotel management companies in the US. WHG affiliated with the Pyramid Hotel Group (PHG) headquartered in Boston, Mass., in 2015; and collectively the two companies manage over 100 hotels across the United States.  WHG oversees the new development/construction activities for both companies out of its Headquarters in Cincinnati.

Conway has also served on a number of Boards including EKU’s School of Business Advisory Council, Intercontinental Hotel Group Owners Association Board, Chairman of the Northern Kentucky Convention Bureau (CVB), Chairman and Founder of the Cincinnati USA Regional Tourism Network, Cincinnati CVB Board and Vice President of Marriott Internationals(MINA) Full Service Hotel Board of Directors. Mike lives in Park Hills, Kentucky with his wife Ginger. They have two children and three grandchildren.  

A departmental distinguished senior will be selected from among this group to be nominated for the College of Business and Technology 2017-2018 Distinguished Senior. The recipient is selected from among the five distinguished seniors recognized by the faculty in various college departments and programs.

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Student Presents Collaborative Work at SAM International Conference

Glenn Cramer at the SAM International Business Conference

This year SAM@EKU sent student representative Glenn M. Cramer to attend the 2018 SAM’s International Business Conference in Arlington, Virginia. Glenn, a Global Supply Chain Management junior from Lexington, presented a student-faculty collaborated research and received positive feedback from Dr. Marcel Minutolo from Robert Morris University.

The conference offered several networking programs where students had the chance to get to know other professionals and students across the world. During the luncheon the conference brought in Dr. Stan Targosz to talk about students debts; in another networking program, Dr. Kiersten Greggs gave a great presentation on key areas in drafting the resume, and how to improve the LinkedIn; then students engaged in a session of Resume Critique, and Glenn had the chance to sit down with Ms. Nicole Belyna to get personal feedback on his own resume. 

According to SAM faculty adviser, Dr. Qian Xiao, "Overall, SAM’s annual conference offers great learning experience, and helps students to come out of their comfort zone to reach out to professionals, and other students of different culture. Such experience and networking opportunities can have a real impact on students’ career."

In the future, SAM annual conference is planning to expand on a new session of “internship and interview program” which will give students the opportunity to gain valuable applied experience and make connections.  We encourage more and more motivated students to join us and participate in various activities we diligently work on. 

For more information about SAM@EKU, please contact the faculty adviser Dr. Qian Xiao at qian.xiao@eku.edu.

Alumni Earn KPGA Section Awards

At the 2018 spring KPGA meetings two of EKU’s PGM graduates, Zach Graves, PGA, and Corey Stith, PGA, earned Kentucky Section awards.

Zach Graves received Assistant Professional of the Year. Zach is Assistant Professional at Bardstown Country Club. He is a 2015 graduate from Eastern Kentucky University Professional Golf Management Program and was elected to PGA Membership in 2015.

Corey Stith received Merchandiser of the Year (Public). Corey was previously at Lakeside Golf Course and is now head golf professional at Elizabethtown Country Club.

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APICS Student Chapter at EKU Reactivated

APICS logo

EKU's Global Supply Chain Management (SCM) program has reactivated the campus APICS Student Chapter. 

APICS is the association for supply chain management and the leading provider of research, education and certification programs that elevate supply chain excellence, innovation and resilience. By becoming a member, students expand industry knowledge and advance career opportunities.

The EKU Chapter will be hosting a registration event on Thursday, March 29, from 6:00-8:00 pm in the Business and Technology Center, 2nd Floor Computer Lab 2. 

During the event, students may enroll in membership with the Bluegrass APICS group from Lexington as well as the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) - the top professional organizations for supply chain management. Membership in these groups provides students with valuable knowledge in all areas of supply chain along with multiple networking opportunities through meetings with Bluegrass APICS Chapter members.

The APICS Student Chapter is open to all business students, including SCM majors. According to organization leader Teresa Walker Smith, "The networking opportunities alone are well worth students joining. Memberships in these professional organizations will certainly look great on a resume."

For more information, contact Teresa Smith at teresa_walker44@mymail.eku.edu or call 606-304-6075. 

Find out more about EKU's Global Supply Chain Management program at: https://management.eku.edu/GSM.

Business Faculty Present at 2018 ARBS Symposium

EKU School of Business faculty at the 2018 ARBS conference

The purpose of the Appalachian Research in Business Symposium (ARBS) is to provide an opportunity for the business faculty of universities in the Appalachian region to share research interests, discover contemporary ideas, and build connections.  This year, the ARBS Conference was held on the campus of East Tennessee State University on March 22-23, 2018. More than 80 business faculty members from Appalachian State University, Eastern Kentucky University, Eastern Tennessee State University and Western Carolina University came together to share current research interests and outcomes.

Of the accepted research proposals and papers (which were peer-reviewed), EKU Business faculty made eight presentations, including collaboration of thirteen faculty members/authors from MMIB and AFIS. Research was presented from a variety of business disciplines including accounting, business education, computer information systems, economics, entrepreneurship, finance, hospitality and tourism, management, marketing and supply chain management.

A big thanks to all EKU Business faculty and the support of Dean Erekson’s office for making this year’s symposium such a success!  Next year, ARBS will be hosted by Western Carolina University in Asheville, N.C.  The following year (March 2020), ARBS returns to EKU’s campus. 

Photo caption (l-r): Weiling Zhuang, Jae-Young Oh, Beth Polin, Ben Woodruff, Kristen King, Mike Roberson, Kevin Cumiskey, Philip Boutin, Lee Allison, Tom Martin

Stanley Selected 2018 MMIB Distinguished Senior

Dalton Stanley

Mr. Dalton T. Stanley has been named the 2018 Distinguished Senior for EKU's Department of Management, Marketing and International Business. He will be honored during a presentation on Friday, April 13, at the School of Business College to Careers Conference.

The student is selected based on superior academic achievement, excellent leadership, citizenship, character and services to EKU.

Stanley, from Pikeville, is graduating this May, summa cum laude, with a Bachelor of Business Administration in General Business, Supply Chain Management and Managerial Finance double major.

Stanley's legacy will be long remembered at Eastern. An Honors Scholar and Patterson Scholar, he belongs to the top academic societies of Phi Kappa Phi and Beta Gamma Sigma.

A natural leader, he re-established the EKU chapter of Phi Beta Lambda, bringing home national trophies each year. Stanley also served on EKU's Student Government Association and the College of Business and Technology Curriculum Planning Committee.

Through hard work, determination and working closely with his professors, Stanley secured the first ever internship with Domino's, Inc., earning accolades for his innovative supply chain solution creating an annual cost savings of $300,000 for the company. At his current internship for Carhartt, Inc., he has optimized product flow and obtained his GSD certification.

Stanley has traveled abroad to Germany and Austria as a Global Citizenship Program Ambassador. It can truly be said that Dalton Stanley has made the most of his EKU Experience.

At the conference, the School of Business honored distinguished seniors and distinguished alumni from each of its academic departments. Mr. Mike Conway was selected as the MMIB departmental distinguished alum. In addition, recipients of scholarships and awards for the 2017-18 academic year were recognized and honored for their outstanding achievement.

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SAM Club receives a National Feature

SAM Officers

The EKU Sam Chapter doesn't hesitate when it comes to making a difference and becoming leaders. Even on a national level SAM@EKU stands out and was even recognized as the featured chapter on the national SAM website. This accomplishment wasn't handed out easily though. SAM@EKU has focused on growing their organization internally, developing it's members, taking hold of opportunities, and reaching out to the external community to make an impact greater than just themselves.

SAM Chapters across the nation can look to EKU's chapter as an example when in comes to membership. SAM@EKU led a membership drive where SAM officers talked to classes including GBU 101 and GBU 204 to increase freshmen and junior level participation. To boost morale and engage current members, SAM@EKU offered an incentive for general membership. On February 27th at a general membership meeting, there was a giveaway of Lexington Legends baseball tickets.

Developing professional leaders and helping them attain new knowledge is one of SAM@EKU's goals and areas of expertise. On March 22-24, 2018, EKU's SAM Chapter will send student representatives to the 2018 SAM's international business conference in Arlington, Virginia. This conference includes student case competitions, presentations, and profesional development opportunities such as a  session on building resumes. SAM@EKU looks forward to representing EKU and having a national presence.

Not only does this SAM chapter make EKU proud, but the community as well. SAM@EKU instills a sense of citizenship and service in each of its members. In the month of March, this chapter will be working with the Humane Society. In April, they will engae with Habitat for Humanity and make an impact on the community around them.

SAM@EKU is a leading example of how to engage, grow and develop a chapter. They will continue making great strides  so stay tuned to their News and Events Page at https://management.eku.edu/society-advancement-management-sam.

Supply Chain 2018 Executive Speaker Announced

Mack Isigake and Danny Pittman from Asahi Bluegrass Forge in Richmond, Ky.

EKU's Global Supply Chain Management program is pleased to announce its 2018 Executive Speaker Series to be held Thursday, April 19, 2018. Now in its third year, the series brings to campus accomplished supply chain management professionals to interact with EKU students, faculty, and administrators.

This year's series will feature a team from Asahi Bluegrass Forge - Danny Pittman, Mack Ishigaki, Eirkica Greene and Jiyoung Won. Presenting for the team will be Plant Manager Danny Pittman and Vice President Mack Ishigaki. Pittman will focus on Richmond operations and supply chain and Ishigaki will follow up with Japanese business customs and philosophy.

Asahi Bluegrass forge (ABF) Company is a subsidiary of Asahi Forge Corp., a Japanese company that specializes in producing automotive parts such as hub units, gears, transmission components, bearings and joints. In 2012, Asahi Forge Corp. opened a new manufacturing facility—Asahi Bluegrass Forge (ABF)—in Richmond, Ky., to forge automobile wheel-hub components for automotive manufacturers like Toyota and Honda.

According to Assistant Professor of Management Dr. Jae-young Oh, "Kentucky is home to more than 400 automotive-related industries, and most of them are Japanese firms who our students may work for or do business with later. I believe that this event would be very helpful for our students to not only understand Japanese companies’ business strategies and customs but also broaden their perspectives on the world in a global business environment."

Indeed, ABF has been very supportive of EKU's fast-growing SCM program. The company has welcomed Dr. Oh's MGT 370 Operations Management class for multiple visits to tour their facilities, learn Japanese operational strategies as well as their unique business culture. ABF has also engaged EKU students as interns who have become full-time employees.

The presentations will take place from 9:00 to 10:30 am in EKU's Business and Technology Center Rogow Auditorium (BTC 049).

The event is free and open the public. All majors are welcome to attend. Bring your questions and seek out advice - especially if you are an upcoming School of Business graduate.

Find out more about EKU's Global Supply Chain Management program at: http://management.eku.edu/GSM


EKU Global Supply Chain Management Executive Speakers Series

2017 - Mr. Ben Robinson, Senior Sales Executive with C.H. Robinson Logistic

2016 - Ms. Tonya Jackson, Vice President of Lexmark International

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