John Naber, Olympic gold medal winner and sportscaster, will visit The University of Toledo to give the Edwin Dodd Distinguished Lecture Series in Business Ethics.

The public is invited to hear him speak 7 p.m. Thursday, March 22 in the Driscoll Alumni Center Auditorium.

Naber’s presentation is titled “Pursuing Victory With Honor.”

Sponsored by Dana Inc. and Owens-Illinois Inc., and co-hosted by the UT College of Business and Innovation, the College of Law, and the Jesup Scott Honors College, the event is free, but registration is requested at utoledo.edu/business/edwindodd.

John Naber

In 1976, Naber became the most highly decorated member of the U.S. Olympic Team, winning four gold medals and one silver, and setting four world records in the sport of swimming. In the process, he became the first swimmer in Olympic history to win two individual medals on the same day.

One year later, he led his school, the University of Southern California, to his and its fourth consecutive undefeated season and national title, and won the James E. Sullivan Award as the nation’s outstanding amateur athlete.

Moving to broadcasting, Naber worked for all the major networks and almost every cable channel covering his sport at local, national and international meets. In 1984, he was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Committee Hall of Fame, just two days before he carried the Olympic torch, and later the Olympic flag, into the Los Angeles Olympic opening ceremony. In 1986, Naber began working as a play-by-play announcer, covering sports as varied as motocross, skiing, gymnastics, football, bowling and equestrian events. He has hosted coverage for more than 30 different sports and for seven Olympic Games.

As a keen observer of excellence, Naber has discovered the method by which champions in all walks of life use to reach their goals, and he shares this process along with his personal insights to audiences all over the globe.

The Edwin Dodd Distinguished Lecture Series in Business Ethics celebrates the legacy of the late chairman, CEO and president of Owens-Illinois Corp. Established in 2003 through a collaborative effort led by the Dodd Family with partners Owens-Illinois and the Dana Corp., this fund was established as an enduring memorial to Dodd, spotlighting his work in the business world and the Toledo community. The purpose of the fund is to support the ongoing Distinguished Lecture Series in Business Ethics.

The fund is housed in the College of Business and Innovation and partners with both Dana Corp. and Owens-Illinois with representatives sitting on the planning committee, along with a member of the Dodd family, with the goal of leveraging national networks to identify and feature experts in the field on a biannual basis.

Professional sales students from 34 universities across the United States will visit The University of Toledo College of Business and Innovation this weekend to compete in the third annual University of Toledo Invitational Sales Competition.

The Edward Schmidt School of Professional Sales at UT organizes this first and only national sales competition dedicated exclusively to juniors, sophomores and freshmen because graduating seniors are typically already placed in jobs due to high corporate demand.

“We believe that younger students are chomping at the bit to shine outside the shadow of a senior, and we are confident that they have the talent and coachability to compete on a national stage,” said Deirdre Jones, director of the Edward Schmidt School of Professional Sales and the UT Invitational Sales Competition. “We are thrilled to bring tomorrow’s top talent today to our sponsors so they can find the sales talent they need for internships and regular job placements.”

Since 2016, more than a dozen corporate sponsors who send company representatives to serve as buyers and judges have hired 48 competitors. Hiring tripled between 2016 and 2017.

The sales competition will take place Friday and Saturday, Feb. 23 and 24 in classrooms and meeting rooms throughout the Savage & Associates Business Complex on the UT Main Campus.

The first rounds of the competition will take place from 9:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Friday, followed by the wild-card round from 1:45 to 3 p.m. and quarterfinals from 4 to 5:40 p.m. The competition will conclude Saturday with the semifinals from 8:30 to 9:20 a.m. and the finals from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The winners of the competition will be recognized at an awards luncheon at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in the Thompson Student Union Auditorium.

The event also will feature a career fair for participating students from 9:15 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday in the Thompson Student Union Ingman Room featuring sales leaders and recruiters from sponsoring companies.

More than 100 sales leaders and recruiters who participate serve as buyers and judges for the role plays and also interact with the students during coaching and interviewing sessions and the career fair.

Sponsors include 3M, Owens Corning, Quicken Loans, Goodyear Tire and Rubber, and Procter and Gamble.

Participating universities include Baylor, Florida State University, Ball State, Oregon State, Temple and Purdue.

More than 800 volunteers will gather in shifts at The University of Toledo to assemble thousands of meals for Caribbean hurricane relief Friday and Saturday, Jan. 26-27 in the Health Education Building on Main Campus.

“We are all very excited about this big campus-wide event and are working very hard to make it a big success,” said Nick Johnston, a student studying finance in the UT College of Business and Innovation. “It’s something bigger than ourselves. It’s a win-win: We are learning invaluable leadership skills while at the same time helping address global issues like world hunger.”

UT’s participation in this two-day mobile pack event through the Feed My Starving Children program is sponsored by the College of Business and Innovation Klar Leadership Academy, which was founded in 2015 with the support of Steven Klar, a 1971 business alumnus and a New York City builder and real estate developer.

Klar will attend this event to work a production shift on Saturday with his wife, Kathy, and son, Ashton, who are coming in from New York.

Additionally, longtime UT benefactor and business alumnus Ed Kinsey is a primary sponsor of this year’s event through the Kinsey Family Foundation and also will be in attendance to work a shift with his family.

Media is invited from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 26 in the Health Education Building on Main Campus to watch UT students, employees and alumni pack nutritious rice meals with vegetable blend, vitamins and minerals.

“I had the amazing experience of volunteering last year to make these nutritious packs for children in Haiti,” said Natalie Zerucha, a student studying management and marketing in the UT College of Business and Innovation, who is a Klar Leadership Academy member. “I participated in the last shift possible last year, and we created a total of 34,776 meals, which feeds 95 kids for an entire year. My heart was so full to pray over the last shipment before it got on the truck.”

“At The University of Toledo, we are all about developing student leaders who can fulfill the University’s mission of improving the human condition,” said Dr. Clint Longenecker, Distinguished University Professor and director of the Center for Leadership and Organizational Excellence in the College of Business and Innovation. “This event is a perfect example of our students developing leadership, servant-leadership, planning and team-building skills while serving a greater purpose — to help create solutions to the problem of world hunger.”

The University of Toledo Center for Family and Privately Held Business will celebrate its 25th anniversary of service to area companies Tuesday, Nov. 14, at the Toledo Club.

Established in 1992, the UT Center for Family and Privately Held Business is dedicated to serving the specific needs of family businesses, primarily in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan. It received its start due to a generous endowment by the Stranahan Foundation and the continual support of family businesses.

“The fun-filled evening will include stories about the past and reflections on the future,” Debbie Skutch, center director, said. “We will honor center leadership past, present and future; and we have some other fun activities planned. The center has thrived for 25 years because of our members, sponsors and community partners, and we want to spend the evening celebrating them.”

“We have always strived to be attentive and responsive to the changing needs of our members,” Angie Jones, assistant director at the center, said. “Their businesses are not static, but always evolving. They change as the economy changes, as world markets shift, and as dynamics change in their own businesses. We truly believe it is our responsibility to be there with pertinent answers to as many of these issues as we can. We have done that, which is why our members stay with us and new members join us all the time.”

Today, with nearly 200 family businesses as members, the center membership benefits include:

• Attendance at events and forums sponsored by the UT Center for Family and Privately Held Business;
• Monthly mini-forums available to member companies only;
• Interaction with family business peers through affinity group participation; and
• Access to local, regional and nationally recognized business experts.

Thirteen companies have been members since the center was established; these include The Andersons, the Appliance Center, Gross Electric, Hart Inc., Kuhlman Corp., Shrader Tire & Oil, and Walt Churchill’s Market.

“Over our first 25 years of service, we estimate that the information, resources, programs, networking and more has resulted in a positive impact worth millions of dollars to these regional businesses,” Skutch said. “The viability of our members is the reward we seek, and together we will continue to make a meaningful difference in their future success.”

More than 600 women will participate in the 2017 Women in Leadership conference co-sponsored by Bowling Green State University and The University of Toledo to learn strategies for professional advancement.

The sold-out conference titled Step Up to Step Out: Strategies for Distinguishing Yourself to Advancement will take place from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20 at the Hilton Garden Inn at Levis Commons in Perrysburg.

BGSU President Mary Ellen Mazey and UT President Sharon L. Gaber will participate in the conference that features talks from several business leaders, including:

• Abha Bhandair, director of equity administration and benefits accounting for Brown & Brown Insurance;
• Kelly Hyne, senior vice president of strategic partnerships for the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA);
• Whitney Johnson, author of “Disrupt Yourself: Putting the Power of Disruptive Innovation to Work”;
• Debby Peters, founder and instructor for Connext Nation, a word of mouth marketing training program;
• Aly Sterling, founder and president of Aly Sterling Philanthropy, a national consulting firm based in the Midwest; and
• Maryrose T. Sylvester, president and CEO of Current, powered by GE, which blends advanced energy technologies such as LED and solar with networked sensors and software.

The annual conference is organized by the BGSU College of Business and UT College of Business and Innovation.

The UT and BGSU presidents and conference speakers will be available for interviews at a reception the evening before at a Meet the Speakers event 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19 in the Niagara Room at the Hilton Garden Inn.

For more information, visit bgsu.edu/business/women-in-leadership.

Real Leadership 2017 is the theme of the KeyBank Global Leaders Forum, which will be presented by The University of Toledo College of Business and Innovation from 8 a.m. to noon Thursday, March 23 in Savage Arena on Main Campus.

The program provides an environment for regional business leaders to talk about contemporary issues, discuss cutting-edge leadership practices and explore trends.

The keynote speaker is Gary Pinkel, former head football coach at UT and the University of Missouri. Pinkel is currently special consultant to the University of Missouri and its Athletic Department.

The event is free, but registration is required. To sign up, go to utoledo.edu/business/keybankforum.

More than 600 people attended the forum last year.

Also presenting at this year’s event is Charles Packard, president of Pacific International Capital; Cynthia Thompson, chair of the Toledo Museum of Art Board of Directors and former co-owner of Midwest Stamping; Michael Anderson, chairman of The Andersons; and Dr. Clint Longenecker, UT Distinguished University Professor and director of the Center for Leadership and Organizational Excellence in the UT College of Business and Innovation.

“The KeyBank Global Leaders Forum provides a wonderful opportunity for area business professionals and leaders to hear from difference-making leaders such as Gary Pinkel, Cynthia Thompson, Michael Anderson and Charles Packard,” Jim Hoffman, president of KeyBank, said.  “It is part of our vision at KeyBank to help our community and our businesses thrive.”

“The University of Toledo College of Business and Innovation is extremely pleased to again partner with KeyBank to present another Global Leaders Forum,” said Dr. Gary Insch, dean of the UT College of Business and Innovation.  “Last year’s event was remarkable, and we are excited to stage another one this year so that hundreds of area professionals, as well as many UT students, will have an outstanding opportunity to learn, network and benefit from the presentations and discussions at this unique event.”

“As leaders are attempting to deal with the challenges of this turbulent economic environment, this event is a great way to discover new ideas for becoming a better leader and creating competitive advantage with people,” Longenecker said. “We invite them to come, be ready to learn and be in a better position to make 2017 a great year.”

KeyBank and COBI presented the first Global Leaders Forum in 2008, which featured former Secretary of the U.S. Treasury Department John Snow, and the second event in 2013.

Convenient parking is available, and a continental breakfast will be served.

Approximately 500 University of Toledo College of Business and Innovation students will participate in the college’s spring job fair 1 to 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10 in the Thompson Student Union Auditorium.

Among the 110 companies recruiting business students on campus will be the Cleveland Clinic, Dana Inc., Lilly USA, Norfolk Southern Corp., Owens Corning, Owens-Illinois Inc., C.H. Robinson and ProMedica.

“Once again we are excited and happy for our students that so many well-known companies are coming to the UT College of Business and Innovation to find the talent they need,” said Dr. Terribeth Gordon-Moore, senior associate dean of the College of Business and Innovation. “This reflects very positively on the quality of both our programs and our students. It also demonstrates the extremely dynamic and mutually beneficial relationship enjoyed by the College of Business and Innovation and recruiters for major national companies.”

Employers are looking for undergraduate students to participate in business internships and their leadership development programs, as well as for seniors and graduates seeking full-time employment, according to Gordon-Moore. She encouraged UT business freshmen to attend the job fair and begin relationships with employers.

“This semi-annual job fair is part of what we do to prepare our students for their futures,” Gordon-Moore said, adding that the college’s Business Career Programs office works year-round to assist students in acquiring internships and jobs upon graduation. “We strive to provide the necessary resources so our students can conduct their own tailored job searches.”

More than 85 percent of College of Business and Innovation students participate in internships, and the job placement rate for spring 2015 and 2016 business graduates was a record 93 percent.

Three months after Hurricane Matthew unleashed a path of destruction through the southern peninsula of Haiti, devastation lingers for families who lost their homes, crops and livestock.

“It’s horrible,” said Ashley Jemerson, who studied criminal justice, forensic science and Spanish at UT before graduating last month. “Seeing the ongoing effects of the natural disaster makes me grateful for everything we have here in the United States.”

Jemerson and dozens of UT students selected by their colleges to participate in the Klar Leadership Academy in UT’s College of Business and Innovation need 800 volunteers Friday and Saturday, Jan. 27-28 in the Health Education Building on Main Campus to help produce 140,000 meals that will be sent to Haiti for hurricane relief.

The public is invited to participate in the two-day community service event called Feed My Starving Children, which is the culmination of a global service project organized by the 75 students in the Klar Leadership Academy to feed families in the country where food is scarce.

Volunteers need to sign up for shifts here. Shifts are 3-5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27, and 9-11 a.m. and noon-2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28.

Klar Leadership Academy students at Cherry Street Mission in November 2016

The 2016-17 Klar Leadership Academy students are 75 percent of the way to raising their goal of $31,000 to make the event called a “Mobile Pack” a success.

“One of the biggest things we’ve learned in the academy is the importance of giving back,” said Anthony Dimodica, a senior studying human resource management. “Leadership also is about helping others. We’re hoping our University students, faculty and staff give up a little bit of their time to make a huge difference for people who don’t have a lot.”

The Klar Leadership Academy was founded in 2015 with the support of Steven Klar, a 1971 alumnus of the College of Business and Innovation and a New York City builder and real estate developer.

“The Klar Leadership Academy is all about creating the next generation of exceptional leaders who will carry on the COBI and UT legacy of leaders who are changing the world,” said Dr. Clint Longenecker, Distinguished University Professor and director of the Center for Leadership and Organization Excellence in the College of Business and Innovation. “This learning experience takes our best students across all undergraduate colleges on campus and leads them through a seven-month, transformational leadership development experience to increase their career trajectory and their ability to improve the human condition through high performance servant leadership.”

The University of Toledo and Detroit Red Wings are teaming up for the second year in a row to help UT business students find jobs in the sports management industry.

Representatives from 14 professional sports teams across the country will be on campus for the Ticket to Success Sales Workshop 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18 in Student Union Rooms 2582 and 2584.

Undergraduate students in the UT College of Business and Innovation will receive sales training and network with sales managers who are hiring from the National Hockey League, Major League Baseball, National Football League, National Basketball Association, Major League Soccer and minor league affiliates.

Students also will interview for jobs with individual teams in the afternoon.

“This is primarily for students interested in marketing and sales positions,” said Craig Turner, UT career recruiter adviser. “The Edward Schmidt School of Professional Sales is widely recognized as one of the top educational sales programs in the nation. We are proud these professional sports organizations are eager to recruit our talented students.”

“We’re always looking for the next sales star in our growing industry,” said Paul Bee, director of ticket sales for the Detroit Red Wings. “The University of Toledo, which is right in our backyard, has a great business school. We want to create an environment to help those students grow.”

Participating teams include the Cleveland Cavaliers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Detroit Lions, Detroit Pistons, Portland Trailblazers, Washington Nationals, Columbus Crew, Cleveland Browns, Columbus Blue Jackets and New Jersey Devils.

The University of Toledo College of Business and Innovation and the Business Engagement and Leadership Council will recognize both business and academic excellence during the 53rd annual Pacemaker Awards at 7 p.m. Friday, April 29, at the Inverness Country Club.

The 2016 recipients of the Business Pacemakers Award are Kathleen Hanley, recently retired from ProMedica, and Michael Hanley, recently retired from Ernst & Young. It is the first time in the history of the honor that the business Pacemaker Award will be presented to a married couple, as well as the first time the award has been presented to more than one person. 

Mrs. Hanley retired from ProMedica in 2015 after 35 years of service. She served as chief integration and development officer, president of ProMedica Indemnity Corp., and ProMedica’s chief financial officer. Previous to her long career with ProMedica, she was a senior auditor with Ernst & Young. Mrs. Hanley graduated from the UT College of Business with a BBA in accounting in 1978 and an MBA in finance. She has held many leadership positions with a variety of community organizations, including membership on the UT Foundation Board and the UT College of Business and Innovation Business Advisory Council, and she was named the 2014 UT College of Business and Innovation Most Distinguished Alumna.

Mr. Hanley retired from Ernst & Young in 2014 after 37 years with the firm, where he served many companies in the automotive industry in both an assurance and advisory role. He was the firm’s global automotive leader, was a frequent speaker at automotive conferences around the globe, and led conferences or executive discussions covering global and regional automotive megatrends, urban mobility, and doing business in developing markets. Mr. Hanley graduated from UT in 1977, completed Ernst & Young’s Executive Program at the Kellogg School at Northwestern University in 1996, and is a certified public accountant. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Shiloh Industries Inc., as well as a member of the Board of Trustees of the MVP Foundation.

The Hanleys have two children and reside in Scottsdale, Ariz.

“Recipients of the Pacemaker Award over the past five decades read as a who’s who of current and legendary business leaders in the Toledo region, and both Kathleen and Michael Hanley certainly belong in that impressive roster,” said Dr. Gary Insch, dean of the UT College of Business and Innovation. “The Pacemaker Award is the College of Business and Innovation’s highest honor, recognizing individuals for outstanding achievement in business as well as contributions to the community and the University. Kathleen and Michael’s highly successful careers, outstanding leadership, and tremendous generosity to our community make each of them an ideal business professional to receive this year’s award, as well as to historically be the first dual Pacemaker honorees.”

Student Pacemaker Awards are presented to UT College of Business and Innovation graduate and undergraduate students for their outstanding academic achievement, University and community service, and leadership.

The 2016 student Pacemakers are: Applied Organizational Technology — Donna Provolish; Accounting — Gianfranco Rolando and Rodrick Perkins; Finance — Martha Krause and Patrick Northcraft; Information Operations Technology Management — David Headley and Madeline Jarrett; Management — Kayla Cepo and Karee Kunkel; Marketing/International Business — Stephanie Elkins and Megan Gaysunas; Master of Business Administration — Gretchen Buskirk; Master of Science in Accountancy — Rachel Headley; and Dean’s Recipient — Jacob Pawelczyk.