Fall 2018: Data & Analytics

Eyes on the Ball

By Becca Broaddus

Baseball has four bases. Cricket has two. While baseball encourages big swings for home runs, cricket rewards low, grounded hits, Lokesh Modi explained. On Sundays during his time at Baylor, Modi spent part of the day teaching his classmates the basics of his favorite sport, cricket. He admitted his peers weren’t very good at the internationally-beloved sport, but they had fun. Now, Modi plays a bit more seriously in the Washington Cricket League in Washington, D.C.

“I love being outside,” he said. “I love playing sports. I love cricket. I try to find time on the weekends to play. I joined a proper cricket league. I just love doing it, and I’ll keep on doing on it as long as I can.”

When he was little, growing up in India, he had two career aspirations: to be a cricket player or someone who worked in mathematics. One out of two isn’t bad, if you ask him.

“When I was younger, I thought, ‘I will do something related to mathematics,’” he said. “I think I’m doing what I wanted to do—it’s all problem solving. I’m a curious person. I always wanted to figure things out. That’s why I went into engineering in IT [information technology], then got my MBA.”

Modi has worked at Capital One since earning his MBA five years ago. As data analysis manager, he is responsible for creating data tools and products to work on business challenges. Most recently, that means his efforts are focused on migrating information and data to the cloud. From data analysis to implementing predictive models, he relishes that his role constantly evolves.

“The company is evolving, and my role is always evolving because of what problem we are trying to solve,” he said. “Now, our company made the decision that regardless of the job, every role in this company is data-oriented. Everybody is a data person, but few people are more responsible to do the heavy lifting. I’m in a more heavy-lifting job because of my background.”

Prior to attending Baylor, Modi worked as an engineer in an IT consulting firm, which he credits to helping with the more technological aspects of his career.

“Back in India, I was consulting and building software, but I wanted to jump my career to more of the analytical side,” he said. “There are two parts of technology—building software and applying technology to build a business solution. I was moving toward the second and trying to create analytical tools.”

In a constantly changing role, in a constantly changing company, in a constantly changing industry, Modi solves problems. To do so effectively, he too must constantly change.

“With my work, I have to keep upgrading myself,” he said. “It’s not like you go to school and learn new things, and you’re done. Every day, there’s a new course and something to learn to apply to my job.”

Each day after he gets home from work, occasionally opting to bike the 15 miles home, he spends time with his wife and young son. After tucking his son into bed, he gets to work learning about the next thing in data and analytics. That is, if he doesn’t have cricket practice, of course.

Baylor Business Review, Fall 2018

If you could ask your old Baylor Business professors business and work-related questions today, what would you ask? A nod to the namesake of the Hankamer School of Business, Earl Hankamer, the “Ask Earl” advice column provides an opportunity for Baylor Business professors to share their knowledge and expertise with Baylor Business Review readers.

☙

Q:

How does one overcome age discrimination in the workplace? My highly qualified, educated and respected husband has been laid off twice in the past five years after turning 50 years old. I have been turned down numerous times for jobs I am overqualified for, just trying to obtain any professional job where my business degree is required. Both of us have outstanding résumés with extensive experience in our professional fields. We are both now 50+ years of age, and terribly underemployed as hourly workers—making a paltry fraction of our former salaries. By law, one cannot be told by HR (human resources) that they are searching for someone of a different skin color, gender, religion or sexual preference. However, discrimination based on middle age is very real in the workplace.

Lee
The Woodlands, Texas

A:

As someone who has recently experienced what you are referring to, I sympathize with your dilemma. I believe it is very prevalent in today’s job market as businesses struggle to reduce cost. It typically comes in the form of letting people with higher wages go and replacing them with less experienced or entry level people who can be paid much less.
My advice is the same I give to students who are looking for their first job and experience similar biases on the opposite end of the age spectrum. As we approach searching for jobs, we must constantly adjust our expectations, résumés and interviewing stories to fit the situation, and the expectations and biases of the specific job market.
There is not enough room here to write about the many situations that can affect our job expectations, but I can briefly address the subject of résumés and interviewing stories. For résumés, we must make them age neutral and tailor them for each specific job. For example, in my case, saying I have 40+ years of experience immediately tells the reader my approximate age, so I recommend leaving out statements like these. When adding our skills and accomplishments, we must adjust them to the position, so we present ourselves as current for the specific job requirements and not overly qualified. Most résumés today are first looked at by a computer and, if selected, then an HR specialist. In both cases, they look for the highest percentage of résumé match to the specific job requirements before it is passed to a hiring manager.
Just like when we were going after our first job, we need to adjust our interviewing stories. For our first jobs, we had to explain why a 20-year-old with little-to-no experience was the person they needed. Now, we need to explain why a 50- or 60-year-old with vast amounts of experience is the person they need. I recommend brainstorming with your kids and friends about the biases and concerns we have or have had about older people in the workplace. Be honest. Then, use that list to adjust interviewing stories to overcome those biases and concerns.
In conclusion, great résumés with amazing accomplishments and skills are only good if the job you’re applying for needs those things, and we must be able to convincingly answer why we are the right person for the job in a way that puts the interviewer at ease with their age biases and concerns.

Michael (Mike) Wright
Clinical Assistant Professor of Management

☙Get business advice and feedback from the experts at Baylor Business. Visit baylor.edu/business/earl to ask your question, and you might just get to read the answer in the next issue of the Baylor Business Review.

Baylor Business Review, Fall 2018

And Now for My Next Number…

By Eleanor Hunt

Although Nat Kinsey comes from a family of preachers, educators and musicians, he decided to pursue a double major in Accounting and Management Information Systems (MIS) after graduating in 2014 from Clements High School in Sugar Land, Texas.

“I had this love for numbers, so I made an economical decision,” he explained. “Being a Music major is great but as a good accountant would say, ‘I’m too risk averse’ to take a chance on my musical abilities.

“What fascinated me about accounting was the ability to analyze and tell a company’s story through numbers,” he continued. “Anyone going into the workforce should take an Accounting and MIS course.”

Choosing where to attend college was easy because most of the staff at his home church, Sugar Land Baptist Church, attended Baylor University.

“I was kind of brainwashed from the beginning,” Kinsey said, jokingly. “A lot of my friends who I grew up with were going to Baylor.”

Besides immersing himself in Accounting and MIS courses for nearly four years, Kinsey plays bass guitar on the Harris Creek Baptist Church worship team, helps set up equipment for Vertical Ministries, runs half-marathons and plays disc golf in Cameron Park. He was also a dormitory community leader for two years.

During the summer of 2018, Kinsey took part in the Hankamer School of Business pilot KPMG Master of Accounting with Data and Analytics Program in which course participants helped develop and appraise various projects and assignments for the program, which launched in fall 2018. The program is designed to boost one’s data management and analytical skills, while affording access to proprietary technologies of the auditing and tax firm KPMG LLP.

“The course enables accountants to provide a better service for their clients,” Kinsey related. “With data analytics, information can be collected and verified to help companies excel. Data analytics show trends and tell stories, which help businesses across all functions. By understanding how technology works, employees can harness the power of it. I’m looking forward to using the concepts in my job.”

After graduating in December 2018 with a Master’s of Accountancy and a BBA degree, Kinsey will work for KPMG in Houston. His near-term goals include passing the CPA exam, learning the audit practice and applying his MIS knowledge to bridge the divide between auditors and technology experts.

Long term, Kinsey is determined to use his education altruistically. “I went on a mission trip to Uganda last year with the Accounting Department, and I fell in love with that culture and community,” he said. “We taught local pastors how to start and maintain small businesses to help end generational poverty.”

He also participated in a mission trip to the United Kingdom in May 2018, where he led the development and implementation of information technology and data analytics systems for a small coffee shop opening a new location.

“I’d like to use my business knowledge to help local businesses and people in third-world countries make a living and improve their lifestyles. I’m dreaming big,” Kinsey concluded.

Baylor Business Review, Fall 2018

1950s

Don Buckalew Jr., BBA ’56, general manager of Buckalew Chevrolet in Conroe, Texas, was inducted into the Conroe/Lake Conroe Chamber of Commerce Wall of Honor for his selfless service and longtime dedication to the Chamber and community.

Drayton McLane Jr., BBA ’58, Baylor Regent Emeritus, has been named chairman of the board for Texas Central, a group developing what may become the United States’ first high-speed train. The passenger line, the Texas Bullet Train, would connect the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area to the Houston area. In addition, he was honored at the Cooper Institute’s Legacy Award Dinner at Globe Life Park in Arlington in November. McLane, former owner of the Houston Astros, was honored “in recognition of his unwavering determination to better the world around him,” according to the Cooper Institute.

1960s

Jerry Moore, BBA ’61, former head football coach of Appalachian State University, spoke at the 25th Annual Fellowship of Christian Athletes Alonzo Stagg Bowl Championship Breakfast in December. Moore coached Appalachian State from 1989 to 2012, winning three consecutive Division I FCS Football Championships in 2005, 2006 and 2007. He was a wide receiver at Baylor and captained their 1960 Gator Bowl team.

1970s

F. Wayne McWhorter, MBA ’73, has been appointed to the board of directors of Eagle Energy Inc. McWhorter, a former certified public accountant and county judge in Harrison County, Texas, brings more than 40 years of experience in the oil and gas, banking, public accounting and real estate industries.

Charlie Smith, BBA ’74, executive director of the Mount Pleasant Economic Development Corporation (EDC), retired in January. He spent nearly 15 years leading the economic group in its goal of growing and enhancing the economy of Mount Pleasant and Titus County, Texas.

Godfrey Sullivan, BBA ’75, has been appointed to the board of directors of CrowdStrike Inc., the leader in cloud-delivered endpoint protection. Since 2011, Sullivan has served as the chairman of the Splunk Inc. board of directors and was previously president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Splunk from 2008 to 2015. During his tenure as chief executive officer, Sullivan led Splunk’s initial public offering (IPO) as the first big data company to enter the public market, largely hailed as one of the most successful technology IPOs in recent history.

Rick Richardson, BBA ’78, has been named chief financial officer for Tarleton State University and senior vice president for the division of finance and administration. As part of Tarleton’s leadership team, Richardson oversees the budgetary and fiscal affairs of the university, including planning, monitoring and managing overall financial plans, policies, programs and operations.

1980s

Roland Garcia, BBA ’81, was appointed as vice chairman of the Harris County Hospital District Foundation. He was also honorary chair of the Houston Arts Alliance Gala. In addition, Garcia is a principal shareholder of the international law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP.

Steven Napier, BBA ’81, MTax ’83, has relocated with Ernst & Young (EY) to Hamilton, Bermuda. He oversees the formation of a valuation and business modeling practice that will serve the markets of Bermuda, Bahamas, British Virgin Islands and Cayman Islands. Previously, Napier was a partner in the EY U.S. firm for more than 20 years—holding leadership positions in New York, London, San Francisco and Miami. He has also held leadership positions in each of the major valuation professional organizations including the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), American Society of Appraisers (ASA) and Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Upon retirement from EY, his ambition is to launch a valuation program at Baylor.

Terry G. Freeman, BBA ’82, was recently announced as a member of McGlinchey Stafford, a full-service law firm providing innovative legal counsel to business clients nationwide. Freeman joined McGlinchey Stafford’s Dallas, Texas office in 2011.

Larry Taylor, BBA ’82, a Texas state senator, has been appointed as chairman of a nine-member Senate selection committee to address school violence and school security in Texas.

Steve Young, BBA ’84, MBA ’85, has been promoted to chief lending officer at West Texas National Bank in Midland, Texas. Young served in a variety of executive and board level management roles in Houston and London before moving to Midland several years ago. His most recent role with West Texas National Bank was as senior vice president of business development.

Keenan Martin, BBA ’87, was honored with the 20-year service award at Austin Bank in Longview, Texas. Martin is senior vice president and compliance officer at the bank.

Henry Kwasi Prempeh, MBA ’87, was appointed the new executive director of the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana). A legal scholar and governance expert, Prempeh brings a wealth of experience and knowledge gained from a career as a civil society activist, an academic, a lawyer, a corporate manager, a consultant and a policy adviser. He is currently a member of the Ghana Law Reform Commission.

Donnie Williams, BBA ’87, reverend, is among the staff and members who have opened The Bridge church in Odessa, Texas. Previously, Williams worked as youth minister at the First United Methodist Church of Odessa, when the now-retired pastor suggested to Williams he should establish a church on the high-growth north side of town.

Jim Bushy, BBA ’88, joined HaHaMen Improv and Sketch Comedy Troupe in 2017. HaHaMen is a group of Christians who work hard to provide clean, family friendly entertainment. Bushy got his start in improv comedy in early 2015, having found a free, beginners improv class at Westside Improv Studio in Wheaton, Ill. In addition, Bushy recently purchased a Farmers Insurance Agency franchise and opened James Bushy Farmers Insurance Agency in Oak Brook, Ill.

Don R. Willett, BBA ’88, Texas Supreme Court Justice, was approved by the U.S. Senate to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals and sworn in. In addition, he was presented with Baylor’s Pro Texana Medal of Service for contributions in furthering the mission of Baylor and making an immeasurable impact on the public or nonprofit sector.

John Humphrey, MTax ’89, has been promoted to the role of president and chief executive officer (CEO) of July Business Services. As CEO, he is responsible for setting the firm’s vision and providing top-level leadership of the organization.

1990s

Michelle (Anderson) Roden, BBA ’90, has been promoted to director of tax and enterprise risk at Interstate Batteries, Inc. She has led the tax function for many years and has the opportunity to create the enterprise risk function. Interstate Batteries is a privately held company located in Dallas, Texas.

Clarke Pich, MBA ’92, was appointed as the new head of global professional services for Epicor Software Corporation, a global provider of industry-specific enterprise software to promote business growth.

Mark W. Smith, BBA ’92, MBA ’93, has been appointed chief financial officer of Helmerich & Payne Inc. Prior to his time at Helmerich & Payne, Smith served in various leadership roles at Atwood Oceanics Inc., an offshore drilling contractor. Before joining Atwood Oceanics in 2009, Smith was a partner at Calvetti Ferguson and a senior manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Prior to that, he worked for other legal and financial interests.

Kyle Kennedy, MBA ’93, has been named as president and chief operating officer of COPC Inc. He previously worked as executive vice president and head of the global certification practice at COPC Inc.

Eric Fernandez, BBA ’94, co-founder of sports marketing agency 4FRONT, started SportsDesk Media which later merged with Property Consulting Group in 2011. The two firms became PCG SportsDesk and recently rebranded as 4FRONT, to offer clients the complete sports marketing experience. The company employs three Baylor graduates and hires interns from Baylor’s Sports Strategy & Sales (S3) program every summer.

Lars A. van Gelder, MIM ’94, decided to become a high school teacher after 23 years of working in the corporate world—20 of which were in the telecommunications industry. Van Gelder, a native of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, held senior international leadership positions in sales and marketing at companies such as Verizon and AT&T. He felt it was time to share his knowledge and experience with young people. Now, he teaches economics, marketing and entrepreneurship to honor students at a prestigious high school in The Netherlands.

Anna Ewing, BBA ’95, is now chief operations officer for IMA Financial Group Inc. in Denver, Colorado. Previously, she worked at the Colorado Office of Economic Development.

Kevin Duffin, BBA ’96, is joining AmaWaterways as group chief financial officer. Duffin has long admired the company’s approach to going beyond the norms of river cruising and their delivery of high-level guest satisfaction.

Jennifer Fox, MBA ’96, was named as group chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors for Millennium & Copthorne Hotels PLC.

Raquel Fox, BBA ’98, MTax ’99, has been appointed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to succeed Paul Leder as director of the Office of International Affairs, which advises the SEC on cross-border enforcement and regulatory matters, and coordinates the SEC’s involvement with regulatory authorities outside the U.S. Most recently, Fox served as a senior adviser to SEC Chairman Jay Clayton, focusing on matters involving the division of corporation finance and the office of international affairs and assisted on enforcement matters.

Paul Prator, BBA ’98, was recently appointed account manager of the North America central region for British Airways. Based in Austin, Texas, his responsibilities include establishing, developing and strengthening key corporate partnerships for British Airways throughout markets including Central Texas, Houston, Dallas and San Antonio, as well as ensuring the success of the daily direct flight between Austin International Airport and London Heathrow Airport.

Mark P. Yablon, BBA ’98, received his JD in May 2018 from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law. The law firm Pittenger, Nuspl & Crumley in Collin County, Texas, has hired Yablon to practice in commercial litigation, family law, estate planning and personal injury. Current partners Nick Nuspl and George Crumley are both Baylor undergraduates and law school graduates. In addition, Yablon’s daughter Caroline is a sophomore Journalism major at Baylor and his daughter Reagan was accepted into next year’s freshmen class.

Charles L. Cansler III, MBA ’99, has been named The Citadel’s vice president for finance and chief financial officer. Cansler has 30 years of executive leadership, accounting and consulting experience, including serving as vice chancellor for finance and administration at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Additionally, he worked as university controller for North Carolina State University.

2000s

Josh Van Manen, BBA ’00, is rejoining Fifth Third Bank as a senior vice president and commercial relationship manager in the bank’s Grand Rapids, Michigan office, after a three-year hiatus as an entrepreneur and business owner.

Renita Miller, BBA ’00, dean of Berkeley College at Yale University and a former director of studies at Princeton, has been named associate dean for access, diversity and inclusion at Princeton University’s Graduate School.

Lisa Denison, MBA ’01, has been named vice president of marketing for Paradigm Spine, LLC, a leader in providing motion preservation solutions for the treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis. She has worked in orthopedic and spine marketing and medical education for more than 20 years.

Ryan Patrick, BBA ’01, took his oath of office to become the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Texas. Patrick, a private attorney, former state district court judge and son of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, was long considered the frontrunner for the post.

Chris Elbrecht, BBA ’02, was recently promoted to trading and operations manager at SWBC Investment Services LLC – Capital Markets in San Antonio, Texas, where he works on the fixed income trading desk. After four years at the firm as a fixed income trader, he was moved into this position after helping start and grow the bond trading unit. Now, Elbrecht oversees the operations of the multimillion-dollar trade desk that works with all major Wall Street institutions as well as with regional and local money managers, school districts, insurance companies and registered investment advisers.

Gabe Hatfield, BBA ’02, MBA ’17, was selected a 2018 Young Professional by Water & Wastes Digest magazine (WWD). Each year, WWD accepts nominations for top young professionals under 40 years old in the water and wastewater industry. Those selected are chosen for having excelled in their professional lives, giving back to their communities and their worldly attitudes and views about the industry’s importance and necessity around the globe, according to the WWD website. Hatfield completed his MBA online while running his company, OK Pipe & Fittings, Inc.

Scott C. Mitchell, MBA ’02, has been named vice president of sales for T5 Data Centers, innovators in providing secure, customizable, hyperscale computing environments for enterprise companies. Mitchell is responsible for finding tenants for T5’s new facilities in the metro Dallas, Texas region and expanding sales of T5’s broader data center consulting and support services across the U.S., Ireland and Singapore.

J. Alex Brown, BBA ’03, has joined the Dallas, Texas office of Passco Companies, a California-based real estate company, as vice president for realty investments. He will oversee due diligence and financing for Passco’s acquisitions of multifamily and commercial properties nationwide.

Kyle Cooksey, BBA ’03, has been named president of leading healthcare services provider CareThrough, a subsidiary of HealthChannels, and will oversee the implementation of tailored care management programs nationally.

Steve Palomino, MBA ’03, has been appointed as performance improvement director for the new Dallas, Texas area office of IntrapriseTechKnowlogies (ITK). Within this role, Palomino will create the IT strategy for enterprise and mid-market organizations.

Kenny Wolfe, BBA ’03, recently wrote a book about the growing importance of passive income to people of all ages. The book, available on Amazon, is called Investing in the Dream. Wolfe built Wolfe Investments, a private equity real estate firm, that focuses on multifamily, commercial, lending and development. To date, he has been involved in more than $100 million worth of real estate transactions in five states. The company recently entered the student housing space with a few assets around Baylor University.

Patrick Claggett, BBA ’04, has joined national specialty wholesale insurance broker Towerstone as a production underwriter, where he will aggregate and package specialized coverages for business clients.

Ben Lamm, BBA ’04, has started Hypergiant, a new company that designs artificial intelligence tools to help Fortune 500 companies better decipher big data and boost efficiency. Lamm is a serial entrepreneur.

Alex Castaneda, BBA ’05, has been promoted to director of accounting at McKesson. Castaneda has more than a decade of accounting experience working for public accounting firms and large public companies. McKesson is the largest pharmaceuticals distributor in the United States and is currently No. 5 on the Fortune 500 list. With more than $200 billion in annual revenue, McKesson is positioned favorably as a powerhouse in the industry.

Clinton Edgar, BBA ’05, was named the new deputy securities commissioner for the Texas State Securities Board, the government agency responsible for enforcing state securities laws. Edgar has been working for the board since 2010, first as staff attorney for the inspections and compliance division and later, as director of the registration division. In those roles, Edgar investigated securities firms and individuals registered with the state for regulatory violations.

Bill Townsend, MBA ’05, a media and technology entrepreneur and philanthropist, announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination to the United States House of Representatives in Nevada’s 4th Congressional District. Townsend is president and chief executive officer of RevolutionSports, Inc. and TRICCAR Holdings, Inc., as well as founder of the nonprofit Amati Foundation. Townsend was instrumental in the creation of several successful companies, most notably Lycos (sold for $7.6 billion); social media innovator sixdegrees.com (the technology behind LinkedIn); GeoCities (sold to Yahoo!) and Deja.com (sold to Google and ebay).

Craig Fuller, BBA ’06, chief executive officer at FreightWaves and managing director at BiTA (Blockchain in Transport Alliance), is in the process of developing a new financial product, branded as TransRisk. In addition to offering shipping stakeholders predictive data and business intelligence services, news coverage and industry conferences, the product will help shippers establish financial hedges against transportation spot-market risks including floods, strikes, wildfires, carrier bankruptcies or shippers’ operational changes.

Jared Sherman, BBA ’06, has been appointed executive director of Guardian Flight Inc., overseeing the medical care and service availability throughout Guardian Flight Alaska’s operation to provide the best medical transportation with servant care. Sherman also will have leadership responsibilities overseeing Guardian Flight’s six bases and the largest air medical fleet in Alaska.

Philip Smith, BBA ’06, will open a new Chick-fil-A restaurant franchise location in Hudson Oaks, Texas, as part of the company’s Dallas-Fort Worth area expansion. It’s his second franchise location. Smith has wanted to become a Chick-fil-A Operator since 2002 when, at age 14, he was introduced to the company by his sister, who encouraged him to join her working there.

Jeff Richards, BBA ’07, alongside fellow Baylor graduate Zach Stanke, founded Mooala, a quality, reasonably-priced organic almond milk company.

Dan Moore, MBA ’08, was elected to the board of directors of the Methodist Children’s Home in Waco, Texas. Moore is an alumnus of the home and is the past president of the alumni association. He was also awarded the 2017 Alumnus of the Year award for the Coalition of Residential Excellence (C.O.R.E). He received the award for his work with Family Compass in Dallas, Texas (formerly the child abuse prevention center), the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program (DVAP), Habitat for Humanity, The One Man Dallas Project and the Methodist Children’s Home.

Whitney Hake, BBA ’09, has joined Transwestern agency leasing as senior vice president. In this role, Hake helps companies find office space in the Denver, Colorado area, represents landlords, and builds and leads a team of highly specialized professionals in office agency leasing.

2010s

Ryan Dwiggins, MBA ’10, has been named vice president of development at CHC Development, a real estate developer based in Fort Worth, Texas. In addition, Dwiggins is a founding member of and has been appointed to the executive committee of the Tarrant Transit Alliance, an advocacy group aiming to secure funding for mass transit in Tarrant County, Texas.

Michael Leavine, BBA ’12, was named the competition director for Leavine Family Racing (LFR) and its No. 95 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team. Leavine is the grandson of team owner Bob Leavine and has served as director of operations at the organization for the past year. In his expanded role, Leavine will help to maximize the team’s resources in its alliance partnership with Richard Childress Racing (RCR).

David Turner, BBA ’13, opened Magnolia Turf, a commercial and residential artificial turf business with operations in Dallas, Texas and Austin, Texas. Fellow alumnus Lance Ingram, BBA ’14, is his partner in Austin. They install artificial turf for landscapes, pet areas, custom golf putting greens, playgrounds, schools, patio decks and rooftops.

Matt Bley, MBA ’15, has been named chief accounting officer and corporate controller of CVR Energy Inc. He also will serve as chief accounting officer and corporate controller for the general partner of CVR Energy’s petroleum subsidiary, CVR Refining LP, and for the general partner of its nitrogen fertilizer subsidiary, CVR Partners LP.

Chris Persaud, MBA ’17, has joined the team of DIGISTOR, the leader in secure data and storage solutions, as director of business development. With a background in technology, sales and defense, Persaud will focus on continuing to bring DIGISTOR’s enterprise-level removable storage solution, VaultDisk, to the federal space.

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Baylor Business Review, Fall 2018

Paul L. Foster Campus for Business and Innovation Receives Green Good Design Award for Architecture

The Paul L. Foster Campus for Business and Innovation earned a 2018 “Green Good Design” award for architecture by the European Architecture Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and The Chicago Athenaeum International Museum.

Baylor Competitive Cyber Team Wins Regional Competition

Baylor’s Competitive Cyber Team competed in the regional National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition and won. Although comprised mostly of Computer Science students, the team included one Baylor Business student. The win earned the team a trip to Orlando, Florida to compete in the national competition.

Student Departs on 11-Country, 11-Month Mission Trip

Last summer, senior Hannah Neel embarked on the World Race, an 11-country, 11-month mission trip. Each month, Neel and her fellow “racers” traveled to a new country to share the Bible and serve the community.

Bringing Wall Street to Baylor

All Baylor faculty, staff and students receive free digital access to The Wall Street Journal, thanks to the tireless work of student Elizabeth Larson. Larson negotiated with the WSJ to secure a one-year free digital subscription.

Baylor Team Places Second in Negotiation Competition

The Baylor Business Negotiation Competition was held at the Paul L. Foster Campus for Business and Innovation in April. A Baylor team placed second in the competition. The competition focuses on building negotiating skills among future business leaders. It is the only negotiation competition in the U.S. specifically for undergraduate business majors.

Student-Run Investment Fund Distributes Money for Scholarships

Baylor University’s student-managed Philip M. Dorr Alumni & Friends Endowed Investment Fund contributed $184,000 in support of student-athlete scholarships. The Practicum students have increased the fund’s value to about $8.2 million in 17 years of managing the portfolio. Annual distributions from the Fund go toward athletic scholarships, faculty salaries, data and software, and an investment internship.

Baylor Team Earns Second Place in Financial Portfolio Competition

In February, a team of Portfolio Management Practicum students from Baylor earned second place in the Portfolio Manager’s Finalist competition at the Texas Investment Portfolio Symposium.

Baylor Honors High School Entrepreneurs

Baylor University’s John F. Baugh Center for Entrepreneurship & Free Enterprise honored 11 outstanding high school-aged entrepreneurs at the 2018 Baylor Youth Entrepreneur Awards in April. This is the fourth year Baylor has presented the awards, recognizing the best of young entrepreneurs from across the country.

Baylor’s Commercial Banking Program Listed in FDIC Directory

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) recently included Baylor University in the Directory of College and University Degree Programs. The directory emphasizes the impact of community banks within the nation’s economy and will assist prospective students as they assess potential educational and career options within community banking.

Leidner Becomes Honorary PhD at Lund University School of Economics and Management

Dorothy Leidner has been awarded an honorary doctorate from the Lund University School of Economics and Management in Scandinavia. Leidner is the Ferguson Professor of Information Systems at Baylor University and the director of the PhD program in Information Systems. She has a regular visiting professor appointment at the Department of Informatics at the School of Economics and Management, Lund University (LUSEM).

Baylor’s Andrea Dixon Named Regional Editor for Global Research Publication

Andrea L. Dixon, executive director of Baylor University’s Center for Professional Selling and Frank M. and Floy Smith Holloway Professor in Marketing, was recently named the regional editor of the Americas for the European Journal of Marketing (EJM).

Professor Uses Facebook to Connect Real Estate Students and Alumni

Chuck Delaney, associate professor in the Department of Finance, Insurance and Real Estate, created the Baylor Real Estate Students Facebook group. Through the group, students are able to learn more about the companies to which they are applying and the people working there from a personal perspective. The same goes for employers, as they are able to easily access a candidate’s social media profile and get a one-on-one interaction.

Students and Alumni Start Investment and Advisory Network, Encouraging Mentorship in Finance Sector

The Baylor Investment and Advisory Network (I&A), led by three senior student liaisons, is a group dedicated to training and mentoring students pursuing careers in investment banking and other high finance fields. Through the I&A Network, students have the unique opportunity to connect with experienced mentors, gain valuable skills and receive the support necessary to earn an internship or full-time position.

Foster Campus Awarded AIA’s 2017 Committee on the Environment Award

Baylor University’s Paul L. Foster Campus for Business and Innovation was awarded the Committee on the Environment Award (COTE) by The San Antonio chapter of The American Institute of Architects. The Committee on the Environment Award is presented to a project that represents the principles of AIA’s Ten Measures of Sustainable Design.

Baylor Business Hosts 11th National MBA Case Competition in Ethical Leadership

Baylor University hosted MBA students from across the nation to compete in the Dale P. Jones Business Ethics Forum’s 11th Annual National MBA Case Competition in November. The purpose of the competition is to advance the development of ethical leaders through experiential learning and to recognize and promote MBA students and their programs for participation in a national case competition in ethical leadership.

Baylor Online MBA Program Lauded with High Rankings

Baylor University’s Online MBA Program was ranked No. 13 for the “Top 25 Private Online MBA Programs in the U.S.,” No. 7 in the “Top 10 Online MBA Programs in the Southwest,” and No. 4 in “Top 10 Faith-Based Online MBA Programs,” according to the Online MBA Report 2017 standings.

Kayworth Named Associate Dean of Graduate Business Programs at Baylor Business

Timothy Kayworth has been named associate dean of Graduate Business programs at Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business.

Baylor Business Review, Fall 2018