Submit a Question for the Entrepreneur Panel

Would you like to submit a question for Wednesday's entrepreneur panel? This year's panel includes:

• Jeff Harris, partner/CEO, etain group
• Joseph B. Alala III, president/CEO, CapitalSouth Partners Funds
• Kim D. Westmoreland, managing director/director, KeraNetics
• T.J. Eberle, senior vice president, president of US ITS, hiSoft (and former CEO NouvEon)

You can send your questions to rossjl@wfu.edu. This is expected to be one of the most-exciting events at the Charlotte campus! All panelists are Wake Forest alumni.

Prof. Fogel Details How Duke Can Address CEO Fiasco

We recently published a blog criticizing Duke Energy for its decision to oust Bill Johnson as CEO just one day after acquiring Progress Energy. Johnson, the former CEO of Progress, was intended to become the chief executive, but Duke's board opted instead to keep its own CEO, Jim Rogers.

A recent article in the Charlotte Observer looks at the situation. As part of that article, Dan Fogel, a professor at the Wake Forest University Schools of Business, weighs in, calling the move "baffling." He also provided a prescription for how Duke Energy can move past the CEO fiasco.

Dan Fogel

Below are the highlights of Fogel's commentary:

• Come clean, say 'This is what happened.' 
• Second, they should very quickly say, 'Here’s what we’re going to do in the future,' so they won’t seem to be in disarray.
• The third thing is to get Jim Rogers out there doing what he does best, talk to as many people as he can… and say, 'We screwed up, but we're going to handle it.'

All sound like valid solutions. Owning up to the issue and taking control of the narrative would certainly help. Then it is up to the various constituencies - shareholders, regulators, employees - to either learn to slowly trust the company again or reject the explanation. This story is far from over and will be fascinating to see how it plays out.

Increased Involvement With Nicaragua

We have frequently covered how the Wake Forest University Schools of Business works with businesses in Nicaragua. Here is an excerpt from a release by Ann Bauer looking at how undergraduates are also making a difference in the country.

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Photo: Wake Forest University

In Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, 175 families and approximately 500 children live and work in an area called “La Chureca.” Translation: the city dump.

Through a partnership with the Fabretto Children’s Foundation in Managua, Wake Forest students have been working to help break the cycle of poverty.

Volunteers work to provide a safe place for La Chureca’s children to go after school. The center offers tutoring, homework help, computer training, and a jewelry-making program that allows the children to earn an income without returning to the dump.

Michelle Hartenstein, a rising junior, and three other Wake Forest student volunteers — SheRea DelSol, Dan McCall, and Mehedi Hassan — were so impacted by the children they met volunteering in Nicaragua that they decided to sponsor a young girl, Kenia, through Fabretto’s program.

In 2012, Hartenstein led the student trip to Nicaragua and was able to facilitate her dream of interacting more closely with Fabretto’s kids. “We get a lot more out of the experience if we can talk to kids and form relationships. This year, we made bracelets with them, played soccer with them, and served lunch at the school.”

For their final day in Managua, the group coordinated a field day at Casa Dingledine, a Wake Forest-owned conference center, with relay races, water balloons, soccer games, and Frisbee. Hartenstein says she  hopes to return to Nicaragua. She has been inspired by her work there to consider a career in the nonprofit sector.

More Info on Charlotte Entrepreneur Panel

We promised to provide more information on the upcoming entrepreneur panel at the Wake Forest University Schools of Business Charlotte campus.

The panel will be held on July 18 from 6-8 pm. Topics will include:

• How to explore the path to entrepreneurship
• Highs and Lows of an Entrepreneur
• Entrepreneurial "Tool Box" (vision, business plan, capital, business relationships, skills)
• Sustaining "Your Business"

Westmoreland

The panel will include

• Jeff Harris, partner/CEO, etain group
• Joseph B. Alala III, president/CEO, CapitalSouth Partners Funds
• Kim D. Westmoreland, managing director/director, KeraNetics
• T.J. Eberle, senior vice president, president of US ITS, hiSoft (and former CEO NouvEon)

Stan Mandel, executive professor at Wake Forest University and the director of the entrepreneurship center (Angell Center) at Wake Forest University Schools of Business, will moderate the panel. Light hors d'oeuvres and beverages will be available.

To register, click here.

Quotes of the Week

Since tomorrow is July the 4th, we are posting an abbreviated list of highlighted quotes from the Wake Forest Schools of Business faculty. But these are very insightful and extremely relevant to business in North Carolina. The focus is a pair of our best-known corporate entities: Duke Energy and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.

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“This is the new replacement for financial services, and absolutely it will continue to grow. ... The merged company will invest in new technology that will be very good for you. This is a real opportunity for people who have skills. But for unskilled workers, you’re not in good shape on this one."

 ~ Dan Fogel, professor, telling WSOC how Duke Energy's

purchase of Progress Energy will transform Charlotte

Photo: Wake Forest

"Krispy Kreme's history also has significant ties to North Carolina, and so it makes sense to create a larger splash in one of the state's, and the Southeast's, best and most exciting markets."

~ Kenny Herbst, professor of marketing, telling the Charlotte Observer how the doughnut company can capitalize on growth in Charlotte

Wake Forest Looks to Fill Fund Raising Post

Wake Forest University is starting its new fiscal year today, and we found out through the website MBA-Exchange.com that the school is looking to hire a new assistant director for the Schools of Business Fund.

As you may recall, this is the fund that was set to receive a $200,000 donation from Mike Farrell and Dave Wahrhaftig if the university met its 1,000 new donors in 60 days challenge.

We're anxiously waiting to hear if the Schools of Business was able to meet the challenge to receive the added funding! It is also unclear if they were able to meet their fiscal year fundraising goal of more than $2 million.

According to the job listing, the assistant director would manage annual fundraising efforts for the Schools of Business, including direct mail, email, postcards and project-based efforts. The position also requires personal visits to potential donors (about a third of the director's time would be spent on the road). Wake Forest is accepting applications through July 13. It is unclear whether this is a new position.

Anyway, felt it was worth sharing in case anyone is interested, or knows someone who wants to reconnect with the Wake Forest University Schools of Business. You can click the link above to apply.

NFL Great Terry Bradshow Highlights MA Program

This is quite an interesting video. We discovered that Terry Bradshaw, the former NFL quarterback, Hall of Famer and broadcaster, highlighted Wake Forest University's MA in Management program recently. The five-minute segment on "Profiles" explores academics, mentoring/networking and career management.

This is a very compelling video for anyone considering the program and well worth spending a few minutes to view.

Wake Forest University Schools of Business Master of Arts in Management Program from WFU Schools of Business on Vimeo.