May 9, 2019
The Miller School visits Charlotte business leaders, entrepreneurs
COB’s Miller School of Entrepreneurship continued its regional advisory council site visits with a recent stop in Charlotte, North Carolina. A total of 28 students from six ECU colleges had a chance to learn and gain advice from business leaders and ECU alumni.
The first stop on their trip included a private tour and dinner at Hendrick Motorsports and Automotive. COB alumnus David Foster helped arrange the activities and spoke with students about his own experiences.
Day Two of the trip started with a presentation from Paul Picarazzi, co-founder of Vision Ventures and project developer for the AC Hotel and Residence Inn located in Uptown Charlotte. The rest of Day Two included stops and presentations at Consolidated Claims Group and Damon Stafford (COB BSBA ‘01); BOLTGROUP and Jamey Boiter (ECU BFA ‘85); and Grant Thornton and its CEO Michael McGuire.
The entire trip was orchestrated and organized by Paul Adkison, founder and chairman, Lift It Rentals, LLC and COB alumnus (BSBA ’91). Adkison serves as the College of Business co-chair and leads the Miller School’s Piedmont Advisory Council.
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- Hendrick Motorsports
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- From left to right, Jamey Boiter (BOLTGROUP), Mike Harris, and Paul Adkison
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- Miller School students at Hendrick Motorsports
“It was a great visit that highlighted two things about ECU,” said Adkison. “One, our alumni are successful and eager to give back to our school and students and two, our students are fantastic examples of how our university prepares them for the professional world.”
“It was impressive to see Pirates excelling, learning and sharing.”
One Pirate who learned from the trip is rising sophomore Emily Kreider. She said it was “very inspiring to listen to successful entrepreneurs telling their stories; how they came from nothing and got to where they are today. It opened my eyes to what an entrepreneur does and got me excited for my journey, so much so that I’m changing my major. Like many of the entrepreneurs said, “no risk, no reward.”
“To have within arm’s reach more than 120 plus years of entrepreneurial experience was invaluable, said senior Chris Allen. “Your experience is always what you make of it. Add in the fact that you have the potential to build long-term relationships with these brilliant individuals, and you can clearly see the value opportunities like this can create long term.”
“I want to thank Paul Adkison for his time and efforts for making this trip possible,” said Dr. Mike Harris, Miller School director. “This was a great opportunity for our students to learn about exciting entrepreneurial opportunities in Charlotte and allow members of our Piedmont Advisory Council to interact with some of our best students. In 24 hours, these students met with five unique businesses, including multiple ECU alumni and for that, I’m grateful for these entrepreneurs and business leaders.”
About the trip, Harris said, “this is the type of aspiration experience we want to provide for students in the Miller School.”
Michael McGuire, CEO, Grant Thornton, speaks with Miller School students at Grant Thorton Charlotte offices