RMI etiquette dinner benefits all

Brenda Wells, left and Cameron Yarbrough of Atlantic Casualty

The Risk Management and Insurance department held a Fall, etiquette dinner designed to introduce 20 students to a real-world business function. The function included a networking mixer and a sit-down dinner that featured a four-course meal and an opportunity to dine with representatives from the event sponsor, Atlantic Casualty out of Goldsboro.

“A lot of real-world business functions take place over meals, so it is important to know how to conduct yourself,” said Dr. Brenda Wells, RMI director and chair of the COB’s finance and insurance department.  “We made this meal particularly challenging.”

Among the white tablecloths, the place settings and eager minds, Kathryn Carroll, COB’s Leadership and Professional Development Program coordinator, provided instruction to help the students develop personal skills for professional success.

Kathryn Carroll speaks at RMI etiquette dinner

“Good manners mean good business,” said Carroll. “As students learn about business dining and other work and social events, they gain practice and confidence to focus on building professional relationships and networking.”

“Networking is very important to me, so having this opportunity to sharpen my much-needed skills while connecting with industry professionals is why I attended,” said senior Gabby Banks. “Professor Carroll always does an amazing job of explaining the reasoning behind every step and ensuring that you do it correctly.”

“We made this meal particularly challenging—olives with pits, soup, and chicken on the bone—so that everyone could learn something new about a sticky etiquette situation,” said Wells.

Four representatives from Atlantic Casualty joined the students and RMI faculty: Keisha Moore, talent acquisition manager; Matt Hertzler, underwriter and RMI alumnus; Aleshondra Halam, associate underwriter and RMU alumna; and Cameron Yarbrough, marketing and social media specialist and ECU alumnus.

“We were very impressed with the students we met,” said Yarbrough. “They seemed very prepared and willing to speak and start a conversation. We could tell they were very passionate about beginning a career in the insurance industry. The event was very informative and interactive. It was well put together by Dr. Wells.”

Gabby Banks

RMI students weren’t the only ones benefitting from the dinner. Atlantic Casualty has several RMI and COB students as employees, says Paul Aycock, vice president of agency services. According to him, the company has heard fantastic things about the RMI program, and the etiquette dinner was a way for the company to increase its brand awareness with the university and the students.

“Our newly renovated headquarters in Goldsboro is less than 50 mins from the campus and offers first-class technology and an attractive work environment that we want students to know about,” said Aycock. “It makes perfect sense why we want to position ourselves in front of ECU RMI and COB students.”

“We want to inform people at the College of Business that there is a $400 million insurance company close to Greenville that offers excellent benefits and a great work environment for them to grow in their careers in the industry. We hope that this event may entice students to apply to work for us potentially.”

“The students need practice networking and interacting with business professionals, and their presence really elevates our event,” added Wells.

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