1. I have a new home-away-from-home, and it’s beautiful!
Seriously, have you seen this campus? If you have not, you need to! Here are a few pictures to hold you over until you can come visit us.
Harbison Chapel is absolutely lovely in the fall.
A lovely view of the chapel, partially obscured by trees on the quad.
The new STEM building is not only high-tech, it’s also beautiful.
Rockwell Hall of Sciences stands majestically at the upper end of the quad.
A close-up of the Rockwell clock tower
The campus has several lovely patios that are perfect for studying or just hanging out with friends.
2. So many amazing people have been Grovers.
All it takes to be impressed by past Grovers is a quick perusal of the alumni achievement award winners. Find them here: alumni.gcc.edu
These stories just scratch the surface. Countless entrepreneurs, business executives, authors, lawyers, and engineers have used their Grove City degree to make an impact.
3. So many amazing people ARE Grovers!
Did you catch that subtle difference? Hint: I put it in all caps to help you out.
I could go on for hours about the phenomenal people I have met here, but I will save some time, and let you find out for yourself.
4. As a Grover, I have the privilege to learn from some of the best professors around.
I couldn’t imagine going to college without these professors. The faculty here is more caring and understanding than I expected college professors to be. They really are here to help their students learn and grow as people. Not only are the profs incredibly intelligent, knowledgeable, and helpful, they are also fun and enthusiastic about their respective areas of expertise. Fun story: I once had a professor jump off of a table because he was so excited about Vivaldi. That is the kind of passion you find at Grove City.
If you want to find out more about our outstanding faculty, check out some of the faculty feature blog posts or this link: Faculty Directory
5. Being a Grover means I am challenged everyday.
Grove City College prides itself on rigorous academics, and there is a reason for that. The nature of the curriculum ensures that you will not be able to get away with sleeping in class. But why would you want to do that anyway? You will learn so much (even in the humanities core) that your tuition dollars will be well worth it.
6. It has taught me what it means to live, learn, and worship in community.
Because Grove City is a relatively small school, students have the opportunity to a much larger proportion of the student body than at a larger college or university. I personally know the majority of people in my major, but I have also had the opportunity to meet people outside of my major through core classes that all students are required to take.
Not only do Grovers live and learn in community, we also worship together, both during weekly chapel services and on Thursday night Warriors services. Warriors is a student-led worship service held in the chapel. If you want to read more about it, check out this student blog:
7. I understand things that only Grovers get.
King McNulty. Shoe in the door. The swim test. The scooter gang.
Hierarchy of people at Grove City: 1. Jesus 2. Ronald Reagan 3. C.S. Lewis 4. President McNulty
These might not make a lot of sense to you right now, but Grovers get it.
8. By the time I graduate, I’ll have spent four years in a community that strives to glorify God in all things.
Yes, even sports.
9. I get to learn from the unique successes and failures of Grovers who have gone before me and come back to campus just because they care.
I can’t count the number of alums who have come back to speak on campus. Their stories are always inspiring, informative, and insightful. The best part is that they come back because they love the College and they care about the students.
10. Most of all (as you may have guessed already), I am grateful to be a Grover because of all the wonderful people here.
Considering five of my points have been about people, this should not be a surprise. These ten points can be summed up as follows: You will not find people like those at Grove City College anywhere else!
Not sure if you’re cut out for the corporate world after graduation? Me either, and that’s okay! Grove City College prepares students to enter into a variety of fields following graduation. Some students will go to grad school to pursue medicine, while others land jobs teaching. Some students will land jobs at large marketing firms, while some accept positions at corporate banks. But others will take a less traditional route. Some will start their own business or turn their hobby into a career. In recent years the College has been working to develop its fine arts program in an effort to educate and train students interested in skills pertaining to painting, drawing, screen printing, graphic design, pottery and more. As someone who loves art, design, and the ability to create, I started asking myself how GCC could play a role in helping students to see how they could use their creative abilities following graduation.
In September of 2016 I began working closely with the chair of the Communication and Visual Arts Department, Dr. Jennifer Mobley, to plan a one-day event that would inspire, educate, and connect students hoping to pursue a career in creative communications. We called the event the 2017 Create Conference. Soon after the planning process began, Alexis Marnejon (‘17) hopped on board to join our efforts in planning this event.
TJ Mousetis – walk in love.
One amazing part of going to school on a small campus like Grove City is that students have the opportunity to work closely with their professors. While planning the Create Conference Alexis and I met weekly with Dr. Mobley to update her on the planning process, brainstorm and seek her advice.
The Create Conference was held on March 18, 2017. We brought seven speakers to campus to host seminars, main stage talks, and workshops. Our speakers each own small business focused on some field within creative communications. These fields included clothing design, graphic design, photography, music production, cinematography, and painting. Topics covered throughout the day included social media use, how-to’s, dreaming big, and being a Christian business owner. Our speakers were the following individuals: Tim & Brooke Mousetis (walk in love.), Andrew Williams (Neighborhood Film Co.), Cynthia Stanchak (mixed media artist), Taylor Courtney (Bring on the Bash), HB Mertz (wilderness photographer), and Megan Smalley (Scarlet and Gold).
HB Mertz – wilderness photographer
The event started at 10 a.m. and seminars concluded at 6 p.m. Following the day-time events, we hosted an evening concert in the Student Union where student performers played and audience members enjoyed coffee, brownies, and cookies.
The Create Conference was a success. The speakers were fun and brought a lot of knowledge, wisdom and creativity to share with students. Throughout the day we had about 75 students attending events. The feedback was positive. An event like this has never been done on campus so students found the opportunity to engage and learn about the creative field exciting.
Taylor Courtney – Bring on the Bash
Putting on an event like this was hard work but Alexis and I learned countless lessons. It took us about six months to plan the event, so you can bet we breathed a sigh of relief when we saw our hard work come to fruition on March 18. Although we worked closely with Dr. Mobley, Alexis and I handled a majority of the planning. We took care of emailing speakers to invite them to campus and to negotiate accommodations and day of details. In addition we took care of reaching out to various on-campus organizations to help us fund the event. We also connected with various departments and services on campus to help organize details for the day of the event. One of my favorite parts of planning the conference was meeting with a senior graphic design student to develop a promotional theme for the conference.
When you’re at Grove City, dream big. There are numerous resources available on campus to help you accomplish your goals. Whether you want to carry out some form of research, plan an event, or complete a big project, connect with your advisor and professors to see how you can turn your plans and dreams into a reality.
My dream was to bring more attention to the creative communications. Use the college as a resource to do big things. The faculty will support you and push you to work hard and to execute your plans with excellence.
Not only does Grove City College have an Entrepreneurship major and department, but there is also a Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Entrepreneurship students are so blessed to have this Center because it connects us with great people and opportunities. One of my favorite activities sponsored by the Center is the Richard G. Staley ’62 Visionary Speakers Series. Each year, the college brings in some incredible people to share with students their wisdom and experience. This November, we got to hear from Jake Loosararian, a fellow GCC alumnus.
Jake’s Story
Jake graduated from Grove City College in 2013 with a degree in Electrical Engineering. While at the Grove, Jake along with some friends participated in VentureLab, a program funded by the Center. VentureLab provides seed grants and coaching to help launch new businesses. Ultimately, Jake and his friends post-grad co-founded Gecko Robotics, Inc. His company uses robots to scale walls and inspect power plants. Gecko’s products save money, time, and human lives.
Shortly after Gecko launched, they were accepted to Y Combinator, one of the most respected tech business incubators in the county. Jake and his team were paired up with mentors, and were named the #1 Top Startup from Y Combinator’s Winter ’16 Demo Day. His company is fast growing, and currently innovating a space that not only has a monetary impact, but also changing the landscape of safety.
Major Takeaways
I found Jake’s talk to be insightful and inspiring. It is inspiring to see someone not too many years ahead of you succeeding and following their passions and dreams. Jake spoke about courage, and his story truly is courageous. I loved hearing how his time at Grove City prepared him for this crazy adventure.
Overall, I was encouraged by Jake’s talk. I’m thankful that my school sees the value in giving students the opportunity to learn from those a few steps ahead and pass on their wisdom.
Entering college is like entering a new phase of life that is completely different than anything you’ve experienced so far. Living with people you’ve never met, being taught by adults who are more than just teachers, and navigating potential dating interests in college are a new territory of relationships that seem daunting. Luckily at Grove City, not only is the fact that we are outwardly a Christian school influential in how college relationships are formed, but there are also a few helpful classes to open the discussion about how to handle all these new relationships.
Interpersonal Communication
Within the communications department is a course called Interpersonal Communication, taught by Dr. Todd Allen. This course serves as an elective, so all students have the opportunity to take it. Dr. Allen said, “This course is so practical and relevant that it’s one students flock to from different majors. At the end of the day, I want students to walk away having a more informed understanding on how theory is in practice of what we do.” With underlying information taken from communication theories, this course teaches students how to deal with difficult conversation, understand friendships, and become better listeners.
Communications Professor Todd Allen
As we communicate as college students, there is a certain stigma connected to what we say and how we say it. Dr. Allen said, “People do [certain] things [when they communicate] but they don’t know why and don’t understand the history, science, and communication theories behind it. It helps to understand what’s going on when you engage in interactions with others.” This class goes beyond the classroom, and has taught me the importance of realizing the implications of your interactions. Whether in professional, romantic, or family relationships, we as college students have the liberty to make our own decisions in how we interact, and that can be extremely challenging. But thankfully, Dr. Allen agrees that college is not the end all be all, and we should be continuing to challenge ourselves to communicate beyond this campus.
Courtship and Marriage
Professor of sociology, Dr. Martin Bright
There are other courses on campus that are designed to inform and discuss deeper issues within specific relationships. One of the more popular courses called Courtship and Marriage is taught by Dr. Martin Bright. Now this is NOT a class to tell you how to find a husband or wife, or even how to ask someone out, but it’s a course for students to become aware of what that looks like when considering furthering a relationship. Dr. Bright explained, “What I like about this course – as well as many of the social science courses – is that it teaches both academic and things you can apply on a personal level.” This course can be beneficial to students considering marriage or engagement to discover on a biblical standpoint what a relationship like that might look at.
Courtship and Marriage also focuses on other relationships, such as families and friendship dynamics. Dr. Bright said, “Ideally the student leaves the course with a better understanding of sociocultural trends occurring that affect dating, marriage, families, as well as students themselves.” He continues to explain, “following self-exploration [students] have a better idea of what they are seeking, and the important building blocks of a lifelong commitment. The focus is on relationship building, so you don’t have to wait until marriage to apply the concepts discussed.” The great thing about courses like this is the conversation opened that allows students to learn from one another and ask questions.
With courses like this, you can imagine the types of questions these professors get. When asking what kind of questions are commonly asked in class, or what professors observe about college relationships, I got some pretty interesting responses. Dr. Allen said he noticed a couple things, but specifically recognizes the relationships between faculty and students. He said, “I wish so many more students would take advantage of getting to know faculty and staff. They can be such a great sounding board as you navigate all other relationships, plus you influence us.” Referring to the way students influence faculty, Dr. Allen explained, “I don’t think we often make students aware of the things you say, the thoughts you have in class, questions, and even casual conversation come at just the right time for us sometimes.” With a course like Courtship and Marriage, Dr. Bright gets questions all the time from students. He said, “Dating experiences of students range from none to several, so questions are varied.” One of the most common questions asked in his course is something like, “at what age is (varied topics) appropriate?”
Not saying our professors are matchmakers, but they are excellent resources for understanding all types of relationships and learning how to navigate them. I highly recommend taking a course like Interpersonal Communication or Courtship and Marriage early in college to answer questions about college relationships you might begin with.
Dorm life is definitely not for everyone. Living off campus can be an option that some people prefer over living in the dorms. At Grove City College, students are allowed to commute if they live close by with their parents or guardians, or if they are married. With nearly 2,500 students attending, only about 5% of students choose to commute. I had the opportunity to talk with a student about his experiences commuting for the past three years.
Pro’s of Commuting
Zach Ferguson is a senior Communications major with a minor in Studio Art. Growing up in Butler, PA, Zach commutes about 30 minutes to campus every weekday. He explained, “I save about $9,000 per year by commuting, and because I am paying for college on my own it made sense.” Saving on the cost of room and board is one of the biggest benefits of commuting rather than living on campus. Zach said, “Getting to go home every day and keeping the same friends from my hometown that go to different schools is a big plus. I also still go to the same church nearby where my best friend is the pastor.” Knowing the area and having the benefit of a separate space away from campus is always a huge benefit of living near a college town.
Con’s of Commuting
While there are plenty of good things about living at home and commuting, there are also a lot of downsides to being away from campus. Zach discussed, “It’s definitely hard to make friends on campus because I’m not on campus too much. It’s hard to find community.” Being a part of the campus experience with other people is one of the main factors that build community here at Grove City College. Zach explained how he is friends with other commuters, and that there is community within that, but he wishes he had more people to connect with on campus. “I’m not thrilled about living in dorms,” he said, “but I wish I would have done it for the people.”
Being a commuter, it can be more difficult to get involved with campus groups and events. However, because he is able to live in the same area, Zach has an off campus job that causes his schedule to be more stacked than normal. He explained, “When I was a freshman and sophomore I had a different schedule, so it was easier to be on campus, but now I live a half hour away with a job, so coming to school feels like I’m coming to my job.”
Is it Worth the Money?
All in all, Zach said he would not recommend commuting. “You save money, but you miss out. It’s hard to balance work, school, and personal life when you live in a different place,” he said. During the four years you spend at college, it is important to be present in the time and place. While commuting may be a good option for you, it’s helpful to have an insider perspective on what it is like once the work load begins. The college years go by quickly and it’s important to consider where you want to invest your time while you’re here, but remember that Zach’s perspective is only one of the many opinions held by communters at Grove City.
Grove City College has one of the best Career Services Offices in the country. They have been repeatedly ranked in the top 20 for career services by the Princeton Review. One of the newest reasons Grove City College stands out is due to its recent partnership with the Auto Care Association.
ACA is looking to make a partnership with Grove City and seeks to hire GCC grads. Photo Cred: Ari Carter
About Auto Care
The auto care industry is a 300 billion dollar industry. It is the second largest market in the United States behind healthcare. The Auto Care Association is a representation of anyone in after-market care related to anything automotive. Recently, the college has made a new partnership with the Association, and the Entrepreneurship and Business departments are very excited about the opportunity to work with industry leaders in the classroom setting. Further, the College also had the privilege of bringing in a panel of Auto Care leaders during Grove City College’s annual Career Fair to share their wisdom with students.
New Course Offering
With the Auto Care Association signed on to sponsor a new course at Grove City called Supply Chain Management, students can expect a new way to explore a new industry. This course will focus on the logistics of managing a supply chain. Making this class unique is the simulation set for use in the course called “Fundamentals of Supply Chain Management”. The Entrepreneurship department is known for utilizing simulations like this one to provide students with practical, hands-on experience. As a student, I am looking forward to gaining experience and knowledge in this field, that I can use to discuss in an interview setting.
Auto Care Panel
The Panelists were gracious to spend some time investing in students at the Auto Care Mixer. Photo Cred: Ari Carter
One of my favorite events hosted by the Career Services Office is the annual Career Fair. This year, there were over 160 companies recruiting for internships and full time positions. After the Career Fair this year, the Entrepreneurship department hosted a panel of Auto Care leaders who shared information not only about the Auto Care industry, but also about tips for hiring and breaking into the industry. Personally, I was grateful for the opportunity to make connections with some potential future employers. It is awesome to see that my school is valued enough that employers want to make connections with its students.
Overall, this new partnership with the Auto Care Association is a huge win for the College and more importantly, for its students. Connecting students with a new industry and potential careers is above and beyond what the average Career Services Office might do.
Mr. Robert Baker, Senior Director of Advertising for Giant Eagle, visited campus to guest lecture in Dr. Powell’s Advertising course. Mr. Baker intrigued the audience with lessons learned during his professional career.
Upon graduating from college, Baker started his journey in the business world, thinking he would land a higher position immediately. He soon discovered that it was not going to be that easy. Baker worked several jobs, trying to find one that would be the right fit for him, and pay well, but the time and effort required challenged his pre-conceived notions.
Baker had his fair share of “no’s” while he worked door- to-door sales and other entry-level positions. He learned that one needs to understand what is being sold, and to believe in it, to be successful. “Don’t stop when you hear no; keep on doing what you believe in.” This concept is very important to Baker because if he would not have been persistent in his trek up the corporate ladder, he would not be where he is today. He told the audience, “Do the job in front of you…even if it’s not the job you want to do forever” and “If you do your job, do it well and then do a little more each time, you will end up getting your boss’s attention” and maybe an opportunity to take the position you really desire. Baker stressed how necessary it is to do the job you are assigned well because that is why you were even given the position in the first place. One needs to stay focused on their assignment if they ever want to be recognized and promoted.
After working for a few different companies, several bumps in the road, and many learning experiences, Baker accepted a position with Giant Eagle. He did not immediately become the Senior Director of Advertising, but it did not take long for the company to recognize his abilities. He now oversees all of Giant Eagle’s advertising efforts, a $60 million budget, and a staff of nearly sixty full-time Team Members. He has worked to develop and improve programs like fuelPerks!®, a loyalty program that rewards customers via discounts at Giant Eagle’s getGo™ gas stations. “It is extremely important to figure out a sustainable competitive advantage.” Giant Eagle’s fuelPerks!® has been just that, yielding an impressive 90% scan rate.
Giant Eagle now has over 400 locations and plans to continue expanding west. They recently developed a segment called Market District™, which is a higher-end supermarket with more fresh and local foods than traditional Giant Eagle stores carry. The company is also developing innovative programs like Curbside Express, where a customer can order online and pick up their items at the store without leaving their car.
With over $10 billion in annual revenue, it is clear that Giant Eagle’s marketing efforts are working well. Baker also stressed the importance of making people (both Team Members and customers) feel valued. His closing comments define his career, “Work hard and you’ll achieve success.”
Dr. Hülsmann addresses students at Freedom Readers
In what has become an annual tradition at Grove City, we recently had the honor of welcoming Dr. Guido Hülsmann, professor of economics at the Université d’Angers in France and a Senior Fellow at the Ludwig von Mises Institute for a two-week visit. During his stay, he guest-lectured in Dr. Jeff Herbener’s ECON 456 Financial Markets and Institutions class, and on the evening of February 10 spoke at The Center for Vision and Values‘ Freedom Readers lecture series. In his talk, entitled, “Refugees: Social Bane or Economic Boon?” Hülsmann addressed the issues facing Europe due to the recent mass migrations of Middle Easterners to the European Union.
In introducing Dr. Hülsmann, Lee Wishing (Administrative Director of the Center for Vision and Values) said, “This is one of my favorite times of year, because this is when Guido comes back.” This remark received nods of agreement from many in the audience who had heard Dr. Hülsmann speak in previous years, and that evening he did not disappoint. His unique perspective as a German native and French resident certainly intrigued the students and faculty gathered ’round, who showed hearty approval with thunderous applause.
Dr. Hülsmann’s English language writings include The Ethics of Money Production and Mises: The Last Knight of Liberalism. I had the privilege of listening to Dr. Hülsmann’s lectures in Econ 456 and at Freedom Readers, and he graciously agreed to sit down with me and share a few details about his career, his research interests and his opinion of our economics department, which I am happy to now share with you.
[The following is a transcript of the interview conducted on February 10, shortened and edited for clarity]
Matthew Leverknight: To begin, can you tell me a little about your background and how you came to economics?
Guido Hülsmann: I started studying in Germany at the Technical University of Berlin, a program double-majoring in mechanical engineering and economic science. Then I discovered pretty quickly that economics was the field that interested me the most, so I began specializing as far as possible in economics, still graduating with degrees in mechanical engineering, business studies and economics. Then I studied more and more economics and did a Ph.D. in economics. At the beginning of my Ph.D. studies I discovered the Austrian school of economic thought and decided to do my dissertation based on Ludwig von Mises’ monetary work. That proved to be very stimulating intellectually and helped me a lot to advance my knowledge of all things related to money and finance, but, it was a big bane on my professional development in Germany because nobody at the time was interested in Austrian economics. Today things have changed, fortunately – a little bit. So then I decided to go abroad and fortunately I got post-doc scholarships which permitted me to go first to France and then the US. In the US I was first at the University of Buffalo (SUNY), went to work for five years with the Mises Institute in Alabama, and eventually returned to Europe. It was then that the demand for the services of Austrian economists began to increase.
ML: Your resume says you like researching the conceptual and philosophical problems of economics. Can you elaborate a little on what that means for you?
Dr. Hulsmann explains the effects of mass migration to GCC students
GH: I was always interested in this, and in my economic research this is reflected in the fact that I’m interested in questions related in methodology and epistemology, how do we know what we know in economics, what is the basis of this knowledge? What are the objects and things we have knowledge about, and then as far as the economic analysis is concerned, I was always interested in the question of what philosophers would call the ‘primitives’ of economic analysis, the basic elements beyond which you cannot go. One example would be the analysis of profit and loss which is related to the concept of equilibrium. I think that you have a dichotomous category at the basis of this whole analysis: the difference between success and failure. So these are basic categories of economic analysis which then show up in the equilibrium, show up in profits and losses and so on. Beyond which you cannot go. There is a tendency some economists have to explain why you have success and failure, but I think that it is not possible to do this, precisely because this dichotomy is a primitive, you cannot go beyond it.
ML: So you’re saying economics can only answer so much, and then we have to cut it off there? That because economics is designed to function a certain way, to answer questions beyond just who won and lost can’t really be done?
GH: Yes, such questions cannot be answered with the tools of economics.
ML: One thing I noticed during your lectures to the ECON 456 class, was your mentioning the “moral and political elements of economics”. What role does your own moral belief play in how you look at economics – or what prescriptions you would prescribe?
GH: Of course your own moral beliefs always bias you in your life in favor of certain activities, and in favor of certain things that you’re interested in. Also they bias you in favor of certain political solutions that you think appropriate and so on. There’s not a difference I think in my case compared to anybody else. Of course for a scholar that’s a tension, because as scholars we are supposed to go beyond these biases and to fact-check them. But I guess that’s of course what I do, like all serious scholars are supposed to do. But I also like to stress that scientific inquiry leads you to understand mechanisms though which our spontaneous moral dispositions are reinforced or undermined. I’m interested in these kinds of questions: How do policy changes, or policy stances that we take, through mechanisms that we deal with in economics modify the moral disposition of the population.
ML: So would you say that the study of economics can clarify individuals’ own moral sense?
Dr. Hulsmann chats with a student post-lecture
GH: Right. On the one hand, it clarifies the importance of certain moral attitudes that we have, and it helps you to understand the potential threats that come to the moral foundations of the free market economy, coming from different sources, but in particular from government intervention.
ML: To talk a little bit about your relationship with Grove City, how many years have you been coming here to visit on a regular basis?
GH: The first time was – on a regular basis, I would say since 2006. Dr. Herbener has invited me exactly in the same way, to give a couple of lectures and to teach segments of a class. At the time I think it was ‘International Economics’ or something of the sort, and he’s found funding for this undertaking every single year since. So this must be the tenth or eleventh year now in a row that I’ve come to Grove City College.
ML: You’ve worked in several different countries in Europe, you’ve worked here in the United States, and so based on your travels and your interactions, how would you say that Grove City’s economics department stacks up against other undergraduate economics programs you’ve interacted with?
From left: GCC econ department chair Dr. Jeff Herbener, GCC professor of economics Dr. Shawn Ritenour and Dr. Guido Hulsmann
GH: I think it’s excellent. I mean, both as far as the level of students is concerned, but also the professors. All people teaching in professorships, in particular Dr. Herbener and Dr. Ritenour are excellent pedagogues [dedicated to teaching, not just research]. And this not just my personal impression, but can be measured in terms of student output, papers that they’ve been writing and have been presented at conferences. In Grove City you have the annual Austrian Student Scholars Conference, some people have become professors themselves, in economics and also in other fields, so I think the quality is demonstrated.
And plus, here you have the opportunity, which is unique as far as I can see, that you have a whole department that teaches economics around Austrian economics. The core of your curriculum is Austrian economics. You learn the Neoclassical approach as well, of course you have to learn this, but the core is Austrian. There’s no other school in the world where you can do this. I know of no other school, maybe except for the Universidad Francisco Marroquin in Guatemala, of which I have heard but which I have not yet visited. Maybe there’s also one in China, Russia, some language that’s not accessible to me, but I doubt it.
ML: Thank you very much for your time, you’ve provided us with some very interesting and valuable perspectives.
If you are interested in learning more about the GCC Economics Department, please visit their page on the GCC website. To watch streaming video of Dr. Hülsmann’s 2015 Freedom Readers lecture about the Charlie Hebdo massacre in France, you can visit the Center for Vision and Values’ page here.
It may have been the cinnamon crunch bagels. Or the bonus points. But whatever attracted the crowds of students to hear Blaine Hurst, they did not leave disappointed.
Hurst, the executive vice president and chief transformation & growth officer at Panera and the husband of a Grove City grad, delivered a fascinating and lively lecture about the restaurant’s recent tech innovations. In the past several years, the traditional Panera has transformed into Panera 2.0, replete with kiosks for customized ordering, rapid pickup options and mobile orders.
As the self-described entrepreneur in residence at Panera, Hurst has worked daily to “challenge the way we’ve always done things.” From his start with with fast casual restaurant chain, the VP has stressed the mentality of “innovate or die.” For most companies, innovation has simply translated to developments in mobile apps, responsive design and strategic use of big data. However, to Hurst, disruptive innovation requires a holistic view and transformation of the customer experience.
In his talk, Hurst delineated six lessons on innovation that have been instrumental to Panera’s success. These lessons included the importance of an unbound, focused team, the recognition that there is more than one way to innovate and the idea that innovation is a journey.
Panera has certainly seen the positive results of Hurst’s work. In May, the company was named the #1 brand of the year by Fast Casual. In 2015, it was also recognized by Fast Company as one of the world’s top 50 most innovative companies. It maintains the leading loyalty program in its industry. But these accolades have not come without difficulties. When Hurst’s team first rolled out Panera 2.0, the websites crashed. And this was at a time when he was striving to get the Board to increase funding. But he fixed the situation by owning the problem. “Stand up with courage when you’ve made mistakes,” he encouraged.
Hurst’s final point was to warn young innovators to expect the unbelievers. Your “commitment can’t waver,” he said. As a leader, “if you lose your head, all others [on your team] will run backwards.” And in an original one-liner, Hurst summed up the difficulty of innovation: “The only person who likes change is a wet baby.” But progress, as Hurst knows and Panera can attest, will never come without change.
To read about more interesting lectures like this one, check out the posts under the Neat Speakers category.
Entrepreneur, semi-professional soccer player, budding author and 2014 GCC alum – Sam Weber is all of these and more.
Now, living the start-up life in San Francisco, she’s eager to share the lessons of her journey with college students. After speaking to classes at the University of San Francisco and Westmont College, Weber flew home to Pittsburgh for Grove City’s homecoming weekend, when Dr. Powell’s marketing students had the privilege of hearing her story. Weber confirmed what the students have learned in class—the best innovations result from entrepreneurs who addressing their own pain points.
Having started her soccer career at the ripe age of three, Weber is intimately acquainted with the competitive athletic system. When she reached high school, she and her teammates experienced the frustrations and flaws of the college recruiting process. At tournaments, parents would pass out stacks of players’ profiles to any college coaches that happened to walk by. Of course, these same coaches would often be inundated with emails, making the communication pathway clogged, untargeted and inefficient.
Weber had long hoped to address this problem that was so close to her heart. While a sophomore English major at Grove City, the soccer player put her plan into action. What resulted was ProfilePasser, an app that dramatically streamlines the recruiting process for both players and coaches.
Weber remembers several Grove City courses being particularly helpful to her in the development of her company—particularly Content Marketing, Principles of Marketing and Accounting. Additionally, the young entrepreneur was blessed to participate in Startup Weekend, where her idea for ProfilePasser placed third, winning her $25,000 in funding from Alphalab, Pittsburgh’s startup accelerator.
Balancing a business, a full course load and varsity soccer was difficult, but Weber was up for the challenge. During her senior year, Weber got an email about the Inc. Magazine Coolest College Startup in America competition. Weber set it aside, believing that her app was not good enough to place, and “some kid from Harvard” would win. But when she decided to enter, ProfilePasser made it to the final four of the March Madness style competition—a remarkable achievement.
Even while Weber juggled many demands on her attention, she was planning another important task to accomplish after graduation—writing a book. Several years ago, her brother died in a tragic hiking accident outside his Air Force base in Northern Italy. In a Hero’s Steps was inspired by Weber’s desire to trace Zach’s footsteps through Europe and chronicle his short life of 21 years. She finished the first draft of the book last year.
ProfilePasser is not profitable yet, so Weber is paying the bills by working as a product manager for a small startup in San Francisco. However, her app certainly has the potential to grow. Just last year, Weber made the difficult decision to decline an acquisition offer from European sports tech company YouFoot, feeling that the company’s vision did not mesh with her hopes for ProfilePasser. Recently, she partnered with a programmer from her church to take ProfilePasser to the next level. The young entrepreneur hopes to give back to the San Francisco community by giving away subscriptions for her app to America Scores, a non-profit inspiring American youth to lead healthier lives through soccer.
To the students who asked for her top advice, Weber shared that a great team really matters in a start-up. Picking the right people with whom to work—colleagues with a strong work ethic who share your vision—is key to success.
Learn more about Grove City’s entrepreneurship program here.
