As we continue our hallmark tenth season of the Eccles Business Buzz podcast, we will bring you conversations with notable alumni from the David Eccles School of Business and their stories about the impact the school has had on their lives and careers. In this episode, host Frances Johnson talks with Jhareil Hutchinson, a marketing professional and junior project manager for the NBA’s Utah Jazz.

Jhareil, a 2024 David Eccles School of Business marketing graduate and First Ascent Scholars alumnus, describes some of the barriers he faced coming to college as a first-generation student, and how the First Ascent cohort helped him build a sense of community and belonging. 

Jhareil credits the program and Eccles with teaching him networking, getting him involved through internships and campus roles, and allowing him to be vulnerable enough to ask questions. Jhareil and Frances discuss his career path, from Jazz team attendant to Cotopaxi intern, to his first job with the Olympic Legacy Foundation, and then back to the Jazz. He discusses aiming to work for the NBA, mentoring current students with his wife Julie, and advises students to not be afraid to pursue opportunities.

Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University.fm.

Eccles Business Buzz is proud to be selected by FeedSpot as one of the Top 70 Business School podcasts on the web. Learn more at https://podcast.feedspot.com/us_business_school_podcasts. 

Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University FM.

How the people you surround yourself with and the choices you make shape your future

[20:56] One of my favorite athletes of all time is the late Kobe Bryant, and he said good coaches tell you where the fish are. But great coaches teach you how to find them. And I think that when I think about that, I kind of just think about the people that are around you, the people that you kind of surround yourself with. People will tell you, “Hey, I have this car; I got this really great promotion. You know, just showing off all these extravagant things, or yeah, like look, kind of just like, look at me, look at me, look at me." And I think that in order to kind of succeed and find those fish and tell you, you know, to have that coach tell you exactly where those fish are, you need to surround yourself with people who are going to be honest with you with tough love but also be like, "Hey, if you want to go down this path, let's do it together." I'm here in your corner to support you. Let's talk about it, let's research it, and let's come up with a plan to actually take action and do the thing that you want to do. I feel like I've always wanted to know exactly where I want to go or where I need to achieve the things, and it's always just about having those people in your corner, but then it's also up to yourself to go out there and do the research.

On guiding students toward proactivity, while staying accountable himself

[37:50] There's so many different paths to go down in sports, whether that's with sales, marketing, game presentation, whatever it is. So I think it's like a really cool opportunity just because we had some amazing mentors. We had some really cool people to kind of reach out to and ask questions. So I'm wanting to do the same for these students that are in this program. And so far it's been really cool to talk with these students and hear about all the different career paths that they're watching to go down, because it's not all the same. And we don't have the same advice for every student. But, I think the thing that we always tell students is to, again, like we've talked about, like don't be afraid to get involved. Don't be afraid to ask questions. And I think the thing that I get out of it the most is kind of—it's just like a reset point for us, or at least for me. Just kind of like, okay, this student is doing this, and, you know, I'm telling them to make sure that they're reaching out to folks and making sure that they're getting involved and making sure that they have their checks and balances. But am I holding myself accountable for those checks and balances? So it's kind of like a reflection. Like make sure you're telling them to, you know, do all these things for their sake, because we want them to have good grades, we want them to excel. We want them to have a great career, but then we also want that for ourselves.

The struggles of being a first-generation student

[03:33] I think another barrier that I faced coming into college was just the sense of belonging. Being a first-generation college student, none of my family members had ever even gone to college. So I was the very first one, and I had no clue what to think. I had no clue what to say. I had no clue what to ask. I had no clue who to reach out to, didn't know anything about classes, [and] didn't know anything about internships or, you know, just everything that had to do with college. I had no kind of support system in that sense. And so that kind of put me like, I kind of took a step back, and I was like, "Man, is this really for me?" Like, I don't know anybody; no one else knows about this. Like I'm really here on my own. So it's really up to me to figure out exactly what I need to do. I know there's individuals out there who have had the privilege of, you know, their parents went to college or their brother went to college, and so they kind of had that support system for someone to reach out to, and they had someone to say, “Hey, this is where financial aid is," or “Hey, this is all the clubs that you could be a part of,” and, you know, so on and so forth. It was really tough at first because again, like, I had no one to reach out to, and I had to figure it all out on my own, which was kind of a positive and a negative with my experience coming into college.

Jhareil reflects: Wishing his younger self had more courage

[31:06] I think the thing that I probably would tell myself is to not be afraid, to not dig my hole before it even, like, starts. I think a lot of the times, like, in high school, like, I was super, super shy. So, coming into First Ascent, having to share, you know, a room with another person, and let alone the whole house with 10 other students, I was like, "Okay, I guess I have to. Just don't be afraid to get out of your comfort zone. Don't be afraid to ask those questions." And I think a lot of the times a lot of students are like, "Oh, like, this is probably not going to happen for me, so I'm just not even going to pursue it." Or, "Oh, like, they're just going to tell me no, so I'm just not even going to do it." And I wish I would've told myself to just don't be afraid. Like, the worst thing people can tell you is no. 

• Jhareil Hutchinson | LinkedIn Profile
• Jhareil Hutchinson | Instagram
• Utah Jazz | NBA Team
• First Ascent Scholars | Eccles School
• David Eccles School of Business (@ubusiness) | Instagram
• Undergraduate Scholars Programs
• Rising Business Leaders
• Eccles Alumni Network (@ecclesalumni) | Instagram 
• Eccles Experience Magazine

Welcome to the kickoff for the tenth season of the Eccles Business Buzz podcast! This season we will bring you conversations with notable alumni from the David Eccles School of Business and their stories of the impact the school has made on their lives and careers. For our first episode, host Frances Johnson talks with Elaina Pappas, head of marketing for the Utah Jazz and the Utah Mammoth professional sports teams.

We learn about the principles that have guided Elaina’s career in the NBA and NHL —loving sports and helping people. Elaina also talks about the importance of creating opportunities through hard work, relationship-building, and advocating for herself as she built her career. 

In addition, Elaina explains how earning an MBA at the David Eccles School of Business made her more well-rounded and boosted her confidence as a leader, and describes her leadership approach of aligning teams around a shared goal, while allowing diverse paths, staying calm under pressure, and encouraging staff to take “one more step” to resolve conflicts. 

She explains how sports build community locally and globally through fan experiences, content, and merchandise, and reflects on Utah’s growing sports future and youth impact.

Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University.fm.

Eccles Business Buzz is proud to be selected by FeedSpot as one of the Top 70 Business School podcasts on the web. Learn more at https://podcast.feedspot.com/us_business_school_podcasts. 

Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University fm.

How Elaina stays calm in the high-pressure world of sports

[24:13] Frances Johnson: How do you keep your cool in this… it's a fast-paced environment. You know, a lot is changing, high emotions, like a lot at stake every game, every night, and within the work that you do, you know, outside of the arena as well, how have you developed that muscle to stay calm and to learn how to deal with these difficult scenarios and hard conversations?

[24:42] Elaina Pappas: I think, frankly, a lot of it's my nature. [25:24] I think practice helps, and understanding so much of my position is navigating those situations. The more muscle memory I've built over time has helped me with the next hard conversation or the next situation. I think early on in my career especially, which is unique to sports and entertainment, if you think about it just from a marketing lens, you go to school and you learn so much about pricing something and what a product looks like and what it provides. But in sports, they're human beings, and you can't control wins and losses. You can't sometimes control the ticket price because it depends on wins and losses. You can't control who gets hurt. You know, there's all of these things that I learned very early on, which is very hard, was to let go of the things that I truly can't control.

Why advocating for yourself matters and what you gain from it

[11:27] If you want to go talk to someone in another department, or you want an informational interview, or you want to invite someone to lunch, go do it. And there's no reason why you shouldn't be asking or, again, making your desires known as far as what you want to do, because that's the point of an internship. And so many of those either turn into full-time positions, whether it's immediate or not, or with other organizations too. And so, so much of it is, like, even if something comes six months after their internship ended, if they made an impression on you or someone on my team, that's way more valuable than a random resume coming through our system. And so some of those, you know, building blocks that they're establishing early on may not come to fruition for some point, but it helps you build this reliable reputation and credibility that will carry you through your entire career. And then, whether you know it or not, you're building advocacy, and you have people who are looking out for you, whether you are aware of it or not. And so I've been very fortunate in that perspective for my career too. But some of it, so much of it, comes down to, like, the relationship building early on, and again, being able to back it up with your expertise and experience. But that can really help you carry through your career in really positive ways.

Elaina on the future of sports in Utah

[36:04] 10 years ago, I never would've probably imagined an NBA All-Star game. An NHL team. An NHL Winter Classic, an Olympics coming back. And so for me, especially [as] someone who's from Utah it’s been so special to be a part of, and I think we are so fortunate to live in a state that is so strong economically and is so resilient to change and so, like, inelastic to all of these market conditions, which I think sets us up and is why we've been rewarded with, you know, we have a women's soccer team, now we have an NHL team. Again, I can continue to go down the list, but I think what's the center of this is Utah. And Utah is just a place in a state that's always growing and climbing and wants to get what's next. And I think it’s continually shown time and time again that Utah is very ripe for sports.

• Elaina Pappas | LinkedIn Profile
• Utah Jazz | NBA Team
• Utah Mammoth | NHL Team
• David Eccles School of Business (@ubusiness) | Instagram
• Undergraduate Scholars Programs
• Rising Business Leaders
• Eccles Alumni Network (@ecclesalumni) | Instagram 
• Eccles Experience Magazine

Grab your headphones and mark your calendars. The Eccles Business Buzz podcast will be back on March 26th. I'm your host, Frances Johnson, and I hope you'll join me for our 10th season of Eccles Business Buzz. We have some great conversations and some exciting celebrations in store for you.

This season, you'll hear from Eccles alums who are shaping the future of professional sports in Utah, from an entrepreneur building a new company in the snack industry, and from entrepreneurs guiding their family company into the fourth generation.

We'll also hear from an Eccles alum and real estate developer working to address the shortage of affordable housing in Salt Lake City, and even from some of our Eccles grads fresh off competing in the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

And we have some special surprises to celebrate this milestone season. Every other Thursday, we'll be releasing trivia questions about the latest episode of the podcast, and the first person to submit the correct answer will score some cool Eccles swag. So, be sure you're subscribed to Eccles Business Buzz wherever you listen to podcasts, and make sure you're following us on Instagram @EcclesAlumni so you don't miss out. 

We can't wait for you to join us again!

We’re back for more stories about the impact the David Eccles School of Business has on the lives and careers of our alumni, and today, host Frances Johnson is joined by Steve Johnson and his sons Mitchell Johnson and Alex Johnson, multi-generational alums of the David Eccles School of Business, for an “All Johnson” episode on our season finale.

Steve Johnson is CFO at Parker-Migliorini International, LLCm also known as PMI Foods, where he has been since 2006.. Mitchell Johnson joined Big Four accounting firm KPMG in 2002 and currently works there as a senior audit associate. Alex Johnson works in inbound sales at Weave Communications. 

Frances talks to the Johnsons about their family’s multi-generational ties to the U of U,, the campus’s growth and new facilities, and favorite Eccles experiences such as Alex’s Business Scholars trips (including visits to Boeing and Amazon), Mitchell’s semester abroad in London through Eccles Global and other Business Scholars travel, and Steve’s IBM corporate finance internship. 

They also discuss the value of staying involved as young alumni—especially for in-person networking and forming long-term relationships. Steve shares the reasons why it is so important for his family to give back through scholarships and endowments, influenced by the scholarship support he and his father received and his experience reading scholarship applications on the University of Utah Alumni Board of Governors. 

They also reflect on how the Eccles School prepared them for different career paths through programs, professional development, and experiential learning, and offer students advice to slow down, broaden their horizons, and take advantage of campus resources and opportunities.

Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University.fm.

Eccles Business Buzz is proud to be selected by FeedSpot as one of the Top 70 Business School podcasts on the web. Learn more at https://podcast.feedspot.com/us_business_school_podcasts. 

What does Steve hope for his future generations?

[31:28] Frances Johnson: Your sons now all three graduates of the Eccles School, and you have just been so deeply involved as a donor, as an alum at the Eccles School level and the university level. What do you hope that they do to stay engaged with the Eccles School? How do you hope they contribute, and what do you hope they're going to gain from that continued connection in your family?

[32:02] Steve Johnson: Well, I hope they'll gain the same enjoyment and satisfaction that I did. The ability to feel a belonging, to continue to pass the torch along. The more involved you get and the more involved you get over time, you have a connection to the community. And it's very important. It is part of our community.

The power of the alumni network matters more than digital connections

[17:38] Mitchell Johnson: In the modern era, things like LinkedIn always are very beneficial to career advancement and building connections. But I think having the alumni network and having all the real in-person tangible connections just goes so, so far. And I think being able to keep, stay in touch with your old classmates, but also meeting people who have been alums for a long time, or who are fresh out of college. It’s great just to build those relationships, because you never know how far those could actually take you in life.

The career advantage of staying open to new connections

[20:16]: Alex Johnson: I think you never know at what point, like, the perfect career opportunity might come up for you. And I think you never want to shy away from those opportunities. And I think just continuing to increase your network is a great opportunity. I think sometimes what might happen is sometimes people, they leave college and they kind of get so focused in one area, they kind of shrink their network. But I think as you continue to build your network and meet new people, like even going to some of these alumni events, I have been able to meet new people who I did not know in college. And that is a great opportunity because you might be able to meet someone who has been in your shoes but was not the exact same age as you.

• Steve Johnson | LinkedIn
• Mitchell Johnson | LinkedIn
• Alex Johnson | LinkedIn
• David Eccles School of Business (@ubusiness) | Instagram
• Undergraduate Scholars Programs
• Rising Business Leaders
• Eccles Alumni Network (@ecclesalumni) | Instagram 
• Eccles Experience Magazine

As we approach the end of our season highlighting alumni from the University and the impact that the David Eccles School of Business has had on their lives and careers, we welcome back guest-host Annesley Womble, who talks with Dalton Wright, General Partner at Kickstart, a seed-stage venture capital firm with offices in Salt Lake City and Denver.

Dalton shares his unique career journey, which began with his involvement in the University Venture Fund and progressed to significant roles in venture capital, including helping to develop Utah’s first seed fund through Kickstart. He also discusses his non-linear career path, which included launching a startup and strategically working in venture capital in Mexico.

The University of Utah played a critical role in supporting Kickstart during its early formation, providing guidance and infrastructure as the company navigated the challenges of launching a startup. Kickstart’s initial investment meetings were held at the University of Utah Technology Transfer Office, and the University was instrumental in the firm’s successful launch. Dalton also helped develop the Campus Founders Fund, a student-run investment fund established after his return to Utah. Today, the fund has invested in more than 30 student startups, including one that now generates several hundred million dollars in annual revenue. This University of Utah initiative has helped launch the careers of many students into the venture capital industry.

Dalton emphasizes the importance of embracing change, redefining risk, and maintaining curiosity amid the evolving technological landscape. This episode is filled with insights on entrepreneurship, venture capital, and the value of pursuing passion over a linear career path.

Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University.fm.

Eccles Business Buzz is proud to be selected by FeedSpot as one of the Top 70 Business School podcasts on the web. Learn more at https://podcast.feedspot.com/us_business_school_podcasts. 

Why the best career opportunities often look uncertain at first

[10:31] When Kickstart was launching, I saw that as my opportunity to learn seed-stage venture capital with somebody who was the founder, the entrepreneur in that category. And so I was lucky enough to get the job as the first hire with the fund. We had $4 million under management at the time. This is the 2008 Great Recession. So I can empathize with any cohort of students who's graduating and wondering, like, is the world going to change forever? And will there ever be employment opportunities for me again? You know, nobody wanted to fund our fund. People saw it as like a community service project support entrepreneurs, but nobody was looking at it as these guys are going to go build like a franchise venture capital fund. But, you know, most good things look like that in the beginning. They're not yet exciting, they're not yet successful, and you have to be able to suspend what you see in the present moment and imagine what this thing can become in the future.

Getting comfortable with fear and risk can help you explore a non-linear career path

[11:57] There's one point right after graduating from college where my peers were all pursuing the linear path, and I'm not in any way saying, "Oh, like, they made the wrong choice," because, like, I mean, so many people have different preferences, values, things that they're trying to optimize for. So I never am trying to, like, say, "But my way is like, let me give someone else advice," because my way was my way, and it might not work for somebody else who even wants the same thing, let alone something entirely different. So I decided very early on that I was going to condition myself to feel comfortable with my fears and feel comfortable with the risks that I was taking. And so I think reframing what a risk is is really important if you want to take the nonlinear path.

On why knowing your “why” matters more than money when building a startup

[35:16] I've encouraged students to really think about the why behind what they're doing. And if it's to make money, a lot of money, it's like you can use that as a motivator, but there's also a lot of maybe easier ways or better ways, faster ways to have that need met. And so when you're grinding it out and you're not making money as a founder, and all of a sudden it's like, Hey, you can go take the consulting job and immediately have like a nice salary. Or you could potentially go get that, what causes you to say, Why would I ever consider that? And so I think if you know why you're building the thing and it's like truly rooted in the problem that you're trying to solve, the customers that you're serving, the change that you want to make in the world, if it's rooted in that, then you can lean on that through the down times to inspire you through that.

• Dalton Wright | LinkedIn
• Profile | Kickstart Fund
• David Eccles School of Business (@ubusiness) | Instagram
• Undergraduate Scholars Programs
• Rising Business Leaders
• Eccles Alumni Network (@ecclesalumni) | Instagram 
• Eccles Experience Magazine

We’re back for more stories about the impact the David Eccles School of Business has on the lives and careers of our alumni, and today we are sharing another success story of connections made through the David Eccles Alumni Network with Ben Holley.

Frances talks to Ben about how he went from earning a music degree at the University of Utah  and an MBA from Harvard Business School to now the VP of Finance for Disney Entertainment Television. 

Ben discusses his career journey, the importance of curiosity, and how it has consistently opened unexpected opportunities along the way. Ben shares insights from his varied roles throughout his tenure with Disney and emphasizes the value of building relationships and connections along the way. He also touches on his philanthropic efforts supporting Ukrainian families affected by war through the efforts of To Ukraine with Love. This episode offers valuable advice for anyone navigating career changes, fostering curiosity, and maintaining optimism.

Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University.fm.

Eccles Business Buzz is proud to be selected by FeedSpot as one of the Top 70 Business School podcasts on the web. Learn more at https://podcast.feedspot.com/us_business_school_podcasts. 

Ben reveals how building relationships and connections shaped his career path

[12:41] The other theme besides curiosity that might emerge in this conversation you'll hear me say again and again is the importance of building relationships and building connections. Whether that be, as we've been discussing, to help manage a business that you're part of, or whether it's building your career, connecting to those that are further on in their careers that may be able to provide advice or guidance. I remember an experience as a student when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do. I didn't really know what I wanted to do, and so I sat down and interviewed, in effect, 10 or 12 local businesspeople and asked them all about their jobs. I'd say, What do you like about your job? What do you hate about your job? What does your family think of your job? Do you make a lot of money? Do you not make a lot of money? What education did you have? Should I be thinking about an MBA? All of those questions. And the lesson I learned from that, walking away from all those interactions, there's not one that stands out to me as, Oh, that was the one; that was the silver bullet; that person knew everything that needed to be known. In reality, what happened was it was me talking about my interests and hearing other people react to those interests, and hearing a little bit about that helped me in my own mind to crystallize what I thought was sort of the right path for me, and that process of discussing and exploring different opportunities in different fields was really what helped me shape my own direction.

On why students shouldn’t be afraid to approach mentors and industry leaders

[15:43] At the outset you do have to have a little bit of self-confidence to pick up the phone or send an email or a text or whatever to reach out and make that connection. But what I found, and I think what most people will find, is that people are eager to share their own experience and eager to give advice. They feel flattered, right? When you reach out to them and say, “Hey, you're smarter than me; tell me what I should do.” And so, if I could dispel the fear that some people feel about reaching out, know that most people are eager to share their experience and talk to especially students.

How being curious and making bold moves helped Ben get to where he is today

[17:18] I thought to myself, I'm capable. I can certainly explore it, right? Figure it out and try and make that move, and through a series of interactions and connections and opportunities that I was able to find myself in the role I'm in now supporting the television side of the business, which is so funny. I came into this a little bit naive, right? Thinking, oh, finance is finance and Disney is Disney. But in reality, the television business is very different than the parks and resorts business, and it took a long time for me to learn the business, to get to know the people, but it's the same thing. It's the same thing I was doing at the call center, right? It's, you know, find the guy who's running the tech, who's asking you questions, figure out how the business works, how the business runs. Connect with the people, understand who's making decisions and guiding the business, and get to know them and let them get to know you, and that'll serve you well. It served me well, certainly.

• Ben Holley | LinkedIn
• To Ukraine with Love
• Utah Entrepreneur Challenge
• David Eccles School of Business (@ubusiness) | Instagram
• Undergraduate Scholars Programs
• Rising Business Leaders
• Eccles Alumni Network (@ecclesalumni) | Instagram 
• Eccles Experience Magazine

We’re back for more stories about the impact the David Eccles School of Business has on their lives and careers, and for this episode, host Frances Johnson is joined by Ashley Atkinson Williamson, Founder and Principal at Williamson Development. 

In this episode, Frances talks to Ashley about her journey from med school to finance and then real estate, and what valuable lessons she learned from each segment, and how it all helps her now in her passion for real estate development. 

Ashley discusses her other significant projects, including the co-founding of Utah’s Perpetual Housing Fund, and highlights the importance of adaptability, intuition, continuous learning, and building strong relationships. Ashley also emphasizes the value of grit and open-mindedness in navigating career changes and underscores the importance of community involvement and giving back.

Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University.fm.

Eccles Business Buzz is proud to be selected by FeedSpot as one of the Top 70 Business School podcasts on the web. Learn more at https://podcast.feedspot.com/us_business_school_podcasts. 

Being a lifelong learner helps you embrace change and every pivot that comes with it.

[21:21] I think that intuitiveness comes from experiences and learning. Now I'm 30, almost 35, and I still am like, well, now what am I going to learn? Like now I learned LIHTC; what should I learn next? Because you just have no idea where that's going to help you somewhere else. Anyway, I think continuing to want to learn and enjoy it, even if it's like architecture or planning or art or something that really, maybe it's adjacent, maybe it has nothing to do with your career, I think reading books about anything will help you somewhere. So I think just that mindset of enjoying learning—try to keep that up even when you're in the thick of long workweeks and your late twenties and early thirties. Find a way to learn and enjoy what you're learning.

Ashley reveals what it took for her to push past the fear of changing careers.

[16:42] Frances Johnson: Talk to us about how you motivated yourself and how you prepared yourself. What was it, maybe a mantra or a ritual or something that allowed you to overcome that fear and just really go for the opportunity?

[16:58] Ashley Atkinson Williamson: I think it was just this self-knowing that this is where I want to be. I could have stayed at the bank; I could have worked my way up, but looking like five or ten years ahead, would I just have wasted those five or ten years, or would I be putting my effort into something else? And I have to attribute it to just grit. Like I just knew that this is where I was supposed to be. There were a lot of miserable days. Some of those days dragged on for a very long time, but I just, if this is what I wanted to do, I had to start somewhere. I had to get my foot in the door, and I do think that's one of my most valuable skills, especially being a developer.

How staying connected to the alumni network opened doors for Ashley

[30:52] I have gotten job offers, partnership opportunities from the relationships that I made years later. Like you talked about, maybe these relationships are going to bring opportunities years in the future. I'm really busy now. I'm running a business, and I'm a mom to a one-and-a-half-year-old, but I still make a point to say yes anytime I get invited to the U because, and I'm sure this is the same for most alums, we just want to give back to the school that gave so much to us. And I love getting invited to come back, and I love meeting with the students, and I really hope that I can inspire someone that maybe is nervous about jumping into something that seems scary or not following exactly the trajectory that seems like either their other classmates are doing or their mentors are kind of pushing them. Like just be open to doing something a little different. Anyway, I am always excited to come and tell my story and to try to help any students that I can.

• Ashley Atkinson Williamson | LinkedIn
• Utah’s Perpetual Housing Fund | Website
• David Eccles School of Business (@ubusiness) | Instagram
• Undergraduate Scholars Programs
• Rising Business Leaders
• Eccles Alumni Network (@ecclesalumni) | Instagram 
• Eccles Experience Magazine

This season we are exploring all the different ways the David Eccles School of Business has impacted our alums, and today we are exploring the benefit of generational engagement with the Eccles School and the U, for businesses, communities, and families. We’re back for more stories about the impact the David Eccles School of Business has on their lives and careers, and for this episode, host Frances Johnson is joined by Jeff Young, Executive Vice President at YESCO. 

In this episode, host Frances Johnson is joined by Jeff Young, Executive Vice President at YESCO, a custom electric sign company. Frances talks to Jeff about his multi-generational family business, its origins, and its evolution, including key projects like the 2002 Winter Olympics and the massive screen installation at the Las Vegas Sphere. 

Jeff discusses the deep-rooted connection between his family and the University of Utah, including a 100 year legacy of family alumni. He also emphasizes the impact of the David Eccles School of Business on their success. Jeff highlights the importance of continuous learning, leveraging networks, and investing in education for the company's growth. This episode underscores the reciprocal relationship between YESCO and the Eccles School, illustrating how education and community engagement drive long-term business success.

Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University.fm.

Eccles Business Buzz is proud to be selected by FeedSpot as one of the Top 70 Business School podcasts on the web. Learn more at https://podcast.feedspot.com/us_business_school_podcasts. 

Why investing in the U is a growth strategy for business owners 

[25:34] If you go to the Small Business Administration statistics, we know that businesses just don't… You have a higher chance of failing than not. And with the headwind we have in our economy, in our world, you've got to pursue every possible avenue to create a successful trajectory. And that means hitting all channels. If you are not investing in yourselves and in your organizations and your people, you're going to fail, probably. And the university… I can't think of a more beautiful, well-situated campus, meaning the business school campus, a set of buildings, and a group of more capable people to help host events, and a more capable group of people who can help bring material and content to the training than the University of Utah. I mean, I'm practically looking at it out my window. I'm facing north. Having grown up in, basically, in the University of Utah neighborhood, I have a real deep feeling of love and appreciation for everything that you do and the value you bring. And so, we, as an organization, you just wonder where we'd be without the benefit of having this university so close and all the insights, thoughts, skills, aptitudes that have come because of that.

How Jeff’s ties to the U and the Eccles School help sustain a multi-generation family business

[10:02] Frances Johnson: I'd love to hear from you how your connection to the U and to the Eccles School has helped sustain your family business into so many generations.

[10:13] Jeff Young: That's really a great question. Without the knowledge of how family businesses operate within the state, we've been able to meet dozens and dozens of other family businesses that strangely are also centennial-long businesses, and it's amazing to know that our grandfathers knew each other. Our grandmothers knew each other. Our fathers and mothers knew each other. And in current generations, a lot of them have gone through the University of Utah. And so, it's great to have the familiarity and that point of reference. And so, the business building in particular, we know where to go. We know who the people are, and it just feels like home to us. And we look around the room and see everyone else in that conference, and we say, "Yeah, we started here. We're still here. And we continue to decide to be here for all the right reasons." So, that continuing education and connection is vital. 

On how Eccles School equipped Jeff for success

[4:00] The challenges we're facing today are much different than they were when we went to school. But the aptitude to want to learn, to apply, and to continue to learn and apply remains true. As recently as this morning, I had my face in a book. I've just purchased it. I've got 90 people coming to a training next Tuesday. This training has to be fresh and to the point, and pertinent to what they're facing. It's a sales group, right? And you say, "Okay, here's some additional tools that you can apply in your life to make your lives better." And the idea that we're not fearful of learning more is we've got to continue the learning and the application of that learning. Every day, every week, every month. That spirit of that is as alive today as it was when I was walking in and out, it's a new building, walking in and out those buildings that are long since gone. It's as fresh today as it ever will be. There's no way that I could do any of that today as well as I am if it hadn't been for the education I received at the University of Utah. There's just no way.

• Jeff Young | LinkedIn
• Jeff Young | Family Business Magazine Profile
• YESCO.com
• David Eccles School of Business (@ubusiness) | Instagram
• Undergraduate Scholars Programs
• Rising Business Leaders
• Eccles Alumni Network (@ecclesalumni) | Instagram 
• Eccles Experience Magazine

We’re back for more stories about the impact the David Eccles School of Business has on the lives and careers of our alums, and today we are sharing another success story of connections made through the David Eccles Alumni Network with Jeff Lewis and Alexandra Floor.

Continuing our focus on mentorship and networking, Frances talks to Jeff and Alexandra about how they connected through the Eccles School, and how that connection led to an internship opportunity that created benefits for both Jeff and Alexandra. 

Jeff, a wealth management advisor at Northwestern Mutual and Founder/CEO of Gelder Generational Wealth, served as a member of the David Eccles Alumni Network Board for 15 years, and Alexandra, set to graduate from the David Eccles School of Business this spring, serves as the director of Mentorship for Women in Finance and vice president of recruitment for Alpha Phi. Jeff has been involved with the school as an alum and a mentor, while Alexandra shares her experiences as a student benefiting from these connections. They discuss the value of internships, mentorship, and the ways in which the alumni network fosters professional growth for both current students and graduates. 

Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University.fm.

Eccles Business Buzz is proud to be selected by FeedSpot as one of the Top 70 Business School podcasts on the web. Learn more at https://podcast.feedspot.com/us_business_school_podcasts. 

Alexandra reveals the real secret to building and growing your network

[27:48] You're only as smart as the people you surround yourself by. And if you don't reach out to people who are smarter than you and intelligent and not in a negative way, but as students, there's so much opportunity out there. And for people with such high levels of experience, I mean, Jeff's been in the business for almost 30 years and for just taking that step to reach out and be around them and surround yourself, even if it's just lunch, even if you know it does turn into an internship, is the only way you're going to grow so significantly and build your network. 

Why experiential opportunities build student confidence

[13:46] When you think about an internship, it's really that you're test driving a career, and you're doing it without high consequence. You're not going into it with this expectation of being there for years on end. You're going into it with the parameters that are dialed out, like in this case, a semester. In some cases, it's just summer. But I think that's where the opportunity lies with an intern opportunity: to really have the student engage in that experiential learning and do it in order to build their confidence and really stretch themselves because I think that's what's going to differentiate them, not only on a resume, but really in the marketplace to be able to say, “Look, I've done something; I've done something different here, and here's why I know I do or don't want to continue to do that.” And I think that's something that, from my standpoint, if we find out that it's not a good fit, we're going to hopefully help that intern find something else that's a better fit. And when I was mentoring some students years ago, when they started the mentoring program at the University of Utah formally, I remember being in the union, and there were so many students that wanted to have mentors, and I had a table of about 10 students. And I learned very quickly that some of them just really wanted to have that interaction, to have discussions, have conversations, and some of them just wanted to be walked down the road. 

Jeff reminds alumni that simply showing up makes a big impact on a student’s life

[25:58] It's always fun to have that connection with people that you just have been able to do some good with and to be able to raise money for scholarships or to be able to mentor incoming students or outgoing students or those that are right in the middle. So all of the above. And I would encourage anybody if they're having second thoughts about doing it, like, “Well, I don't know if I can really help.” There's always something you can do. Showing up is such a great thing. There are so many people that come up and just invest a little bit of time, and it really yields some great benefits for the students and all those that are participating.

• Jeff Lewis | LinkedIn
• Jeffrey Gelder Lewis | Northwestern Mutual
• Alexandra Floor | LinkedIn
• David Eccles School of Business (@ubusiness) | Instagram
• Undergraduate Scholars Programs
• Rising Business Leaders
• Eccles Alumni Network (@ecclesalumni) | Instagram 
• Eccles Experience Magazine

We’re back for more stories about the impact the David Eccles School of Business has on the lives and careers of our alums. In this episode, host Frances Johnson is joined by Justin Spangler and Diego Alvarez for a conversation about the power of making connections through the David Eccles Alumni Network. 

Frances talks to Justin and Diego about the start of their mentor/mentee relationship, as well as discussing some of the benefits of staying involved with the Eccles Alumni Network. Justin, an Information Systems graduate and current executive MBA student, serves as the chair of the David Eccles Alumni Network Board and is actively involved in mentoring students like Diego. Diego, a senior studying marketing and information systems, shares how his connection with Justin helped him secure a Google internship and offers insights on the value of building strong alumni ties. Both of them emphasize the importance of relationships, mentorship, and staying engaged with the alumni network to enhance career success and personal growth.

Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University.fm.

Eccles Business Buzz is proud to be selected by FeedSpot as one of the Top 70 Business School podcasts on the web. Learn more at https://podcast.feedspot.com/us_business_school_podcasts. 

Diego reveals the mistake he made when connecting with alumni and what he’s learned since

[06:58] Diego Alvarez: Going back to my early college career, and especially when I met Justin my sophomore year, the idea of meeting alumni at the beginning was pretty intimidating, especially when you think about networking too, and reaching out to people and like, oh, what does that look like? What does that mean? But as I've gotten to meet so many great alumni, I've realized just how great of a resource they are and how many people are out there willing to speak to you, willing to help you out. And what I really appreciate about it is it connects the theory or skills that you learn in classes to your actual career work. [08:03] And in my experience, I admit this is a mistake I've done in the past too. I think people jump all the way to the end where it's like, "Hey, can I have a referral?" or "Hey, I'm applying for this position; can you help me out?" But starting to build those relationships now during your undergrad experience and not at the end of your undergrad experience is super valuable because, like both of you mentioned, it is a relationship, and if you just look at it as, "Oh, I just want that referral," or "I just want that extra push in a position that I'm applying for," I feel like you're missing out on the entire experience that you can have.

How having Justin as a mentor helped Diego find direction as a first-generation college student

[19:36] Diego Alvarez: Just the feedback and practice that I received with Justin was monumental [and] was huge for me. Being able to have that person to bounce ideas back and forth to practice. We did a few interview prep sessions. He really helped me learn how to kind of sell myself as an individual when it comes to, not just interviews, but the moment you meet someone, the moment you talk to someone. And that was huge. Just in making myself more personal, making myself a friendlier person just in general, but also with my career as well. So having that feedback was massive, and not having someone to bounce those ideas back with, honestly, it would've been like wandering around in the dark, not knowing, okay, is it working or not? And when I find out if it is working or if it's not working, I'm probably finding out once they're sending me an email saying, "Hey, we're going to move on with someone else," or, "Hey, we'd like to continue on." So having that feedback, having that input, was awesome. And then going back to that support, just having those people who are champion for you, who push for you, is awesome. Those people who remove barriers for you has been huge. So those things, like knowing the barriers that could have been in my way if I didn't have someone like Justin or have the other mentors that I've had in my life, knowing the feedback and the conversation I've had. If I didn't have that, I don't know if I would've been able to go as far as I have. 

Justin shares how mentoring a first-gen student reignited his own motivation

[23:40] Justin Spangler: I learned a lot from Diego. As I mentioned, Diego's a self-starter. He's overcome a lot. First generation in college, as we've talked about on this podcast, that inspires me as a mentor to be better and think of ways that I can help. And you know, when you're in that rut that I spoke about just a couple of minutes ago, you know, I'll get you out of it, and Diego's a shining great example of that. So definitely from a motivation perspective, relationships are a gem. I think we spoke about that earlier in the podcast, and there's value in having relationships and not just thinking those so short-term, as you mentioned, Frances, but long-term. I think there's a huge benefit to having friends and friends that you care about for a long period of time. It's been fun to watch Diego learn and grow over these last couple of years, and in my life, that helps me be more motivated to continue to learn and grow. When you get to where I am, about almost 10 years into the working field, you can kind of hit a low, you can kind of hit a plateau, and sometimes you need that motivation to help you keep coming up.

• Justin Spangler | LinkedIn
• Diego Alvarez | LinkedIn
• My Eccles Experience: Diego Alvarez | Article
• David Eccles School of Business (@ubusiness) | Instagram
• Undergraduate Scholars Programs
• Rising Business Leaders
• Eccles Alumni Network (@ecclesalumni) | Instagram 
• Eccles Experience Magazine