A new Catawba College Business Advisory Board has recently been formed which will offer assistance to the Ketner School of Business. The 31-member Board, which has held its initial meeting and plans to reconvene March 16, consists of local and regional business professionals.

According to Phillip J. Kirk, Jr., Catawba's vice president for external relations, this Board "will be a valuable addition to the exciting and changes and enhancements we are experiencing and planning for the Ketner School of Business. Having the input from 30 successful business people from throughout the region will be of tremendous benefit to us as we begin a four-month strategic planning process for the future of the Ketner School of Business."  Kirk asked the group for its assistance in developing internships and evaluation mechanisms to measure employer and student satisfaction with the School of Business. He also encouraged members to make time to speak to various classes at Catawba.

At the Business Advisory Board's initial meeting, Catawba College President Robert Knott updated members on ongoing campus construction designed to make the campus more "student friendly," and efforts to reshape the student body through higher admissions standards. He challenged the Board to look for ways to help make the Ketner School of Business "distinctive" from other business programs.

Pam Thompson, chair of the Ketner School of Business, provided members with an overview of her department, including staff, curriculum, online courses, and accreditation. Others who addressed the Board included Marcia Miller, director of career services at Catawba, Dr. John Wear, director of Catawba's Center for the Environment, Dr. Edith Bolick, dean of Catawba's School of Evening and Graduate Studies, and Haley Bollinger, president of both Pi Sigma Epsilon, a marketing society, and Catawba's business honor society.

Ralph W. Ketner, one of the founders of Food Town (now Food Lion), and for whom the business school is named, serves as Honorary Chair of the Business Advisory Board. Other members include Jake Alexander, president of The Alexander Companies, Inc., Dr. Luanne Anderson of Anderson Dental Group, Lewis O. Campbell, Jr., vice president of category management at Food Lion, R. Gregory Dunn, vice president of Multiwall Packaging, Charles W. Elliott, chief executive officer of Rowan Regional Medical Center, Ted Goins, president and chief executive officer of Lutheran Services for the Aging, Inc., Randall W. Hemann, executive director of Downtown Salisbury, Inc., Myra E. Jolly, a human resources professional with Norandal USA, Inc., Mark Lewis, senior vice president Bank of North Carolina, Clay B. Lindsay, Jr., president of Summit Developers, Inc., Ben Lynch, consultant, Dyke Messinger, president and chief executive officer of Power Curbers, Inc., Julie Mobley, dean of business technologies at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, Robert Nolan, chief executive officer of Shat-R-Shield, Inc., Robert T. Roakes, a retired banker, Mark Seifel, IPaCS general manager of Square D IPaCS Integrated Business, Eric P. Slipp, global supply chain manager of personal care business for National Starch and Chemical, Lynn H. Weisler, retired bank executive and certified public accountant, Skip Wood, regional president of First National Bank, Robert H. Wright, president of Rowan County Chamber of Commerce, Guy Hoskins, III, chief financial officer and senior vice president of Farmers and Merchants Bank, and Timothy Proper, SunTrust City president, all of Salisbury; Ken Carrick of Coleman Lew and Associates, Mark E. Hollis, director of environmental policy and affairs at Duke Energy, and Joseph "Joey" C. Popp, president of Joey Popp Productions, all of Charlotte; Gary D. Walker, president of Walker Marketing, Inc., of Concord;  John M. Fisher of J.E. Fisher Insurance Company, of Granite Quarry;  Tom Abramowski, president of Rockwell Farms, of Rockwell; John Muth, executive vice president of VeloceNet, Inc., of Statesville; E. Stuart Powell, Jr., vice president of insurance operations of Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina, Inc., of Cary; Robert M. Van Geons, executive director of Stanly County Economic Development Commission, of Albemarle; and Randall White, vice president of Viking Polymers, Jamestown.

A new Catawba College Business Advisory Board has recently been formed which will offer assistance to the Ketner School of Business. The 31-member Board, which has held its initial meeting and plans to reconvene March 16, consists of local and regional business professionals.

According to Phillip J. Kirk, Jr., Catawba's vice president for external relations, this Board "will be a valuable addition to the exciting and changes and enhancements we are experiencing and planning for the Ketner School of Business. Having the input from 30 successful business people from throughout the region will be of tremendous benefit to us as we begin a four-month strategic planning process for the future of the Ketner School of Business."  Kirk asked the group for its assistance in developing internships and evaluation mechanisms to measure employer and student satisfaction with the School of Business. He also encouraged members to make time to speak to various classes at Catawba.

At the Business Advisory Board's initial meeting, Catawba College President Robert Knott updated members on ongoing campus construction designed to make the campus more "student friendly," and efforts to reshape the student body through higher admissions standards. He challenged the Board to look for ways to help make the Ketner School of Business "distinctive" from other business programs.

Pam Thompson, chair of the Ketner School of Business, provided members with an overview of her department, including staff, curriculum, online courses, and accreditation. Others who addressed the Board included Marcia Miller, director of career services at Catawba, Dr. John Wear, director of Catawba's Center for the Environment, Dr. Edith Bolick, dean of Catawba's School of Evening and Graduate Studies, and Haley Bollinger, president of both Pi Sigma Epsilon, a marketing society, and Catawba's business honor society.

Ralph W. Ketner, one of the founders of Food Town (now Food Lion), and for whom the business school is named, serves as Honorary Chair of the Business Advisory Board. Other members include Jake Alexander, president of The Alexander Companies, Inc., Dr. Luanne Anderson of Anderson Dental Group, Lewis O. Campbell, Jr., vice president of category management at Food Lion, R. Gregory Dunn, vice president of Multiwall Packaging, Charles W. Elliott, chief executive officer of Rowan Regional Medical Center, Ted Goins, president and chief executive officer of Lutheran Services for the Aging, Inc., Randall W. Hemann, executive director of Downtown Salisbury, Inc., Myra E. Jolly, a human resources professional with Norandal USA, Inc., Mark Lewis, senior vice president Bank of North Carolina, Clay B. Lindsay, Jr., president of Summit Developers, Inc., Ben Lynch, consultant, Dyke Messinger, president and chief executive officer of Power Curbers, Inc., Julie Mobley, dean of business technologies at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, Robert Nolan, chief executive officer of Shat-R-Shield, Inc., Robert T. Roakes, a retired banker, Mark Seifel, IPaCS general manager of Square D IPaCS Integrated Business, Eric P. Slipp, global supply chain manager of personal care business for National Starch and Chemical, Lynn H. Weisler, retired bank executive and certified public accountant, Skip Wood, regional president of First National Bank, Robert H. Wright, president of Rowan County Chamber of Commerce, Guy Hoskins, III, chief financial officer and senior vice president of Farmers and Merchants Bank, and Timothy Proper, SunTrust City president, all of Salisbury; Ken Carrick of Coleman Lew and Associates, Mark E. Hollis, director of environmental policy and affairs at Duke Energy, and Joseph "Joey" C. Popp, president of Joey Popp Productions, all of Charlotte; Gary D. Walker, president of Walker Marketing, Inc., of Concord;  John M. Fisher of J.E. Fisher Insurance Company, of Granite Quarry;  Tom Abramowski, president of Rockwell Farms, of Rockwell; John Muth, executive vice president of VeloceNet, Inc., of Statesville; E. Stuart Powell, Jr., vice president of insurance operations of Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina, Inc., of Cary; Robert M. Van Geons, executive director of Stanly County Economic Development Commission, of Albemarle; and Randall White, vice president of Viking Polymers, Jamestown.