Archive: Beth Ryan | Business and Economics

Beth Ryan

Financial Literacy & Certified Financial Analyst (CFA) Certification

By Beth Ryan October 5th 2021

Gene & the Wealth Management Club Board from left: Kylie Kasavage ‘23, Gene Natali, Morgan Douglas ’23, Jacob Dukman ‘22, Morgan Libell ’22

The Bruce R. Thompson Center for Business & Economics and Wealth Management Club welcomed back Gene Natali ’01 on Thursday, October 5 in Quigley Auditorium. He is the CEO and co-founder of the fintech company, Troutwood. Prior to starting Troutwood, Gene spent 17-years working with large retirement plans and institutional investors.

He is an award-winning author (The Missing Semester Series) who has key-noted investment and education conferences across the country and spoken in over 500 high school and college classrooms. He is a part-time lecturer at the University of Pittsburgh where he teaches Personal Finance. Gene is a Chartered Financial Analyst, holds an MBA with a concentration in finance from Carnegie Mellon University and a bachelor’s degree with a concentration in economics from Allegheny College.

His second book in the Missing Semester series addresses the most overlooked subject in financial-literacy education-investing. Primarily addressing students and recent graduates, its lessons are not laden with jargon; its focus is topics and choices that apply to most young people, not just a few, and not those relevant only late in life. The Missing Second Semester presents a call to action: You’re in charge. Understand the opportunity, and make the choices.

The Bruce R. Thompson Center for Business and Economics (CBE) prepares Allegheny College students to succeed in a diverse, global economy. The Lunchtime Learning Lecture Series provides students with opportunities to gain valuable information on topics and industries related to internships and careers. The Allegheny College Wealth Management Club (ACWMC) is designed to create a structured educational environment for the Allegheny community. The primary purpose of the club is to offer participants a collaborative environment in which they can openly discuss and learn about topics relating to personal finance. ACWMC organizes seminars, panels, and excursions on issues related to investments, real estate, and credit.

Marketing Monday – Agile Neuroscience: Using remote tools to capture immersive consumer experiences

By Beth Ryan October 5th 2021

The Bruce R. Thompson Center for Business & Economics Marketing Monday lecture series for October featured Jorge Barraza, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of the Practice of Psychology, and Co-founder & Chief Technology Officer at Immersion, a company that provides a truly agile neuroscience tools that predict what people love.

He is a professor of Consumer Psychology at the University of Southern California (USC), specializing in applying psychology and neuroscience to understanding and predicting consumer behavior. He has published numerous articles on emotion, decision neuroscience, and the use of stories to influence decision making. He teaches Consumer Psychology, Pro-Seminar, and Treatise at USC.

Gator Day at Quigley: Professional Experiences with the CBE Fellows

By Beth Ryan September 20th 2021

Allegheny College students can participate in a wide variety of summer experiences over the summer months including internships, research, volunteer work and self-designed learning experiences.

To celebrate Gator Day, the CBE Fellows organized a panel discussion and networking event on Wednesday, September 22, from 11:30 am until 1:00 PM in Henderson Auditorium to share their experiences in the Business and Economics field with ideas about how students can make the most of their summer!

The Bruce R. Thompson Center for Business and Economics (CBE) prepares Allegheny College students to succeed in a diverse, global economy. CBE Fellows are a select group of motivated students that function as a leadership team to support CBE programming and act as student ambassadors. Gator Day is offered every fall semester and features programs and workshops that highlight educational opportunities at Allegheny, that prepare students for life after graduation, and that help to create a greater sense of campus community. Gator Day is set aside as a day with no scheduled classes or extracurricular activities, so that students are free to take advantage of the opportunity to explore what Allegheny has to offer.

CBE Summer Experiences with Arigun Bayaraa ’21

By Beth Ryan September 8th 2021

Allegheny students come to Meadville from around the world. Due to COVID restrictions on international travel last year, CBE Fellow Arigun Bayaraa ’21 found himself working in the late evenings and early hours of the morning on ZOOM from his home in Mongolia. We were grateful that he was able to return safely to campus, and curious to learn more about his summer internship. We asked…

How did you spend last summer?

Arigun: Last summer I completed my marketing internship at Tavan Bogd Trade Group in Mongolia. It is one of Mongolia’s biggest companies with over 11 thousand employees, 14 subsidiaries, and 4 investment companies. I worked there as a marketing intern and worked on projects like brand awareness, market research, and mystery customer surveys. It was definitely very interesting to work there in these uncertain times because I had the opportunity to work both in-person and remote in the Tavan Bogd Trade Group to see how the workforce is shifting and adjusting with the pandemic.

How difficult was it for you to return to campus from Mongolia?

Arigun: Due to the limited number of charter flights, I had only few available dates to fly out of Mongolia and that made traveling a little difficult, but I managed to arrive on campus on time!

What is your advice to incoming international students?

Arigun: I would advise incoming international students to be active and avoid being passive. Whether if it’s meeting new people or trying out new activities, I would advise them to seek discomfort to truly grow and enjoy their time. Personally, my proudest and most grateful moments were all once my greatest fear or uncertainty, but bursting out of that comfort zone really helped me to make the best use of my time here.

Arigun Bayaraa is a senior from Mongolia, majoring in Business and minoring in Communication & Culture Studies at Allegheny. He is a CBE Fellow, Global Citizen Scholar, and the HRA of Walker. His hobbies are archery, chess, and working out.

Unleashing your most potent marketing asset: Your Capital S Story

By Beth Ryan September 1st 2021

The Marketing Monday series returned on September 13th featuring Paul Furiga, President and Chief Storyteller at Word Write, a PR and digital marketing agency in Pittsburgh, PA.

Paul learned storytelling by writing and editing more than 20,000 stories during two decades as a journalist before going into public relations. At WordWrite, he ponders the question: Why should someone consider hiring us, working with us or partnering with us? The answers to those questions help him chart the next chapter in WordWrite’s evolving Capital S Story. He’s quite literally written the book on that topic, Finding Your Capital S Story, Why Your Story Drives Your Brand.

The career path that Paul traveled to PR is a story in itself. He’s been a racetrack photographer, theater usher, investigative journalist, wannabe musician, classical radio host, broadcast journalist, White House correspondent and editor.

Paul spent several years at the global agency Ketchum Public Relations, where his clients included Alcoa, Bridgestone/Firestone and Rutgers University. When he founded WordWrite in 2002, Paul’s experience in journalism and PR convinced him there was a better way to deliver results — through storytelling.

He first learned to tell stories at Miami University of Ohio — NOT the Miami in Florida. This one is much older and there are no palm trees on campus. Paul’s degree says B.S. in mass communications — and he admits, he can B.S. with the best of ‘em!

At WordWrite, Paul takes his role as teacher and mentor seriously, working to encourage, inspire and support our team and the many fine young people he meets in our profession and community.

CBE Summer Experiences with Sarah Schmidt ’21

By Beth Ryan August 31st 2021

Women in Business and Economics Club Vice President, Sarah Schmidt ’21 prepared key research for the Department of Business & Economics through the URSCA program this summer, presenting her findings to the entire Allegheny College campus community. We asked Sarah…

What are your duties?

Sarah: For my summer research experience, I worked with Professor Martin and Professor Ormiston to create a plan to analyze gendered differences in student experiences in the Business and Economics Department. I started my research by completing a literature review to have the necessary background knowledge on gender in the field of economics. We utilized focus groups as a way to gather data about how students interact with the department and the fields of business and economics. One of my duties was to moderate these focus group experiences. We then used qualitative analysis to evaluate the data for common themes and gendered differences. I am continuing this work as my senior comp this fall. The next step is to complete more focus groups to gather more robust and representative data. I am also adding a quantitative section to test for gender difference in students’ attitudes towards economics.

Would you recommend summer research to another student?

Sarah: I would definitely recommend students to take summer research opportunities. Partaking in summer research is a great way to gain research experience that will be useful for future employment, graduate school, and especially senior comp projects. It is also a good way to explore areas of interest that are outside of what is covered in class. Through my work with the Women in Business and Economics Club, I have become interested in the issues faced by women in the field, which this research experience allowed me to explore. Depending on the topic and goal of the research, it is also a good way to make an impact on campus and the surrounding community.

Sarah Schmidt has a a double major in Economics and Environmental Science & Sustainability. On campus, she is involved in the Women in Business and Economics Club, where she serves as the Vice President. She is a member of the Global Citizens Scholar Program and the Economics Honor Society.

CBE Experiences with Morgan Libell ’22

By Beth Ryan August 24th 2021

The COVID era has brought many shifts and changes to summer plans for college students, yet many have discovered productive ways to make the best use of their time. We asked Morgan Libell ’22, President of the Wealth Management Club…

How is your summer going?

This summer I have been working, visiting the wonders of Pittsburgh, and safely traveling around the east coast. The Wealth Management Club Team and I have been hard at work to develop a better website, and successfully launch our financial literacy campaign for the local Meadville high schools. We are also actively planning activities and seminars for the fall, and hope to do further recruiting to grow the club. So watch out for us on social media and the My Allegheny email!

What is you favorite CBE memory?

My favorite memory from the CBE is going to the Women in Economics symposium at the Cleveland FED.

What advice to you have for new students?

My advice is to take advantage of talking to the great CBE professors and staff because they can truly help you understand the various paths. Also, research what kind of career and industry you want so you can cater your classes to that path.

Mogan Libell is a Junior at Allegheny from Pittsburgh, PA. She is a Business Major and Global Health Studies Minor, and President of the Allegheny College Wealth Management Club.

Looking Forward to the New Normal while Honoring the Past

By Beth Ryan August 19th 2021

Take a moment to enjoy our Spring/Summer 2021 newsletter, the Business and Economics Review, which summarizes our events and accomplishments during the spring semester. We are looking forward to the return of on-campus learning and already have many exciting events scheduled around our fall theme: “Business in a Diverse Global Economy.” You can find it here

At the Bruce R. Thompson Center for Business and Economics, students may choose to pursue a major in economics or business with each course of study applying the rigor of a strong background in economic theory with the added benefit of interdisciplinary course work that allows students to create a concentration that matches their personal interests.

CBE Experiences with Ray Englert ’22

By Beth Ryan August 17th 2021

This summer, rising senior Ray Englert is working on a research project with Dr. Tim Bianco investigating the regional economy, while concurrently working with the Director of Student Life planning activities for the upcoming semester. We asked Ray…

How did you find these two opportunities?

Ray: This summer, I technically have two occupations: research with the Bruce Thompson CBE on the economy of Western Pennsylvania, and planning events with the Director of Student Life (this one is only 2 hours per week). My first job was pretty easy to find as I received an email from my advisor, who I have taken several economics classes with in the past, that was basically asking for students interested in a research project with him. After replying with a resume that included skills relevant to the job, I landed it. My second job was similarly easy, as I was familiar with the supervisor and she contacted me from a list of people looking for help with her project.

What are your duties?

Ray: My first job is a mix of objectives. We started by working on data for social services provided by the government, condensing it into a usable form for a summary of the regional economy. I conducted several interviews with industry leaders and public servants to investigate perspectives of the economy so that I could then identify some significant aspects of the economy I may have missed otherwise. Currently I am looking into a few different topics, namely the region’s demographics and industry/business. As I collect data and produce graphs to display the data, I am aiding in writing a draft of our report that analyzes everything we find. My second job is much more simple, as I serve as an extra person to contact organizations and companies to plan programming for the start of Fall.

Would you recommend these activities to other students?

I decided to do research work on campus this summer instead of working at home because I wanted to add job experience in this field to my resume. So far, the work I have done has been gratifying, and I greatly prefer it to the standard summer job for college students. There is a lot to be said about the experience of working with your peers and Professors on behalf of the College. I look forward to finding where I can implement this work experience in my applications for jobs in the future, as I think it fits my interests well. I would definitely recommend this type of job to other students, with the caveat that they should consider all of their options before committing to a summer on campus. Wages are slightly higher at some other types of seasonal jobs currently, and some internships may be available that pay better or give you the option to not live on campus paying the cost of a room.

Ray Englert is a Business Major with a Minor in Energy & Society, involved in several areas of the campus community. He is the Facilities Intern for the Office of Residence Life, while also holding the PR/Events position for the Interfraternity Council. Ray serves as the Vice President, Alumni Secretary, and PR Chairman for his Fraternity, Phi Delta Theta.

CBE Experiences with Megan Dennis ’23

By Beth Ryan August 10th 2021

Not all experiences are alike, especially during a global pandemic. CBE Fellow Megan Dennis found a creative way to make the most of her summer while continuing to broaden her learning experience. Here’s what she had to say:

Megan: Since I did not secure a summer internship due to uncertainty following the pandemic, I embraced a growth-mindset for my summer 2021 activities. Determined to continue my education, I focused on three main areas: language proficiency, knowledge, and travel. This included conversations and practice books in Mandarin Chinese and Korean, visits to New York City’s most famous museums and Colorado’s iconic sites, and a reading list self-curated from the local library. My summer reading list includes: “What Color Is Your Parachute 2020,” “The Defining Decade: Why Your 20s Matter and How to Make the Most of Them Now,” and “The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth.”

For Megan’s full reading list, check out her LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megankdennis/.

Megan is a Junior at Allegheny College from Corry, PA. As a double major in Business and International Relations and a minor in Mandarin, Megan aims to combine cultural understanding with innovative business practices to transform the international market. Specific markets of interest include: music, sports, and the environment. She is currently preparing to study abroad in Asia where she will gain experiences and knowledge to help with the research for her Senior Comp at Allegheny as well as her future career.