Import, export and Asian markets were among the topics at the Global Professionals Forum held on campus in July. Students learned alongside more than 100 participants from across the country. Hosted by Roy Becker Seminars and Global ID LLC, an international market research company owned by College of Business instructor Kelly Kasic, the event offered opportunities for networking as well.

Jim Reis, president of the Rocky Mountain World Trade Center, welcomed guests to workshops conducted by Kasic and Roy Becker on starting an import-export business, mitigating financial risks to improve cash flow, and Asian sales and marketing. Gilbert Devlyn, a student in the College of Business, discussed his experiences at JWU from an international student perspective.

He and his classmate, Brittney Smith, appreciated the high-caliber content on international business practices and trends. “The forum was a great way to meet professional businessmen and women from the Denver area who work in the global arena. It was fascinating to see the president of the Denver World Trade Center, the education director of the Denver World Trade Center, and renowned business owners and professors all in one place,” said Smith. “It was an opportunity I wouldn’t have wanted to miss.” Said student Justine Franz, completing a concentration in Supply Chain Management, “I gained valuable insights and techniques about importing and exporting ...The information will definitely help me later in my course work.”

The collaboration has other advantages. Kasic employs students as interns for Global ID LLC, some working for international companies.

JWU Students Tops at DNC When the City of Denver became home to the 2008 Democratic National Convention, staff and students of Johnson & Wales University — trained in all facets of the hospitality field — became hot commodities. The scope of the event offered opportunities for nonpartison hands-on training for a number of student interns.

During her junior year, Macy Pinkussohn was hired at the Colorado Convention Center to help with sales aspects of the DNC. The sports, entertainment, events management major was involved in early planning, handling site tours, issuing contracts, and receiving deposits for the designated groups at the convention. “As the CCC DNC sales associate, I was very fortunate to have this position and it truly was the experience of a lifetime,” says Pinkussohn.

Barbara Young, a junior, interned at the Pepsi Center for the past year working directly with the center’s general manager, and Stefanie Davidowitz interned alongside the deputy CEO for Convention Hall Operations helping “build-out” the Pepsi Center, overseeing program productions, media logistics and hall operations, readying the center for the more than 80,000 converging on the city.