  A Unique Business Partnership between Charlotte Campus CHARLOTTE, N.C. – February 18, 2008 — The Paxton Companies needed help, so they turned to the College of Business students at Johnson & Wales University, Charlotte Campus. The students created a consulting project for Paxton, a company that specializes in record retention for businesses as well as office and residential moving and storage. Students in the Strategic Marketing classes divided into teams, creating several mock marketing consulting companies. They visited the Paxton facility, developed and implemented customer research to determine the company’s needs, created SWOT (strategic planning tool used to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats involved in a project or in a business) analyses and determined strategic marketing alternatives. The student’s goal: to help Paxton increase its sales and profitability. The students presented their recommendations to Paxton management during a breakfast meeting on campus. They presented solutions for growing the record retention business to organizations such as schools, medical offices and other organizations that require extensive record management. Laurie Reichert, marketing major said, "This project... provides us with insight into business and it is an opportunity to work in a real world scenario. I like being able to solve a real marketing problem and provide solutions to the actual company management in a consulting presentation just like we will be doing after we graduate." Dr. Roland Sparks, chair of the College of Business, stated, "This is a great example of JWU helping a local business in the community. It is important that the business community know who we are and that we can help." Johnson & Wales University, founded in 1914, is a nonprofit, private institution. A recognized leader in career education, we offer accredited degrees in business, hospitality, culinary arts, technology and education. With a diverse student body of more than 16,000 graduate and undergraduate students, representing all 50 states and 89 countries, JWU prepares students for personal and professional success by integrating rigorous academics and professional skills, community leadership opportunities and our unique career education model. The university is committed to urban revitalization and thoughtful historic renovation. Through active civic participation and by offering unique learning opportunities, JWU improves the quality of life in its campus communities in Providence, R.I., North Miami, Fla., Denver, Colo., and Charlotte, N.C. For more information visit www.jwu.edu.
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