PLYMOUTH, NH—Students in the College of Business Administration at Plymouth State University hosted an alumni networking dinner December 1, bringing back more than 20 business graduates and guests to talk one-on-one with current students. Members of the Delta Mu Delta Honor Society in Business presented the program.
Senior marketing major Paul Allen of Plymouth introduced alumnus and Common Man Restaurants CEO Jason Lyon, keynote speaker for the evening, who said he was in the right place at the right time to build a career with the Common Man companies. Lyon started as a dishwasher in his youth, but after graduation from PSU in 1994 he was quickly hired as manager of the Ashland Common Man restaurant. Even though he had his eye on Wall Street, new opportunities within the company have kept convincing him to stay.
Lyon encouraged students to have a five-year plan when they graduate, and to know how they will implement it. “Making the transition into this marketplace will require tenacity and persistence,” he said. “The buzz word for 2010 is differentiation. How will you differentiate yourself from all the other job seekers?”
Lyon exhorted students to be serious in every aspect of their job networking, interviewing and on the job performance, telling them to look and act professional, “crisp and clean,” turn off their Blackberries, be punctual, have a list of questions, and once hired be willing to make sacrifices to advance their careers and “make a name for yourselves.” He also encouraged them to continue their education and personal growth, to be active volunteers, to join trade associations and to keep up with their business or industry.
Jason Kleponis, a PSU senior accounting major from Reading, Mass. who is Delta Mu Delta Business Honorary Society chapter president, introduced the following alumni and guests:
- Roger Babin’ 74, Babin & Scalzo and PSU faculty
- Eileen Bennett ’93, PSU faculty
- Scott ’75 and Patti ’76, Biederman’s Deli and The Chase Street Market
- Debbie Burnell ’04, PSU adjunct faculty
- Peter Carl ’92, Case Point Investigations
- Jessica Dutile ’04, Pemi Youth Center and Faith, Hope and Love Foundation, PSU adjunct faculty
- Carlo Esidore ’09, The Hartford Life Insurance Company
- Michelle Forbes ’09, Crane & Bell
- Michael Kilfoyle ’07, Hickok & Boardman Group Benefits, PSU adjunct faculty
- Theresa Koehler ’04, formerly VP of Finance, and CFO, Heywood Hospital
- Peter Laufenberg ’08, Business Liaison Officer, PSU
- Yvette Lazdowski ’04, PSU faculty
- Jason Lyon ’94, CEO, The Common Man
- Robert Nadeau ’06, PSU adjunct faculty
- Kimberly Smith, Enterprise Rent A Car
- Michele Talwani ’96, External Relations and Communications Director, Community Development Finance Authority
- Bruce Wiggett ’74, formerly President and CEO, Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corporation; PSU faculty
- Andrew White ’09, Travis Hughes Consulting, LLC
- Roxana Wright ’01, PSU faculty
- Colin VanDenBerghe ’09, Liberty Mutual Insurance
Log on to ThisWeek@PSU, thisweek.blogs.plymouth.edu, for general information about events at PSU.
Photos:
Left: Kimberly Smith, Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Right: Jason Lyon, Common Man Restaurants
Clear. Haze. Temperature: 42; Wind: Calm; Conditions as of Sun May 19 at 03:00 AM EDT