EKU Berman Center Annual Report - 2021

BERMAN CENTER FOR PROFESSIONAL SALES

Message From the Dean

I have a confession to make – I’m not that good at sales. How many times have you heard that statement from a friend, colleague, or professional in your industry? In my case, I actually have the data – and a small sum of money – from selling books door-todoor in Hope, Arkansas, between my freshman and sophomore year of college. I was humbled by that summer but learned and cultivated valuable truths about sales that have stayed with me to this day.

The most fundamental truth is that we are always selling something. This report in your hands is our selling you on the value that the Berman Center for Professional Sales provides to our students, College, and University. You are going to read about the generous gifts that Louis and Maribeth Berman gave to start the Center, the number of students the Center has supported, and the global impact we have achieved in just a few short years.

Additionally, selling a product or service requires you to not only understand the market demand, be able to communicate that value to your customer, but also to act as a continuous improvement loop with those customers,

ensuring a valuable relationship well into the future. As our Executive Director, Dr. Lee Allison notes, “Selling is a profound act of service.”

Finally, the financial planning of a firm is based on the sales forecast; and sales generate the firm’s top line, ensuring a healthy bottom line. As one of my graduate professors preached on the value of cash-flow, “…you can’t take net Income to the bank.” What function of the firm has a greater impact on the ability to grow the business?

Given these truths, I’m proud to sell you on the Berman Center for Professional Sales. With our Sales Minor, my goal would be for all EKU students to earn that Minor. The next generation of leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, scientists, and teachers will come from across the university; and every one of them can benefit from understanding sales and understanding these truths.

Many thanks to Louis and Maribeth Berman, Dr. Allison, Professor Gogol, our students, faculty, donors, advisors, and alumni, who play a critical role in the success of this Center.

Dr. Thomas M. Martin Dean EKU College of Business

Building Upon Louis & Maribeth Berman’s Philanthropic Heritage

The Berman Center for Professional Sales was established with a generational gift from Louis and Maribeth Berman. Their $1 million gift secures operational funding, physical facilities, sales lab equipment, analytical software, dedicated faculty, scholarships, and several professional development opportunities for the Center’s students.

Mrs. Berman grew up in Richmond, graduating from Model Laboratory School and EKU. Most recently, her leadership as Chair of EKU’s Foundation Board through their “Make No Little Plans” campaign, raised $60 million dollars, far exceeding the $50 million dollar goal. She was also instrumental in formalizing the university’s annual “Giving Day”, a one-day event in the spring, that raised approximately $400,000 in 2022.

Mr. Berman, senior vice president with AssuredPartners, spent much of his career in commission sales, where he trained and mentored salespeople for over four decades. “Having spent most of the last 40 years hiring, training and mentoring sales people, I recognize the need for a pipeline of more sales professionals. Most recently, at my company, we have been looking

to sales programs across the country to recruit new sales professionals. Additionally, sales people are high-income earners and have the personality to give back.”

Executive Director Dr. Lee Allison predicts that EKU’s professional sales program will be a strong draw nationwide. “As we attract students and get them into the labs and competitions, we expect to accelerate the acquisition and refinement of their skills such that EKU students will be beating out students from the best, and most-established sales programs in the world.”

She added the center will expand its offerings to include executive training for corporate and executive stakeholders in the area.

“Our hope,” Mr. Berman said, “is that EKU becomes known for the Berman Center for Professional Sales and that it used as a recruitment tool. We are committed to helping EKU grow this to be a program of distinction.”

Mrs. Berman encourages her fellow alumni and friends of the university to do the same, “…anyone can be a philanthropist, if you have the time.”

Message from BCPS Executive Director Dr. Lee Allison

The 2021-2022 calendar was another stellar year of growth and achievement for the Berman Center for Professional Sales. We launched EKU’s sales program in 2016, and in six short years, we’ve accomplished much. Much like rearing children, or starting new businesses, when growing new educational programs, the days are long, and the years are short. Every year we must stoically stand strong as those we’ve taken under our wing leave the nest.

Most return now and again to bring their good tidings of success and appreciation. Some eagerly rush back with these tidings, already desirous to devote time and talent so as to give back to “their” program, already filled with others looking to follow in their path. They do this by volunteering to be a guest speaker, sharing their testimony about the value of the program and giving the next flight of sales professionals the “low-down” on how the program has personally helped them and placed rocket boosters under their wings as they took flight to chase down their dreams. We always enjoyed getting notes like these.

“I can’t thank you enough for everything that you do and how much you truly care about each of your students. It is seen and I appreciate it greatly. You have truly been a highlight of my college career! Out of my 5 years of college, you have been one of my only professors to make me feel seen as a student and person. So, thank you again ”

Such experiences are our stories. We have so many that we can’t recount them all in this short report, but we hope the few that we’ve pulled together give you a glimpse into a program that means everything to us and our students. Every part of our story underscores our mission and our understanding that sales is genuine, authentic human connection that helps others, thereby improving the state of the world.

We bring great value to our students, partners, sponsors and community and we desire to scale and increase our capacity. We know that we need to reach students earlier. We know that we need to improve our effectiveness, and deepen and broaden the experiences they have while here. We know that we have a dire need for funding and additional support.

Truly, we can’t do any of this alone. We thank Eastern Kentucky University’s leadership, our faculty, and staff. Finally, we are extremely grateful and appreciative to Louis and Maribeth Berman, as well as our Corporate Sponsors, Advisory Board Members, and Alumni Ambassador Board for their time, talent, testimony, and treasure.

“Selling is a profound act of service, connecting us to others and their needs.”

– Lee Allison

The Berman Center History

Meet Ed Gogol:

Marketing Professor, BCPS Program Director and EKU BCPS Sales Team Coach

Two years ago, Ed Gogol left a successful sales career to join us here in Eastern Kentucky University’s Berman Center for Professional Sales. Ed came here to give back to the profession that offered him a fabulously successful career, as well as to give back to tomorrow’s young sales professionals. We asked Ed to share his story, starting with growing up in Cleveland, Ohio.

My dad was in the construction business with his brothers, and my mom was their bookkeeper. Mom was always inspired to go back to college, and

I still remember her studying late at night once my siblings and I were settled down for the night. She completed a community college degree, and went on to a highly successful career at The Cleveland Clinic where she worked closely with the Board of Governors for over 30 years. She inspired me to become the first in the family to graduate with a 4-year degree in accounting, probably because the bookkeeping I grew up with looked much easier than the heavy construction work that my dad introduced me to every summer during high school and my early college days.

My first accounting job was with Cleveland Trust as a Financial Control Officer where I was introduced to financial accounting software and that ultimately led to my next career, software sales. I went on to earn my Certificate in Management Accounting (CMA) as well as an Executive MBA from Georgia State University. I worked for Arthur Andersen, at the time the largest accounting firm in the country. From there I became a partner in a Consulting firm, Tactics, which grew to be #11 on the Inc 500 fastest growing companies. I went on to spend the next 20 years with Presidio, a technology consulting and sales firm and key partner to Cisco. Over the course of my career prior to retiring in 2020, I had hired or managed more than 225 individual salespeople.

My permanent residence is in Atlanta, Georgia where my wife, Mary Ellen, is an endocrinologist at Emory Healthcare. My son, Joey, is based in Atlanta as a salesman for a cloud-based software company. I’m proud that he has followed in my footsteps! Both of my daughters, Maddy and Ansley decided to follow their mom into healthcare careers. Ansley is Public Relations Strategist at University Hospitals in Cleveland, and Maddy works in Washington D.C. at Children’s National as a speech pathologist.

In 2020, rather serendipitously, a close friend connected me to the opportunity to join EKU and the Berman Center for Professional Sales as a professor and sales coach. I looked into it, and in my first meeting here with Maribeth and Louis Berman and the marketing professors, I saw the passion for preparing students for careers in the world of professional sales. I knew I wanted to be part of it. These last two years at EKU have been extremely rewarding, and I believe I learn as much from my students as they learn from me.

We focus on both business students and non-business students who may be in, or may be interested in, a professional sales career. Even if a student does not

envision a career in sales, we recognize that about 50% of college students will enter a sales-related field as either their first major career placement or a future career. These stats hold regardless of major.

For example, a biology major may become a pharmaceutical rep. An English major may become a lawyer, who will need to be skilled at communicating and persuading clients, judges and jurors. Occupational therapists may decide to go into private practice. Here again selling skills will be required. The need for sales in these three “non-selling” examples of career paths are mirrored across any and every career choice.

Our sales program begins with classes in Personal Selling, Advanced Sales and Sales Management. We incorporate experiential learning throughout to provide practical and fun ways to help students sharpen their speed selling (Elevator Pitch) and role-playing skills. We also leverage innovative data-driven, artificial intelligence tools such as RNMKRS (pronounced “rainmakers”) as a fun way to help students sharpen their presentation and selling skills. See our RNMKRS article on page 13.

Most enjoyable about my time here at EKU is the support I receive from my students, fellow marketing professors, our Dean and Berman Center for Professional Sales corporate sponsors such as Assured Partners, Penske, The Wyman Company and Kentucky Farm Bureau Insurance. It is truly a group effort to bring the highest level of professional sales skills learning and career opportunities to students here at EKU. It’s an exciting time, and I look forward to the continued expansion and growth of The Berman Center for Professional Sales and seeing the career accomplishments and successes of our students.

The picture that accompanies this introduction, Ed partners up with our PSE chapter champ, Joshua Williams, to give the out of frame competitors, Megan Mills and Tanner Mollett, a run for their money.

It’s an exciting time, and I look forward to the continued expansion and growth of The Berman Center for Professional Sales and seeing the career accomplishments and successes of our students.

"I Am EKU"

Former PSE President Alex Sparks was recently selected for an I AM EKU Excellence Award. It seems only fitting that Alex was recognized in this way. Alex, blind from Retinitis Pigmentosa, is far and away one of the most amazing EKU Colonels with whom we have come in contact. Alex served two years as President of the EKU Sales Club and worked tirelessly in supporting its growth and energy prior to it becoming the Berman Center for Professional Sales.

Alex recruited and motivated students to obtain the first chapter of Pi Sigma Epsilon chartered in Kentucky. He regularly represented EKU by competing against hundreds of top D1 schools in sales competitions across the country, setting himself apart and earning various internships and recognitions for EKU.

Additionally, he has his own podcast to help the blind community adapt and find confidence to know they can accomplish anything and serve and inspire others. Check it out here: https://open.spotify.com/ show/7DxnAoudWIeWoIAiT0mZku?si=32028ea812924617&nd=1

Besides all that, Alex is a self taught singer and guitarist and you may have seen him appearing locally in Richmond bars, clubs and restaurants before he recently relocated to Texas.

Alex has tremendous empathy and ability to connect and inspire others. You’ll never hear Alex complaining about any of his challenges and hardships. Instead, he’s an active fighter, always looking for the next challenge. He’s a relentless promoter, devotee and representative of EKU and our students, and he truly represents everything I AM EKU stands for and means.

Alex Sparks

Former PSE President

Knocking It Out of the Park

One of EKU’s best baseball players, Charlie Ludwick is also a proud member of the Berman Center for Professional Sales family. Charlie Ludwick plays first base for the Colonels, and has racked up impressive recognition and accolades over his college career.

This athletic recognition complements graduating with a Marketing degree and earning a Sales Certificate. During that time, Charlie served as a Berman Center intern, and was a founding member of the first chartered chapter of Pi Sigma Epsilon in the state of Kentucky, Eta Chi. This summer, Charlie will play in the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL). It is considered the best opportunity for players who have their sights set on the Majors. Due to Covid, Charlie has another year of eligibility. He will begin EKU’s MBA program in August.

Visit Charlie’s page to see all his stats. https://ekusports.com/sports/baseball/roster/ charlie-ludwick/8584

To celebrate the end of school and Charlie’s successes, after graduation on May 13th, PSE held a tailgate and attended Charlie’s game against Lipscomb University.

Charlie is the son of Kelly and Julie Ludwick. Charlie is shown at the athletic graduation with his mom and dad. His dad, Kelly is an executive with Chick-fil-A and a Berman Center for Professional Sales Donor and Supporter, so we thought photos with the Chick-fil-A Holstein at the game were apropos and quite a-moo-sing!

More about the NECBL, visit: http:// www.necbl.com/view/necbl/league-49/ about-us-217

Charlie Ludwick EKU Colonel #17

The Benefit and Fun of My Internship

This semester, I enrolled in MKT 481, an internship in marketing. For this internship, I worked with Professor Ed Gogol and Dr. Lee Allison to create content for the Berman Center for Professional Sales and Pi Sigma Epsilon social media pages.

Through this opportunity, I was able to gain valuable experience in social media marketing and content creation.

For example, as part of an initiative to invite students from the main campus to visit the Berman Center for Professional Sales (BCPS), the Eta Chi chapter of Pi Sigma Epsilon (PSE) created a TikTok video. This TikTok video was a recreation of the infamous Chef Boyardee ravioli can commercial, in which a can of ravioli follows a little girl home after her mother tells her that they cannot have ravioli for dinner that night - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e33KWTJPvuU

The idea for this TikTok video was created by marketing genius and senior PSE member Sydney Freeman shown below.

PSE members opened their regular Wednesday meeting at The Berman Center and then walked to the Pedestrian Bridge on Lancaster to film the Instagram session. They rolled the Ravioli can across the Ped Bridge and then “across” campus to College of Business and The Berman Center for Professional Sales. Students also hung our PSE flyers in various buildings on the way!

This social media post was used to encourage students of all majors to become involved in PSE and BCPS! As one of the senior BCPS interns, I did all of the filming and editing for the video. A photo of Professor Gogol and Alexander Sparks during the activity is shown at right.

The ravioli TikTok video can be viewed on the EKU Pi Sigma Epsilon TikTok page, @ekupisigmaepsilon

Another valuable task that I learned during my internship with the Berman Center for Professional Sales is the importance of creating a schedule for social media postings. It is important to create regular content and make regular posts on social media accounts so that your audience constantly has new content to engage with. I also learned the importance of engagement analytics such as views, likes, comments, and shares. These factors are important in making sure that your social media posts are reaching your intended audience. Overall, I think that this internship provided me with valuable experience and knowledge that I can apply to my future career in marketing.

Jordan Gatewood

Left to right: Carrie Marie McCarty, Megan Mills, Terry Creech, and Tanner Mollett, who helped film the voiceover.

Shepherd Awarded the McBride Berman Family Scholarship

Fall 2021, EKU’s Berman Center for Professional Sales Scholarship Committee announced the inaugural awarding of the McBride Berman Family Scholarship to a very deserving Marketing and Sales Minor student, Stryder Shepherd. Founded on the generosity of Maribeth and Louis Berman, this exciting opportunity will be awarded annually.

In his application for The McBride Berman Family Scholarship, Stryder submitted the following, "In my time at Eastern Kentucky University, it took me a while to find what I am truly passionate about. I stumbled through three different declared majors until I found my footing.I am now a declared marketing major, and I am pursuing a minor in sales."

Having found his passion, Stryder set to work building an impressive track record of leadership positions, including taking on the role as President of Pi Sigma Epsilon Sales Fraternity at EKU. As President, Stryder has also represented EKU’s Berman Center for Professional Sales in a number of local, regional, and national collegiate sales competitions. Stryder’s passion and hard work align perfectly with the vision set by Louis and Maribeth Berman.

"We believe in the power of a college education," said Maribeth Berman, "and we believe that education isn't only in the classroom, but also in public lecture series, student organizations, intramural and varsity sports, and other activities that make up a total college experience. It is our hope that portions of our pledge will go toward programs that will ignite a passion in studentsa passion they maybe didn't know they had."

The 2021-2022 Scholarship Award was a difficult choice for the scholarship committee due to the number of highly qualified candidates in the review process. Students must be full-time EKU students in good academic standing who are seeking a Sales Minor or Sales Certificate. They must also demonstrate a high level of student involvement and leadership experience.

Stryder Shepherd

Beyond his strong academic performance and involvement with Pi Sigma Epsilon, Stryder has held sales positions with Fastenal and Bandalier / Gridwise, and he currently works at Demand, Inc. Other leadership positions that Stryder has held while at EKU include Historian, Philanthropy Chairman, and Standards Board for Theta Chi Fraternity Member.

In the May 13, 2022, College of Business graduation ceremony, Stryder was one of the first students to graduate with the newly introduced Sales Minor. EKU proudly began to offer this minor in Fall 2021. This minor distinguishes EKU as the first college or university in the Commonwealth of Kentucky to offer a focused program in sales education.

Students may apply for the McBride Berman Family Scholarship each year. Applications are taken until March 31 and recipients are notified in May. This scholarship is open to all EKU students of any major with a demonstrated interest in sales as evidenced by satisfying the requirements for the scholarship.

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Be enrolled during the term of the award as a full-time student in good academic standing at the University

• Be seeking a Sales Certificate, Sales Minor, and/or a Sales Concentration as a marketing major through the Berman Center for Professional Sales

• Have a GPA of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 GPA scale

• Provide a written essay demonstrating a high level of student involvement and leadership experience, with a focused interest in a sales career.

International Insurance Sales Challenge

The International Insurance Sales Challenge (IISC) is an annual team selling competition hosted by the Florida State University Risk Management Program. EKU, being one of the few Universities with both a Risk Management & Insurance (RMI) Program and Sales Program, received an invitation through Dr. Lisa Gardner, Director of EKU RMI. The Berman Center team coached the competition and relied on the expertise of RMI faculty member Dr. John Bratton to help prepare our team. Since the case was about commercial insurance, as well as a team selling event, Camden Ritchie, RMI major, and Tanner Mollett, Marketing Major and Sales Minor,

represented EKU. Camden and Tanner participated earlier in the Spring semester in the preliminary round which was judged by our Berman Center Sponsor, Kentucky Farm Bureau Insurance.

The IISC is modeled after the ICSC or International Collegiate Sales Challenge, also hosted every Fall by Florida State. EKU will also be participating in this event with Role Play and Sales Case Management teams. The ICSC is always followed by a day at Disney World, therefore,one of the reasons that many of our students work to compete is for a chance to go to Orlando. Our students met hundreds of students from other universities as well as dozens of sponsors with both internships and full-time career opportunities.

As our first team selling event, IISC provided an opportunity to learn how important team selling has become. Leveraging the selling skills of an Account Manager (Tanner) in combination with the Subject Matter Expert in Insurance (Camden), our students learned the importance of planning and reading the reaction of the buyer while coordinating their questions and responses… not an easy task! Based on the positive experience of this competition, we plan on participating in at least one other team selling competition each year.

During our recent IISC trip, Camden and Tanner were able to participate in an in-depth and real world example of Risk Management in action.

Camden Ritchie, RMI major and Tanner Mollett, Marketing Major and Sales Minor

They visited the Disney Emergency Operation Center (EOC) and met with the VP and Disney Team in charge of security and emergency operations for the entire 42 acre operation.

It was a fascinating visit to the heart of the Disney EOC…a most unassuming concrete bunker that is at the heart of all threats to and on the Disney Property. The property is twice the size of Manhattan and EOC protects 250,000 guests and 70,000 employees per day. Talk about Risk Management; everything from reuniting lost children with their parents to turning away or

confiscating hundreds of firearms from off-duty law enforcement and concealed weapons carriers each day. The decision process to close the parks for weather-related threats is also an amazing exercise… they even leverage the Disney Cruise Lines to provide advanced notice of hurricane conditions heading to Florida.

As a small token of appreciation, Camden and Tanner both received the coveted Disney Security Medallion, something they will always carry on the Disney Property in case they have a run-in with Mickey! On the last day, Tanner and Camden were able to finally relax and spend time at both Top Golf and Universal Studios.

Berman Center Fosters Fun and Networking

The Berman Center for Professional Sales exists to serve our students and corporate sponsors through the human connection that is sales; helping others solve and eliminate the pain of problems. Almost everyone familiar with the Berman Center for Professional Sales understands that we deliver exceptional value to our students through professional development and the experiential learning that comes through role-play, speed-selling, elevator pitches, travel, competitions, resume reviews, and more.

Keller Williams recently talked to our students about the explosive growth in Richmond real estate, as well as the opportunities that exist for those interested in this exciting career.

Chris Garcia, VP of Marketing and Sales told us what it’s like to work for the San Antonio Spurs and the Houston Astros; With five championships rings, he says his job is telling meaningful stories.

In the aerospace industry, Doug Schoulthies, Vice President of Sales & Business Development at Whitcraft, shared about his industry, and how sales careers have evolved over the last several years.

What many do not know about the Berman Center is that we are truly the nexus on the EKU campus for all active networking. At Berman, we host weekly Pi Sigma Epsilon meetings where we invite impressive and notable speakers to come in and share insights about industries and employers across the globe. Martino Ruggiero has spent his whole career riding, selling, and designing Wave Runners. He now sells Yamaha’s executives on his ideas and designs for the next 5-10 years.

These are just a few of the events taking place in the Berman Center. Stop over and check us out. Bring a friend or bring everyone in your dorm! One and all are welcome. You will be happy you came, and so will we!

BCPS ADVISORY BOARD / CORPORATE SPONSORS

Chris Caldwell The Wyman Company

Mary Lyons

Kentucky Farm Bureau

Tony Turner

Kentucky Farm Bureau

Julee White

Penske

BCPS AMBASSADOR

BOARD MEMBERS

Darin Chamberlain BD

Cameron Effoe New Home Collective Brokered By eXp Realty

Sydney Freeman

Spectrum Financial Alliance

Nicole Grunstad Gartner

Chanel Hayes

University of Kentucky

Evan Held TQL

Carrie Marie McCarty

Alex Parker Assured Partners

Jabari Scott Goosehead

Stryder Shepherd Demand Inc.

Logan Smith Valvoline

William Somersall

Stock Yards Bank & Trust

Alex Sparks

Bandalier

Michelle Thompson

Barton 1792 Distillery

DEAN’S OFFICE

Marie Fore Director of Development

Trish Isaacs Associate Dean

Marcel (Marci) Robles Assistant Dean & Chair of the Faculty

Darlene Stocker Outreach & External Affairs Coordinator

ADVISING

Cara Makinen Advising Specialist

Amanda McIntosh

Advising Specialist

Julie Spease Manager, Academic Services

ADMINISTRATION

Debbie Ellis

Rebecca McBride

Heather Morris

Sandy Taylor