2023 Berman Center Annual Report

THE BERMAN CENTER FOR PROFESSIONAL SALES

MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN

It is my pleasure to present the 2022-2023 Berman Center for Professional Sales Annual Report. In these pages, you will read about the continuous growth of the program, nationally recognized student activities, leadership, and success, as well as charting a path for the future.

Every five years, EKU Business undergoes a rigorous accreditation review process with AACSB International, the world’s leading Business Accrediting body, that champions quality and excellence in business education. Only 5% of Business Schools worldwide meet these standards and I am pleased to report that EKU Business’ accreditation was reaffirmed in the Spring of 2023, for five more years. The AACSB Peer Review Team complemented us on our strategic planning process, core curriculum, learning competencies, culture, teamwork, and commitment to students.

The Berman Center stood out to the Peer Review Team as an example of our innovative spirit and meeting the demands of employers. The power of sales – the skill to sell – is deeply embedded in our everyday lives. Whether we are persuading people to accept our ideas, products, or services – or ourselves - our ability to sell is both natural and necessary to increase efficiency in organization and more broadly, to experience life.

How we harness sales as a tool for achieving results in every business, every industry, every sector, as well as our everyday lives is critical to our student’s success

We continue to identify new partners and opportunities, provide students with real-world experiences through competitions, internships and providing our faculty with opportunities to collaborate on industry-relevant projects. These partnerships have been instrumental in bridging the gap between academia and industry, fostering a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.

Dr. Lee Allison and I arrived in the College of Business the same year. Along with her instruction and research, Dr. Allison has led the Berman Center since its inception and impacted the lives of thousands of students. This year, she was promoted to retirement. We wish her all the best!

Dr. Thomas M. Martin Dean, EKU College of Business

PI SIGMA EPSILON, ETA CHI CHAPTER AT EKU

Pi Sigma Epsilon, Eta Chi (PSE), was chartered on November 17, 2021. Our initial 25 members were inaugurated on that day with the help of the Milwaukee, WI based PSE executives. We are now recognized as the first PSE Chapter in the state of Kentucky. Prior to our official inauguration, we were recognized as a Registered Student Organization at EKU but had limited involvement with the Student Government Association.

In August 2022, Dr. Paul Niemann and Camden Ritchie, President of PSE Eta Chi, traveled to Milwaukee, WI to meet with the leadership team for PSE National. They returned with some excellent recruiting opportunities as well as a new relationship with Kent State University and their PSE Chapter. Kent State is now our official Mentor and are a great partner.

Camden Ritchie and Joshua Williams traveled to Akron, OH to meet the club members during Thanksgiving break in the Fall of 2022.

Camden, Joshua, and Cade Roberts also traveled to New Jersey for the Regional PSE Conference in November 2022. They were able to attend several meaningful recruiting workshops and they all participated in sale competitions. One of the highlights of their trip was to visit the New York Mets Sales Team at CitiPark in Queens.

SLATE OF OFFICERS

PSE – Pi Sigma Epsilon, Eta Chi Chapter at EKU

• Camden Ritchie, President

• Khanh Tran, VP Administration

• Savannah Brunty, VP Marketing

• Libby Hilpp, VP Public Relations

• Diana Neely, VP Finance

• Cade Roberts, VP Professional Development

• Zoe Cannon, VP Human Resources

The officers are responsible for all activities of the organization, including the interaction with Sam Mischio, our chapter advisor based at PSE HQ in Milwaukee, WI. They attended the PSE meeting in New Jersey last November and are now fully trained on club activities and reporting requirements at the national level.

For our PSE meetings, we have met with Joshua Turnmire from Fastenal and Greg Bellamy from Professional Insurance Plans and meeting with Federated Insurance of Kentucky later this semester. At these meetings and other events, we average 35-40 students attending.

USCA

We continue to be involved in the University Sales Center Alliance, USCA. Dr. Allison attended the fall USCA in Salt Lake City, as well as the Spring meeting in Dallas. We are moving forward with our Full USCA Membership application and plans for our accreditation visit. In April, Dr. Allison will be presenting research on best practices from the USCA membership body on formal internships as foundational to moving our work forward on developing internship guidance for our program.

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS GIVING DAY STATISTICS

315

TOTAL DONORS

(an

250%

INCREASE IN TOTAL GIVING (compared to 2021)

90 STUDENT DONORS

SALES COMPETITIONS

We have participated – and scheduled to participate in several Sales Competitions at the local, regional, and national level. With the great support of our Marketing Department, we love our results!

REDBIRD NATIONAL SALES COMPETITION

Illinois State University, Feb 8-9, 2023 - 120 Competitors

• Khanh Tran – 4th place

• Camden Ritchie - 9th place

• William Barringer – 10th place

RNMKRS

Competitions reach 3,000 students from over 60 Colleges and Universities from all over the U.S., Canada & Europe, competing in over 50,000 roleplays. All semester long, students and faculty learn, practice and prepare.

SpeedSell – students develop and practice their 90 second elevator speech

RolePlay – 15 minute B2B sale with an animated customer bot

APRIL 2022

Rising Stars: Jacob Dennis, Sydney Freeman, Evan Held, Megan Mills, Stryder Shepherd, Bethan Townsend

SpeedSell – Top 30: Jacob Dennis

Regional Champion Midwest – RolePlay: Evan Held

Regional Champion Midwest – SpeedSell: Sarah Davenport

SEPTEMBER 2022

SpeedSell, RolePlay and Advanced RolePlay

Competitions , Fall 2022, Virtual EKU Ranked #3 overall 15 EKU Students recognized

Midwest Champion – SpeedSell: Caroline Kinsman

Midwest Champion – Role Play: Kendall Miller

Regional Champion East – RolePlay Pro: Libby Hilpp

NOVEMBER 2022

EKU Ranked #6

Honorable Mention: Jacob Fritz

Rising Stars: Jacob Fritz, Emma Hagan, Destiny

Hampton, Caroline Kinsman, Maria Slone, Bethany Tackett, Baily Taylor, Cameron Warren

RNMKRS PRO Certificates: Brady Barclay, Allison

Brimm, Libby Hilpp, Kendall Miller, Abigail Mulkey, Alex Taylor

RolePlay – Regional Champion Midwest:

Kendall Miller

RolePlay Pro – Regional Champion East: Libby Hilpp

SPRING

2023 RESULTS:

NATIONAL AWARDS

EKU - #8 – Top 10 Universities

RolePlay Regional Champ East: Mason Cunningham

SpeedSell Top 1% (15th overall): Aaron Couch

SpeedSell Top 25%:

Caleb Atkins

Taylor Cline

Kelcie Cooper

Caroline Kinsman

Jasmine Moody

Rachael Mueller

Jerrod Potter

CC Roberts

Top Coach Awards: Dr. Lee Allison & Mr. Ed Gogol

KENTUCKY SALES CHALLENGE

Supported our Corporate Partner, Kentucky Farm Bureau, Fall 2022, Richmond, KY

Our students swept the Top 4 spots: 1st Joshua Williams, 2nd Khanh Tran, 3rd Libby Hilpp, 4th Kendall Miller (tie), 4th Alex Taylor (tie)

This event is hosted twice a year by the BCPS.

GARTNER – SPEEDSELL CHALLENGE

Fall 2022 Top 10: Joshua Williams

STEEL CITY SALES CHALLENGE

Duquesne University, Fall 2022, Virtual Khanh Tran – 2nd Place Winner - $2,500

INTERNATIONAL COLLEGIATE SALES CHALLENGE

FL State University, Fall 2022

FUTURE BUSINESS LEADERS OF AMERICA SALES PRESENTATION COMPETITION

Congratulations to Camden Ritchie and Kesley Beedy on finishing 3rd place in the nation for the Future Business Leaders of America Sales Presentation Competition.