February 14, 2007 Several students joined Mr. Bert for dinner including Jennifer Monasky, Gilbert Dolinar, (Mr. Paul Bert), Sarah McCoy, and Beth Hornyak. Paul Bert, '63, speaker Retired Executive VP and Senior Advisor to the Board ServiceMaster Since graduation from Thiel in 1963 and earning his MBA from Michigan State, Paul has applied his education and interest in physics, math and marketing to a varied and challenging career.  He has worked for the world's largest maker of musical instruments; retired as an executive vice president from a national leader in the residential and commercial services industry and was associated with the world's No. 1 Job Search Web Site. "ServiceMaster lives by four objectives:  to honor God in all they do, to help people develop, to pursue excellence at all times, and to grow profitably.  In studying Paul Bert's life, it is obvious he developed these objectives and actually lives by them.  He has been a great success and as he is a Thiel graduate, I can relate to his experiences.  It was a pleasure to hear him speak and I am grateful that he devoted his time to give a presentation to Thiel students." ~ Matthew Moeslein, senior "Once Mr. Bert was done with his presentation on his professional life, he gave us many life lessons including:  no matter how smart you are, you are always going to run into smarter people; ask yourself, 'What am I good at that nobody else is?'; and that you have to understand your strengths and weaknesses before anything else.  I am very privileged to hear so many good points that he offered and am very confident that they will come in handy in the near future. ~ Christopher Lorber, junior "He explained the time frame in which we as individuals should begin to recognize whether the field is right for us or if the company is right for us.  I understood that we must take chances and risks and push to that goal in order to move ahead in our field." ~ William Blankenship, senior "He emphasized in whatever you do, always learn.  'If you feel like you have stopped learning, move on.'  That quote is what his life is based on.  Life is an adventure and journey.  He was an excellent speaker and I learned a lot from what he talked about." ~ Justin Ehrman, junior   "Mr. Bert's presentation inspired me and also gave me a new perspective about the business world.  Even though I am a junior, I still think about what I will be doing in the next 10 years.  Hopefully I will enjoy my job right out of college, but if I don't he gave me good insight on how to handle hard times." ~ Cory Lamison, junior "Some lessons learned were:  the business world is not waiting for you, surround yourself with smart people, and find and embrace mentors." ~ Eric Newlin, senior "He emphasized the use of a mentor, especially as a young professional.  This way, they can see that you are interested in the business and are trying your hardest to make a contribution and 'learn the ropes.'"  I have found this to be important for myself in my own internship experience, which did lead to a full-time employment offer upon graduation in May." ~ Alexander Miller, senior