Thiel Happenings

Peese, Zgurich named Thiel College Student of the Month honorees for November

Thiel College announces Branston Peese ’23, of Aaronsburg, Pa., and Natalie Zgurich ’23, of Pittsburgh, Pa., as Student of the Month honorees for November.

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Graham, Perrotta recognized as TLC Extraordinary Award winners for the month

Nicolette Graham ’23 and Angelo Perrotta ’25 were the Thiel Learning Commons Extraordinary Effort students for October.

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Thiel College leaders make presentation before states’s largest scholastic sports league

Thiel College’s Vice President for Enrollment Management and Financial Aid Ashley Josay Zullo and Director of Athletics Jason Fautas presented to the largest high school athletic league in Pennsylvania on Wednesday, November 2, 2022, at Acrisure Stadium.

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Student News

Hudson shares her entrepreneurial and business insights

Alex Hudson MBA ’21 was the featured speaker at the November 2 Entrepreneurship Seminar. Hudson is a partner in the Hudson Companies, headquartered in Hermitage, PA.

“She was raised in the Hudson family and was truly inspired by her family to the point she knew that she would work in her family business. She received her ambitious and hardworking mentality from being raised around her five siblings, yet she and her siblings learned best from their parents. She said that her parents always taught them to make their own opportunities because nothing will ever be handed to them.” Nevaeh Arnold ’23

“Alex said that she is a big family person and her entrepreneurial spirit came from her family, as she stated, ‘you are most like the five people who you are around the most.’ Her father, John Hudson, was one, and a huge influence in her life. At a young age Alex saw her father run a successful business. John started Hudson Company which started as a general construction company but soon developed into real estate development. Hudson Company does property management in Pittsburgh and Erie, they have also expanded across the state of Pennsylvania, and in a few other states that consist of Texas and Florida. Hudson Company has about 1,500 residential rental units and 400 in development.” Justina Jenkins ’23

“The Hudson Companies was founded 40 years ago on a ‘People First’ mentality which means that they always put their clients first. The company has also spread around geographically from Florida, Texas, Ohio, and Philadelphia while also having offices located in Hermitage, Pittsburgh, and Erie.” Nevaeh Arnold ‘23

“Alex’s working experience started when she was in high school. While in high school Alex worked with her brother as they would work on flipping houses in the local Hermitage, Pa. area, as Hudson said, “rent is another good source of income.” Kaleb Achuff ’24

“Something that I took away from this presentation is that Hudson Company is family oriented. The fact that this company is a hands-on deck with all of the children is something that I value, as this carries over to their employees and their values as a company.” Matt Castles ’23

“Wednesday night Alexandra Hudson spoke for our seminar. In 2019 she graduated from the University of Mount Union with her bachelor's degree in Business Management and Marketing. She is also a Tomcat. She graduated from Thiel with her master’s degree in Business Administration in 2021, which makes her one of the first to graduate from Thiel’s MBA program that was just established. She said to us, “Thiel has a special place in my heart.” Autumn Gourley ’24

“According to her, through the MBA, she was able to experience and learn many things related to work in advance and was able to check a wide field of work.” Seoyeon Choo ’23

“In her time at the Hudson Company, she has helped to facilitate a large growth in staff. She explained to us the challenges of doing so and how the company have had to ensure they keep up with young talent in order to continue to grow. This is because we live in a world where the economy is ever changing. If you do not adapt to it, you will not succeed.” Tyler Zere ’23

“The Hudson Company has experienced some growing pains as they have basically doubled their staff in the past couple of years. They enjoy partnering with Thiel as they have had a lot of success finding the right candidates for their positions through the college.” Jakob Misencik ’23

“This is just the type of aura that Alex puts off. She is confident in herself and her work, but she is inviting and welcoming as well. Hudson Companies has grown miraculously over the last four years and continues to expand their market into different states like Ohio and Texas. She and the management team adapt quickly to the shifting market which allows them to continue to thrive and grow because they can quickly assemble a team to brainstorm ideas that will allow them to come out on top.” Hayley Phillips ’23

“Ms. Hudson emphasized the importance of a strong, team-like environment within a company. She explained that entrepreneurship traits are found in all team members of Hudson Companies. It is no surprise that the company has made the list of the Best Places to Work in Pennsylvania. In fact, when asked by a student what is her favorite part of her job, she said company team collaboration!” Ava Kavulla ’25

“Alex told us at Hudson, their leadership involves encouraging their employees to take risks. An entrepreneurial mindset is established in all of their team members, not just in founders. Alex told us that her favorite part of working at Hudson is the team she works with and that it is nice to have the right people in the right spot.” Autumn Gourley ’24

“Alex said that you do not need to be a business owner to have entrepreneurial spirit. She said that having entrepreneurial spirit is important in a company because it means that your employees want the best for the company and they will work as if this is the case. Employees need to be passionate about their work if you want a solid work environment.” Jakob Misencik ’23

“She brought up many valuable lessons that her dad taught her from a young age. It seems like her father is a very optimistic man, where many of the lessons that she brought up she got from him were things like ‘you can’t be afraid to fail’, ‘you’re never too young to do something’, and many other things of that nature. I can get a real big entrepreneur vibe from her just from the things she was saying.” Devyn Giovengo ’23

“Ms. Hudson also shared the value of networking. In addition to serving on Thiel’s Board of Associates, she is a member of the City of Hermitage Building Design Standards Committee and the Penn Northwest Development Corporation Future Leaders Board. Ms. Hudson demonstrates the company’s goal of being ‘people first and community focused.’” Ava Kavulla ’25

“I really enjoyed listening to her speak.” Devyn Giovengo ’23

Lessons Learned

• “Show you want a role with someone, make sure you always follow up. Don’t wait for someone to reach out to you first.” Kaleb Achuff ’24
• “You don’t need to be a business owner to have an entrepreneurial mindset.” Nevaeh Arnold ’23
• “You are never too young to do something.” Matt Castles ’23

• “Have a people first mentality approach in every decision, success shouldn’t be just about yourself. You should want everyone to succeed.” Justina Jenkins ’23
• “Value the importance of your family in your business. Work together to get the job done!” Ava Kavulla ’25
• “She said ‘when we are fortunate enough to be successful in life and business it is crucial to give back to the community.’” Jisu Kim ’23
• “You should be able to share your success with the people that you love.” Siwon Lee ’23
• “Opportunities don’t just fall in your lap, so you have to get a chance to capitalize on something and can’t be afraid to try.” Chaeeun Lee ’23
• “Don’t be afraid to try.” Jakob Misencik ’23
• “Work life balance. She shared a quote about someone’s 15 seconds of fame and how when it was over, they felt like they were nothing. She suggested to feel proud and never let the end goal get the better of you.” Hayley Phillips ’23
• “Make your own opportunities – they aren’t going to just show up out of nowhere.” Ashley Wolford ’23
• “Pick up the phone and ask when you don’t know.” Matt Castles ’23
• Networking is one of the most important parts of being a college student.” Tyler Zere ’23

Dinner Dishing

• “Dinner this week was a great American style meal, the chicken tenders were amazing and I loved the cherry pie for dessert! My table had a great conversation over dinner where we discussed many things, like life at Thiel.” Sydney Hipps ’23
• “I thought that tonight’s dinner was fantastic. The trend of switching the country that the dinner originates from is very fun to be a part of! My table of Trey, Sydney, Justina and I had the opportunity to sit with Alex Hudson for dinner and we had a great conversation. It was nice to talk to her about some of the people that she grew up with that I also know from high school.” Ian Yahner ’23