Thiel Happenings

A former patient of Children’s Hospital is leading Phi Theta Phi’s 54th annual Walk-a-Thon, which started on Monday with donation collections in the region. The two-day, 100-mile walk from Greenville to the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh begins Friday morning.

Passion Driven Stats students present research to campus community

Students in PSY 215: Statistics for the Social Sciences taught by Professor of Psychology Kristel Gallagher, Ph.D. presented their class research posters to the campus community. The students were treated to sparkling non-alcoholic beverages to celebrate the completion of their research.

1922

2022

Last Tuesday,more than 100 students, faculty and staff gathered outside Roth Hall to recreate an old Thiel tradition. In its early history, students and faculty would gather together on the lawn in front of Roth Hall to take an annual picture. One such photo, taken on November 21, 1922, is shown and is displayed outside of the STEAM Room on the second floor of the library.

Dome Volunteers recognized during TNT

At Tuesday’s Thiel News Time, President Susan Traverso, Ph.D. discussed enrollment and provided the campus community with updates from the Board of Trustees meetings in early November.

As part of the proceedings, she took a moment to recognize all the staff and faculty who took time to help raise the Rissell-Schreyer Dome. She asked volunteers who helped with the Dome who attended Tuesday’s TNT to stand and be recognized.

Student News

Wallace and Oakes share their insights as professional advisors to entrepreneurs

“This week’s seminar class was a special format. It was a panel of professionals consisting of Mr. Jeff Wallace and Prof. Melissa Oakes. Both have impressive experiences in their respective business fields and have spent years collaborating with entrepreneurs.” Ava Kavulla ’25

“Mr. Wallace started us off for the night. He shared with us the story of his thirty-eight-year career in banking. As a 1983 graduate of Westminster College, Mr. Wallace received his degree in management. He would go on to start his career as a branch manager at The First National Bank of Mercer County, which later would become what is now known as First National Bank. For most of his time at First National Bank, he specialized in commercial lending and real estate development deals.” Tyler Zere ’23

“Though he is not a Thiel College graduate, he is involved with Thiel as he was a former board member and is now on the board of associates as well as other involvement with the basketball and golf teams.” Autumn Gourley ’24

“After graduating from Thiel, Prof. Oakes went into public accounting and got her CPA working a lot within the healthcare field. She is now a professor at Thiel and runs her own practice out of her house. Oakes works with an auto body shop, farmers, a bus company, and various individuals to complete their payroll, general bookkeeping, and tax returns.” Ashley Wolford ’23

“Professor Oakes was then presented with the opportunity to work as a professor at Thiel College, so she went on to receive her MBA and become a professor. She has now worked at Thiel for over a decade and in addition to being a professor, she has her own very successful tax business with both commercial and individual clients.” Tyler Zere ’23

“He called bankers the point guards of a business because they have to know everything that is going on and will have connections one may need to help their business grow and prosper.” Jakob Misencik ’23

“He mentioned the 5 Cs of credit which are character, capacity, capital, collateral, and conditions. Character is your credit history, capacity is borrower’s dept-to-income ratio, capital is your level of seriousness, collateral is self-explanatory, and conditions includes the interest rate.” Nevaeh Arnold ’23

“Mr. Wallace also noted that it is more difficult for entrepreneurs to get funding than it used to be. Regulation has made it a lot harder for entrepreneurs to secure funding for business ventures. This puts an emphasis on ensuring you are honest and trustworthy when applying for lending.” Tyler Zere ’23

“Bankers consider a lot before approving a loan especially for startup companies as there is a lot of risk involved. When applying for a loan to start a business, you must ask for more money than you think you will need, as you will go through it quicker than you think you will.” Justina Jenkins ’23

“He said that banks will try to get the most collateral they can because of the risk involved with entrepreneurs.” Jakob Misencik ’23

“He wanted us to know as young entrepreneurs that relationships must be developed and fostered with your banker, if something goes wrong you need to be able to be comfortable enough to tell them, so the problem isn’t a surprise to them. You need to be trustworthy and understand that things don’t go always as planned or expected.” Kaleb Achuff ’24

“He also shared some stories he had when he worked in the bank. I could feel how enthusiastic he was about commercial lending.” Chaeeun Lee ’23

“When asked what courses in college helped him the most in his career Mr. Wallace replied, ‘1. Writing, 2. Accounting, 3. Management.’ While at FNB he had to write many agreements, being as clear and precise as possible. He didn’t think that writing would be at the top, but it benefited him in his career greatly.” Ashley Wolford ’23

“Prof. Oakes said, ‘Do not ‘Google it’, do not take the ‘cheap way’, utilize attorneys and accountants at the beginning so it does not cost you more money to fix your mistakes.” Justina Jenkins ’23

“In addition, before starting a business, workers' wages, tax policies of the state, and loans from banks must be carefully considered, and other accounting management-related bills must be identified according to the state.” Seoyeon Choo ’23

“She also advised people to be cautious about hiring staff. She gave examples of taxes, social security and Medicare and made it clear that hiring employees is not just about paying wages.” Areumsongi Shin ’23

“They also spoke about the importance of networking, knowing people will always help you stay ahead of your career which helps if there is ever need for change.” Sydney Hipps ’23

“One of the most important concepts I learned was that it is important to rely on professionals such as lawyers, bankers, and accountants when it comes to starting a business.” Brycen Dorfmeister ’23

“Both speakers echoed the importance of being flexible in changing and developing markets. Their ability to cover numerous pieces of business wisdom as they shared their own career path stories was much appreciated by Thiel’s young entrepreneurs!” Ava Kavulla ’25

Lessons Learned

• “Make sure you have a separate bank account for your personal life and your business life.” Kaleb Achuff ’24
• “Always be transparent. Bankers hate surprises.” Nevaeh Arnold ’23
• “Cash is King!” Matt Castles ’23
• “Stay educated.” Seoyeon Choo ’23
• “Ignorance is not an excuse with the IRS.” Matt Castles ’23
• “No matter where you go or what you do, writing is very important.” Autumn Gourley ’24
• “Understand the current economic market before borrowing.” Ava Kavulla ’25
• "Business should be business and personal should be personal." Seoyeon Choo ’23
• “Network with people in similar positions as you or get a mentor.” Ian Yahner ’23

Dinner Dishing

• “The dinner served tonight included halupki, pierogi, sauerkraut, corn and kolache. They were all new to me, but the taste reminded me of some Korean food which was really interesting. I really enjoyed the food, especially the dessert. I would like to thank Ava for planning this wonderful meal.” Chaeeun Lee ’23

• “Ava picked yet another great meal this week that was Slovakian inspired. It consisted of cabbage rolls, pierogis, and kolache - it all was delicious.” Ashley Wolford ’23
• “My table had the honor of sitting with Jeff Wallace for dinner. He was great to talk to as he has children that are relative to our age and could relate to most of the things that the table talked about.” Ian Yahner ’23

• “The Slovak meal I planned was delicious. I am so grateful for the hard-work and talent the chefs demonstrated with preparing the difficult dishes. I really enjoyed getting to visit with the people at my table, as well. We had an enjoyable conversation about traditions, work experiences, internships, and college.” Ava Kavulla ’25

TLC offers tips and resources for finals week

Here are some useful resources from the Learning Commons on how to have a successful finals week:

1. 25 Crucial Study Tips
2. Test-Taking Tips Checklist
3. Strategies for Combating Test Stress
4. 5-Minute Fix for Test Anxiety
5. Make an Exam Prep Plan

Thiel Happenings

A unique collaborative program between Thiel College, Grove City Premium Outlets and Simon Property Group Inc. will ensure students in need have access to proper professional wardrobe items for job and graduate school interviews as well internship applications.

The Thiel College celebration of life service is at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19 at the William A. Passavant Memorial Center for Emeritus Professor of Business and Accounting David Miller ’61 H’20, who passed away October 23.

Thiel College marks Veterans Day with several projects

Thiel College held several events in conjunction with Veterans Day last week. On Thursday, Nov. 10 Professor of History David Buck, Ph.D. discussed the research he and his students have done to chronicle the members of the College community who have served in the military. From when his research began several years ago to today, the list of names with military service histories has grown from 120 to more than 750 names.

On Tuesday this week, Buck was joined by the College's veterans liaison Mike Mason for an online conversation with alumni and friends and college archivist John Hauser'71 H'20.

• Watch the Veterans and Thiel College episode of Zooming from the Archives.

Adjunct Professor Ann Coleman, Ph.D. had Dr. Richard Mondak, who was a physician in the U.S. Navy and William G. McConnell Jr., who was an attorney for the U.S. Marine Corps and served in the Middle East, speak to students in her classes.

Simon’s Closet helping students in need dress for success

Simon’s Closet is located on campus in the Career Development Center on the first floor of the Howard Miller Student Center.

For the Fall 2022 semester, walk-in hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Appointments outside these hours may be scheduled via College Central.

All appointments and walk-in customers will have thirty minutes to shop, try on, and select clothing pieces. Students may choose to either borrow or keep a total of three clothing items per academic year at no cost to them. Clothing donations can also be made on Thiel’s campus by setting up a 30-minute appointment with the Career Development Center at (724)589-2005.

Keeping these appointments helps to ensure that students are provided with a variety of clothing in the proper styles and sizes that meet seasonal needs. Clothing should be recently laundered or dry cleaned. Simon’s Closet cannot accept stained, ripped, or damaged items, items that are not appropriate for professional events, used cosmetics, hosiery, or socks, items that are five years old or older, or worn shoes with scuff marks or missing eyelets and shoelaces.

For more information contact Libbi Brown at ext. 2005.

Be a part of Thiel's history

In Thiel's earlier days, students and faculty would gather together on the lawn in front of Roth Hall to take an annual picture. One such photo, taken on November 21, 1922, is displayed outside of the STEAM Room on the second floor of the library.

To celebrate its 100-year anniversary, we would like to invite all current students and faculty members to participate in a retake of the photograph. If you are able, please join us at 11 a.m. Tuesday, November 22  in front of Roth Hall!

Employees recognized during Trustee Luncheon

During the Board of Trustees luncheon on Nov. 4, six employees were recognized for their contributions throughout the year.

From left to right Associate Dean for Academic Programs & Records Laura Pickens, Ph.D. ’06, Director of Financial Aid Michelle Work, Director of Environmental Services Kim Scobbie-Byler, Managing Director of the President’s Office Amy Taczanowsky, Director of Planned Giving Mario Marini ’91 and Administrative Assistant to the Vice President for Student Life and Athletics Melissa Michael.

Student News

Kara Wasser shares her entrepreneurial and business insights

Kara Wasser was the featured speaker at the November 9 Entrepreneurship Seminar. Wasser is the CEO of OhanaLink Technologies located in Hermitage, Pa.

“Kara is not your typical entrepreneur. In fact, she spent 18 years working in corporate America before she started her company. With no experience in tech of any kind, she was starting from scratch in a male dominated field. Her passion is what kept her going through this.” Tyler Zere ’23

“Kara Wasser is the CEO of OhanaLink Technologies, a woman-owned and led social media platform that allows families to link together. This platform started as an idea after Wasser missed the birth of her niece because she was left out of the group chat.” Ashley Wolford ’23

“She developed a prototype called Baby Arrival Monitor, from there she went on to join business groups where she pitched her idea and received great feedback which also helped with her market research. She spent countless hours researching what it took to develop an app, growing her network, and learning about what it takes to turn her solution for her problem into reality.” Justina Jenkins ’23

“She started her company in 2017, then in 2019 she quit her job and put everything into her business; she dumped literally everything she had into OhanaLink. Kara built and launched in 2020, but Covid set up a roadblock.” Autumn Gourley ’24

“One of the concepts Kara spoke about that stuck with me was how she was able to ‘make the jump’ from a regular corporate job to her own business. She explained how hard it was to operate the business to its full potential as a side hustle and she knew it needed her full attention.” Brycen Dorfmeister ’23

“Kara had many issues with funding but admitted that she was not ready, and the investors knew this. She took out her 401K and drained her savings to continue working on this investment without the help of anyone else.” Hayley Phillips ’23

“She created the OhanaLink Baby app that launched in 2020. The app provides access for family and friends that want to track the process of a pregnant family member.” Ian Yahner ’23

“After pitching this to some investors, Kara kept receiving the question of ‘Have you thought about a general health version?’” Ashley Wolford ’23

“I asked Kara if launching her business during the Covid-19 pandemic was stressful to which she said yes because her sales team was unable to do what they were best at. It was very difficult for her to get her ideas out there at first since in-person meetings were off the table at that time.” Sydney Hipps ’23

“Someone then came to Kara and explained the need for communication in the domestic violence market. There are a lot of things that have to be done differently because of the nature of these situations.” Jakob Misencik ’23

“At first Kara was unsure but then realized the app was a building block, base solution platform which could help solve their problem. From there they were the first to the market to help domestic violence victims and they partnered with many agencies in the states to provide a discrete undetectable app domestic violence victims could use. This really helped her business take off.” Justina Jenkins ’23

“Today, OhanaLink Technologies is a platform suite of healthcare mobile solutions. Its advanced and innovative technology includes plug-ins with a secure wrapper feature.” Ava Kavulla ’25

“I continue to meet great friends of Penn-Northwest Development Corporation through this class, and Kara Wasser is no exception. While I never had the pleasure of meeting her before Wednesday night, I spent my summer internship hearing about OhanaLink Technologies and their incredible success, although never to the depth of her presentation for our class.” Trey Wilt ’23

“I’m happy I had the privilege to hear Mrs. Wasser’s story for a second time, I originally heard her speak in the previous entrepreneurship class I took with Professor Kandray. Just from last semester OhanaLink Technologies grew even bigger than it previously was. I love the idea of the company!” Devyn Giovengo ’23

“My favorite thing that Kara spoke about was having a reliable team. When talking about this she said, ‘Building my team was key’. As she explained more, I was able to learn that a team needs to be reliable in all aspects and not just showing up to work on time.” Brycen Dorfmeister ’23

“Before expounding on her business story, she shared five things that prospective entrepreneurs think they need, which are experience, defined end goal, road map, money, and business/brand name. Instead, prospective entrepreneurs simply need an idea/problem, Google, market research, mentors, and commitment. She is a testament to this. She took advantage of networking opportunities, mentorships, and entrepreneurship education programs offered through the E-Center in Hermitage, PA.” Ava Kavulla ’25

Lessons Learned

• “You can build a company anywhere thanks to the internet.” Nevaeh Arnold ’23
• “Just start. You do not have to have a whole lot of money to get started.” Siwon Lee ’23
• “You do not need a defined end goal for your business start-up.” Hayley Phillips ’23
• “Don’t think you have to have It all figured out on day one because you won’t and don’t need to.” Nevaeh Arnold ’23
• “She suggested that we need to identify or find a problem that we are passionate about solving.” Siwon Lee ’23
• “Don’t be afraid to take that leap of faith, the worst that could happen is that you go back to zero.” Matt Castles ’23

• “Mentors are free, you do not need a lot of money to gain knowledge.” Autumn Gourley ’24

• “Network, network, network! For Kara, networking helped to build her business, and she even has some of her connections working for her now.” Ashley Wolford ’23
• “Build your product before your brand.” Brycen Dorfmeister ’23
• “Problems = Opportunities” Justina Jenkins ’23
• “Be okay with having to adjust and change your business model.” Ava Kavulla ’25
• “If you put an end date on something you already gave up.” Kaleb Achuff ’24
• “Don’t let gender biases discourage you.” Nevaeh Arnold ’23
• “Don’t back yourself into a corner, be open minded.” Matt Castles ’23
• “If you can enjoy the journey, you'll be rewarded every day.” Jisu Kim ’23

Dinner Dishing

• “Sydney’s take on the South with the chicken and waffles was delicious. The entire dinner from the starting salad to the ending peach cobbler was delightful and probably what could be considered the most “American” food we have had yet.” Hayley Phillips ’23
• “This day, I had a Southern style meal. I did not know that there were different styles of food from region to region. It was really new to me. I was glad to experience more diverse food and expand my experiences.” Siwon Lee ’23
• “This week I had the honor of being dinner concierge. My table had many great conversations as we spent the evening trying to find a hobby for Professor Witosky to take up when he retires.” Sydney Hipps ’23

• “We had great conversation during dinner because Professor Kandray is always a good time. A wide variety of topics were discussed from international politics to finance.” Tyler Zere ’23

Thiel Happenings

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

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

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.

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

Thiel Happenings

The Thiel Players will open their production of Iphigenia in Tauris on Saturday, Nov. 5 in Thiel College’s William A. Robinson Theater.

For the third straight year, Thiel College’s total enrollment has grown according to its recently completed census. Total enrollment has increased by 7 percent over 2021.

For the first time in program history, the Thiel College women’s volleyball team has earned the top seed for the Presidents’ Athletic Conference women’s volleyball championship tournament.

Student News

Arbanas shares his entrepreneurial and business insights with the Entrepreneurship Seminar

Bill Arbanas was the featured speaker at the October 26 Entrepreneurship Seminar. Arbanas is the owner and of VP of Operations at Powered Aire, Inc. in Greenville, Pa.

“Another week, and another stalwart member of the Thiel community. Bill Arbanas is a local businessman, born in the area, and a former Thiel student.” Trey Wilt ’23

“Bill Arbanas is the owner of Powered Aire, Inc. a company in the Reynolds Business Park that designs air curtains. Air curtains are used to separate environments and are used in various airports, grocery stores, fast food restaurants, and so much more. Bill created this company 25 years ago with two of his friends; they had previously worked for another air curtain business but decided to branch out and make something of their own.” Ashley Wolford ’23

“He also happened to be a Reynolds High School wrestler, this stuck out to me because I’ve lived with two different Reynolds High School graduates who have won state wrestling titles. He also wrestled at Thiel his one year here and he earned his way to the national championship tournament as a freshman which is highly impressive.” Devyn Giovengo ’23

“Bill started out his speech with how Professor Miller made a student feel the need to be ready for class because he would call people up to the board. This is the second time the class has heard this fact of Professor Miller and it is nice to hear how Professor Miller has touched so many lives.” Hayley Phillips ’23

“Arbanas also mentioned that he had Prof. Miller as a professor for a class, and he really made him learn. Arbanas described Prof. Miller’s teaching style was really forcing him to learn. If you were called to the board, or randomly called on you wanted to have your stuff done to avoid the embarrassment, and Prof. Miller's voice was the kind that would stick with you.” Justina Jenkins ’23

“One of the big concepts he spoke about was the struggle when starting a business. He explained that he and his partners did not take a paycheck for the first few years because they would not have been able to afford to pay their employees.” Brycen Dorfmeister ’23

“The first two years of Powered Aire was not easy, they did not get a paycheck, but despite the rough start they pushed through and now have become one of the leading companies that manufacture air curtains. Powered Aire started in a small rental space in 1997, but in 2004 they had built their first building and have continued to grow from there.” Justina Jenkins ’23

“After many years all the hard work finally started paying off, by the year 2000 the company started turning a profit. Bill’s company now has many national clients like McDonalds, General Motors, and Ford.” Sydney Hipps ’23

“Bill and his business partners have grown that business very well from 1997 to now. The first year they were open they had only $130,000 in sales and this year alone they are looking at $20 million in sales.” Ian Yahner ’23

“Bill currently has 50 employees that he looks at as a family. Something that I took away from Bill is that he is a man of high character and cares about the people that work for him.” Matt Castles ’23

“I think my biggest takeaway for becoming an entrepreneur is to ‘treat everyone right’ as Bill said when talking about having a high retention rate of employees.” Brycen Dorfmeister ’23

“First, although it might not be easy, keep driving. It means that we should not give up and keep up the work. Secondly, make sure I am financially ready. He shared a story of meeting a smart banker who told him to ask for double the amount of money which he planned for his business, and how fast he used it all.” Chaeeun Lee ’23

“Keep driving even if you have difficulty in proceeding. However, your plan must be firmly established. Always have a perfect big plan for business and be a prepared entrepreneur.” Seoyeon Choo ’23

“Some people become entrepreneurs so they can be their own boss, but Bill quickly learned that your boss will become the bank, the customers and the government.” Jakob Misencik ’23

“Finally, he reiterated the advice we get every week, to never give up on the dreams we have even when things seem darkest. If you really believe in your idea, and you think it is going to work out, stick with it no matter what and it will.” Trey Wilt ’23

”Mr. Arbanas continues to generously give back to the community and Thiel. His persistence amidst challenges and kindness throughout success should inspire young, local entrepreneurs to have the same qualities.” Ava Kavulla ’25

Lessons Learned

• “If you are going to start a business make sure you are financially ready.” Ian Yahner ’23
• “When first starting your business and asking for loans, ask for double as you may think you will have enough money, but you probably will not.” Justina Jenkins ’23
• “You are not just providing for 50 people you are providing for 50 families.” Matt Castles ’23
• “Keep plugging away, keep driving because it won’t be easy.” Nevaeh Arnold ’23
• “Hard work eventually leads to going into work stress-free.” Autumn Gourley ’24
• “Always know your numbers and be aware of things amiss within your business finances.” Ava Kavulla ’25
• “You will always have a boss whether it be the conventional type, a bank, the government, or customers.” Hayley Phillips ’23
• “You might think you have it all figured out, but you don’t and that’s okay. There is always going to be something waiting down the road that you never expected.” Ashley Wolford ’23
• “If you are going to start your own business, keep plugging away.” Siwon Lee ’23

Dinner Dishing

• “The dinner served tonight included endive salad, veal schnitzel, brown butter spaetzle with mushroom gravy, roasted Brussel sprouts for main dish and Bananas Foster for dessert. I really enjoyed it, especially the Bananas Foster.” Chaeeun Lee ’23
• “This week’s dinner was by far one of the best we have had. The starter salad was a different touch and I have never had a salad displayed like that. The main course was delicious with the bread crumb coated meat paired with creamy Brussel sprouts and a pasta. This was the first time I have tried Brussel sprouts and was not disappointed.” Hayley Phillips ’23
• “Over the past couple weeks, we have had various meals that are inspired by countries around the world, and this week was no different. Tonight, we had a German inspired meal that did not disappoint. I was lucky enough to be seated with Bill Arbanas tonight at dinner and get to know him and various aspects of his company better. It is very interesting to hear about the many accomplishments that this company has achieved over the years, but yet Bill still has this very genuine and humble personality to him.” Ashley Wolford ’23

Etc.

Tomcat Tributes

Tomcat Tributes recognize the teamwork Thiel College employees exhibit each day. Employees can nominate co-workers for recognition in four categories (Random Act of Kindness, Going the Extra Mile, Had a Great Idea, Just Because).

• To nominate a fellow employee, visit the Campus Resources link on the Thiel Hub.

Publishing Schedule

T-Notes is published weekly. It arrives Wednesday afternoons. The next edition will be out November 9. Send your event or news to tnotes@thiel.edu by noon Monday, November 7 to be published in that week’s edition.