Join us as we recognize the 2021 Boardman Distinguished Entrepreneur of the year
Ron Savell, Owner and Founder of Patio 44 and Mugshots Grill & Bar
Savell will be recognized during the 2021 Golden Idea Pitch Competition, which will take place on November 11, 2021 from 5:30-7:30pm. Savell will accept his award and share a few words. A reception to celebrate will follow.
Ron Savell has made a tremendous impact on the city of Hattiesburg since he began calling it home over 25 years ago. Ron is known as the proud owner and founder of Mugshots Grill and Bar and Patio 44. With close to 18 years of invaluable restaurant ownership experience, he has been able to expand his once small investment in a Hattiesburg dive bar into 23 successful restaurant locations.
Ron grew up in the restaurant industry as his parents owned and operated a Sonic Drive-In in Natchez, MS, and his love for the industry continued into college while he worked as a bartender to put himself through school. In January of 2004, he decided to purchase a local bar named Mugshots. He kept the name and transformed the business model, making it Mugshots Grill and Bar. Years later, Mugshots has expanded to 20 locations in four states, several of which are now franchised. Ron later founded Patio 44 in 2013, which now has three locations in the state.
In addition to his impact on the restaurant industry, Ron has also generously contributed his resources and time to support local nonprofit initiatives, including the American Heart Association, Homes of Hope in Purvis, and Abbie Rogers Civitan Camp. He also served on USM’s Athletic Foundation Board of Directors for 12 years and currently serves as a Benedict Day School board member.
Ron was among a select few chosen by the Mississippi Business Journal as the Top Entrepreneurs in Mississippi for 2018. He also served as Partner of the Year for the 2016 Passions of the Palette, hosted by the Hospitality and Tourism Management program at USM. Additionally, he was awarded the 2015 Citizenship Award by the local Civitan camp.
Ron and his wife Caitlin have been married for 12 years and have four children named Hailey, Emma, Meg, and Duncan.
2021 Golden Idea Pitch Competition
The Golden Idea Pitch Competition offers an annual opportunity for Southern Miss students from every major and school on campus to get professional feedback on their big idea and to compete for more than $2,000 in total cash prizes! The in-person event will take place on Thursday, November 11th from 5:30pm-7:30pm in McDonnell Auditorium as the finalists pitch their idea to a live audience and panel of business professionals.
The School of Marketing introduces the Consulteam
The School of Marketing has introduced the ConsulTEAM, an exciting new student-led consulting team! The ConsulTEAM is a small group of select student interns within the School of Marketing who provide local Hattiesburg businesses with digital media consulting and support. This team provides assistance through strategy and planning, content creation, social media management, analytics, creative digital marketing solutions, and more. This team of highly knowledgeable students will work with the school's partners to create a comprehensive plan of action to help their organizations thrive.
The team was developed by School of Marketing Graduate Assistant, Makenzie Crampton, who currently runs the team. Mrs. Alexis Stoner worked with Crampton to create this consulting team and serves as the faculty advisor. Students who comprise the team include:
- Tichina Seeden (focus: social media strategy, content creation, and management)
- Baylie Busby (focus: social media strategy, content creation, and management)
- Daniel Wimberly (focus: social media analytics)
Their first client and member of the Support Squad is Hattiesburgers and Blues, located at 142 E Front St. in Hattiesburg. The team recently met with PR Manager of Front Street Eats, Mallorie Pittman, and discussed innovative ideas and content creation for future campaigns.
MSCPA EDUCATION FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES 2021 SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
Two Southern Miss Business students were awarded MSCPA scholarships for the 2021 school year. Congratulations to Hunter Reed (MPA), who was awarded the Ralph F. Neely Scholarship, and Casey Cameron (double major in accounting and finance) who was award a general undergraduate scholarship.
Founded in the early 1970s, the Foundation seeks to promote accounting education in Mississippi colleges and universities by helping students pursue a CPA career. The Education Foundation of the Mississippi Society of CPAs awarded $44,000 in college scholarships for the 2021 term. College juniors, seniors, and graduate students representing 8 Mississippi institutions applied for the scholarships, which required the submission of essays, transcripts, and resumes.
Take a look at some of the events that happened during the month of October
Southern miss business monster mash
Southern Miss Business and the School of Marketing teamed up to host the Monster Mash, a fun-filled Halloween event for students, faculty, staff, and their families! The night included pumpkin decorating, a costume contest, and an outdoor showing of The Haunted Mansion. Decorated pumpkins were donated to Provision Senior Living Center by USM's American Marketing Association student organization.
The night's costume contest included three different categories and prizes that included candy, Southern Miss Business swag, Mars Wrigley swag, and donated gift cards to a few local businesses! Congratulations to our winners:
- Scariest Costume - Beetlejuice, Mary Sirois
- Funniest Costume - Traffic Cone, Tyler Pittman
- Most Creative Costume - Cruella, Makenzie Crampton
A special thank you to our generous sponsors: Midtown Corner Market, Insomnia Cookies, Coca-Cola Hattiesburg, Mars Wrigley, Mario's Italian Restaurant, Southwest Theaters Hattiesburg, and Lotus Downtown Day Spa and Salon.
Financial management association Guest Speaker
The Financial Management Association student organization offers students an opportunity to be part of an exclusive network of finance professionals, practitioners, and students around the world by providing resources for job searching, careers in finance, finance certifications, furthering education, and networking.
This month, USM's FMA chapter had the pleasure of welcoming Mr. Larry Davis, Chief Operating Officer at Hood Industries, Inc., as a guest speaker. Davis shared his career path and spoke with students about the importance of communication and sound decision-making in the business environment. 44 people were in attendance, 17 in person and 27 online.
"This was an excellent opportunity for students to learn about different career paths in accounting and finance, and gain insights into the roles of business executives." - Dr. Steven Stelk, Faculty advisor for Fma, MBA Director, and Assistant Teaching Professor of Finance
Coffee & Convos: Prospectus Presentation
Business Honors students had the chance to meet with fellow undergraduate researchers as well as the School of Marketing faculty who support student research at the Coffee and Convo: Prospectus Presentation this month. Faculty also watched School of Marketing senior Honors students present their thesis proposals. The next step for senior Honors students is to present their thesis defense in the Spring during the Student Research Showcase. Congratuations to those who presented:
- Lauren Beverly (Marketing) Advisor: Dr. Foster
- Robert “Maxwell” Greenough (Sport Management) Advisor: Dr. Croft
- Sophie Unson – (Hospitality & Tourism Management) Advisor: Dr. Wang
2021 Alumni Hall of Fame inductees: Business Graduates and Supporters
The Alumni Hall of Fame was established in 1987 to recognize those whose contributions have helped move the University forward. During Homecoming week, the Alumni Association inducted seven of the University's most dedicated and distinguished alumni into its Hall of Fame. Congratulations to the following College of Business and Economic Development graduates and supporters:
Joy H. Lightsey ‘73
Joy Lightsey served as the Senior Vice President of Operations for Sun Tech, a student loan servicer. The company grew to the second largest independent loan servicer in the country, managing approximately $7.5 billion in loans to more than 500,000 borrowers. She served as Chair of the Better Business Building Campaign supporting the completion of Scianna Hall at USM in 2015.
Joseph F. Quinlan ‘73
Joe Quinlan is Chairman of First National Bankers Bankshares, Inc. and First National Bankers Bank in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which serves as the flagship primary correspondent bank for approximately 550 community banks in 14 states throughout the greater southeastern United States. He is the lead benefactor of the state-of-the-art Quinlan-Hammond Hall of Honor, the new home for The Center of Military Veterans, Service Members and Families at USM.
Tracy A. Powell ‘86
Tracy Powell is a Member of Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison law firm in Nashville, Tennessee where he practices primarily in the areas of healthcare, commercial transactions, securities and general corporate law. He has been recognized for his legal excellence as Best Lawyer in America by Woodward/White, a Leading Lawyer by Chambers USA, and as a Super Lawyer by the Nashville Business Journal.
Shane Loper ‘90
Shane Loper serves as Chief Operating Officer for Hancock Whitney and as Senior Executive Vice President responsible for general banking execution, revenue generation, business strategy and corporate services. He serves as a Mississippi School of Banking Board of Trustee and was appointed by Gov. Phil Bryant to the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services board.
USM Sport Management Trip to Ole Miss vs. Alabama game
Dr. Brandon Allen, Dr. Ali Fridley, and Dr. Chris Croft accompanied 11 students on a trip to Tuscaloosa, AL to work with Andry Frain Services to provide event and sport security for Bryant Denny Stadium. There were around 100,000 fans in attendance at this exciting SEC football game on October 2, 2021.
The student group assisted with perimeter security control and checkpoints. Additionally, the group coordinated fan ingress with security checks, guest relations services, and facility egress.
Class Notes
- AMY HENLEY '97 & '98 serves as the Dean of the Nistler College of Business and Public Administration at the University of North Dakota.
- MICHAEL ROBERTS '20 recently moved into a new position as the Grants Accountant at his current company, Pine Belt Mental Healthcare Resources.
- BRINSON JACKSON '16 accepted a position as a Claims Supervisor for Progressive Insurance and is a part of the National Catastrophe Response Team assisting customers that have been impacted by the recent hurricanes.
- MANUEL NAVARRO '74 turned 81 this year, has 6 grandchildren, and lives in Valencia, Spain. Before he retired in 2006, he worked in hotel management for organizations such as Ramada Renaissance, Hilton, and Sheraton.
Thank you to those who submitted your good news! Interested in sharing your good news? See the link at the bottom of the newsletter and let us celebrate your accomplishments with you!
Business Alumni, What's New With You?
Southern Miss Business Alumni, we want to hear from you! Do you have good news to share? Maybe you got a new job, earned a promotion, or won an award! Share your good news with us so we can help celebrate you. We encourage you to share these things with us so we can include this in future newsletters. Click the link below to fill out the form.