Harbert Podcast
The Harbert College of Business Podcast offers insights for advancing careers and lives. The podcasts feature Harbert’s alumni, faculty, industry experts and proven thought leaders who bring perspectives from a broad base of business experience. You’ll hear from entrepreneurs and high-level executives who share what they have learned while building successful careers.
Episodes
41 episodes
A story of tragedy to triumph: Mack Johnson
Mack Johnson, 2021 Harbert graduate, shares a story of tragedy to triumph. After suffering a paralyzing spinal cord injury in 2016, Mack found his home at Auburn University earning a degree in Accounting and Information Systems Management. Now,...
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23:34
In baseball, as in business: Brooks Fuller
Brooks Fuller is the founder and CEO of Room2Room Movers, a former member of the Auburn University Baseball Program. He is a 2022 Harbert College of Business graduate in finance.
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34:27
Getting your law degree doesn’t always mean getting your day in court: Winston C. Tucker
Winston C. Tucker is a Senior Manager of Lateral Partner Recruiting at Ropes and Gray, LLC in New York. He received his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law in 2002 and his M. Ed in Higher Education Administration from Auburn University i...
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26:37
The best content is money: Josh Brant
The CEO of Allegiance Merchant Services saw opportunities to apply technology to the movement of money by developing customized transfer services for companies. A one-size-fits-all approach may not work, he noted: “My daughter is three. She’ll ...
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23:30
Not popular, but important: Ebony Ruffin
Ebony Ruffin understands that life insurance is not a popular topic, especially among younger people, but in her Atlanta-based business, Ruffin Consulting Services, the 2005 Harbert finance graduate helps others understand that insurance ...
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29:09
Understanding of supply chain forms foundation for businesses: Meghan Nicholas
The image of shipping containers falling off ships into the ocean intrigued Meghan Nicholas and prompted her to pursue a career in solving the complex problems of supply chain management. That led to her current position as vice president for o...
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22:27
Into the unknown: Patrick Brown
For entrepreneur Patrick Brown, a willingness to “jump into the unknown where you don’t know the end of the story” has guided a varied business career that includes forming a highly successful adult kickball league. Brown, a 1994 Harbert gradua...
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35:06
Sales and Spreadsheets: Jamie Garverick
For Jamie Garverick, a Harbert degree in finance proved to be an excellent background for a career in sales, especially for high-ticket items. Garverick, chief revenue officer at Fullstory, a digital experience analytics firm in Atlanta, says “...
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30:09
Business, law make profitable combination: Pavan Reddy
For Pavan Reddy, chief counsel at Auburn Ventures, a law degree was an ideal complement to his 2010 Harbert degree. As the commercial real estate company has grown, his dual background has allowed him to see the business from a legal perspectiv...
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35:12
Always do the right thing: Steve Fleming
An early mentor’s advice to always do the right thing has stuck with Steve Fleming throughout a long career in mortgage lending and now in commercial real estate development. In this podcast, Fleming, a 1984 Harbert finance graduate, also share...
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27:21
Sweet times in the bitters business: Christa Cotton
Christa Cotton, CEO of El Guapo, caught the entrepreneurial bug early from her family’s business endeavors. Her company’s bitters are sold across the country, but because they are non-alcoholic, she can distribute them without having to deal wi...
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36:43
A lot of clutter: Stephen Love
Given the competition in today’s financial markets, asset management and cryptocurrency firms need strong, data-driven media solutions to reach investors and advisors. For Stephen Love, a group director at Ptarmigan Media, that requires staying...
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25:14
Emphasize problem-solving: Trent Kocurek
For Airship CEO Trent Kocurek, focusing on the views of the people you’re trying to help is critical to business success. Kocurek, a 2008 Harbert graduate in management information systems, says problem-solving has to be ingrained in a company’...
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30:23
Changing with the times: Bill Allen
Bill Allen, a 1980 Harbert graduate, has seen great change in the HR field over a career that includes stints as chief HR officer at Macy’s, Maersk and Atlas Air. He says today’s HR professionals have to help their companies build culture...
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23:23
Listen to your gut: Bo Patel
That college degree is just the start of your learning, says Bo Patel, principal at Axion US and a 1998 Harbert graduate. It’s an ongoing process in the business world. And that process won’t be “lollipops and unicorns” all the time, he says. T...
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37:25
‘Nothing beats boots on the ground’: Meghan Michel
Meghan Michel, a real estate manager for Whataburger, says algorithms and other forms of technology are helpful, but there’s no substitute for seeing a property firsthand. In this podcast, she discusses the complex business of finding and acqui...
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22:23
Managing music makers’ money: Kella Farris
Kella Farris, who has a degree in finance and an MBA from Harbert, sees the creative and the financial sides of the music business. In this podcast, she discusses how her company helps recording artists and songwriters deal with the busin...
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27:55
‘Chief Fun Monster’ gets serious results: Scott Flynn
As chief commercial officer of Play Monster Group, Scott Flynn has serious responsibilities, but he also enjoys his title of Chief Fun Monster at the toy company. The 1985 Harbert management graduate discusses the intersection of sales and mark...
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27:53
Moving from music to beer: Nick Purdy
Before founding the craft brewer Wild Heaven Beer, Nick Purdy was founding publisher of Paste, a music magazine nominated four times for a National Magazine Award. The 1993 Harbert marketing graduate made his move into the craft beer business a...
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30:05
Making a big impact with small margins: Andy Garlington
The data-driven approach Andy Garlington followed in the for-profit sector still applies in his new job as CFO of Centerstone, a not-for-profit behavioral health care system. Because “what gets measured gets done,” he said, it’s important to co...
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27:44
Working on the future of work: Ron Martere
An emphasis on “work, workers, workplace” helps Steelcase focus on the business office of the future, says Ron Martere, vice president and leader of the company’s North Business Group. The 1987 Harbert graduate expects a hybrid model – work in ...
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23:08
Helping patients on a larger scale: LaTonya Washington
As vice president and chief medical officer of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare in Memphis, Dr. Latonya Washington has gone from helping “the patient in front of me” to helping improve care for hundreds of patients served by the system. Her Harb...
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30:14
Building communities, not just buildings: Gizman Abbas
People don’t live in buildings, they live in communities, says Gizman Abbas, principal at Direct Invest Development. His sustainable real estate development company works to create opportunity in communities by providing services such as job tr...
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23:12