All the text books and lectures in the world are no substitute for students learning from actual practitioners. The books and lectures paint a broad picture, and ground students in the fundamentals. But how companies interpret and put these into use varies considerably from one company to the next. To that end, the Engler College of Business seeks to provide opportunities for students to visit and interact with businesses so they can learn how things are done in that mythical place, “the real world.”
The event was held on Friday November 21, leading off with a visit to Whitney Russell Printing in Amarillo. Faculty members participating included Dr. Robert King, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Dr. Anne Macy, Director of Amarillo National Bank School of Accounting, Economics, and Finance & Edwards Professor of Finance, and Dr. Nick Gerlich, Hickman Professor of Marketing.
“The biggest takeaways from Whitney Russell for students were how much actually goes into the printing process and how diverse their offerings are,” King says.
Next on tap was a visit to the Sad Monkey Mercantile, located on Highway 217 east of Canyon and 1.5 miles from the entrance to Palo Duro Canyon State Park. Brothers Jonathan and Michael Standefer opened “The Monkey,” as it is known among its regulars, in November 2022. The Standefer family is prominent locally in construction and for developing the Sunday Canyon area overlooking the state park.
The Standefers stock “everything you forgot to bring,” as one person put it. They carry a variety of camping supplies, souvenirs, t-shirts and sweatshirts, and c-store snacks and beverages. They also offer prepared sandwiches, pizza, beer, wine, and teas. They recently appeared on a podcast episode of BuffSpeak, available here.
Students learned about the challenges of retail, inventory, and seasonality, for their business is highly dependent upon the number of visitors to the Canyon. Since they are located a considerable distance down a dead end road, it can be difficult to get locals to make the trek simply for a bite or beverage. Visitations to the park peak from spring through fall, and then dip during the winter months, which has prompted the brothers to shorten their business hours those months.
Between the two sites visited, students were able to have informal chats with business owners, and learn firsthand of the ins and outs of their respective businesses. Students were able to talk with entrepreneurs to help decide their own career paths, whether they wish to venture out on their own, or become employed at an established company.
“We had a medley of students from Marketing, Finance, Accounting, and CIDM and each of them had an interesting take on what they ‘saw’ from their perspectives. Doing companies like accounting firms is good when we want to get into the detailed weeds of a business, but it is really cool to see things from a variety of perspectives because most businesses are a mixture of activities and not siloed into just one of the majors,” King adds.
That, of course, is the essence of the BBA Core, in which students are exposed to all of the business disciplines. CareerTreks, which have also visited Southwest Airlines and Ben E. Keith in earlier programs, brings all of that to life.