Delta State University’s College of Business will hold the 11th annual International Business Symposium on Wednesday, March 30 at 2 p.m. in the Baioni Conference Center, and Thursday, March 31 from 9 a.m. to noon in the auditorium of Jobe Hall on the campus of Delta State University.
The theme for this year’s symposium is “Business Communication: Here, There, & Everywhere!” Business professionals will share their knowledge and expertise to provide a unique look at communication trends in the business world.
The symposium is sponsored by David and Sherry Abney, Mississippi Delta natives who currently reside in Atlanta. Abney, a 1976 graduate of DSU, began his career as a part-time United Parcel Service (UPS) package loader while in college, now serves as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board for UPS, the world’s largest package delivery company. Abney is the eleventh CEO in the 107-year-history of UPS. Through UPS, he has traveled the world on business, but his Mississippi Delta roots are forever ingrained.
“Sherry and I wanted to do something meaningful for the Delta. By bringing global leaders onto campus and sharing their experiences with students, I believe we’ll be able to expand Delta State students’ horizons in how they see and prepare for their futures,” Abney said in a previous Delta State interview.
Assisting Abney and the Division of Management, Marketing, and Business Administration in planning and presenting the symposium is Laird Hamberlin, who is also a graduate of Delta State where he received a BBA in Business Administration. Hamberlin is the Vice President of Sales and Commercial for Terminix (a division of ServiceMaster).
The symposium will feature three distinquished speakers. Charles Pleas, who has served as Senior Vice President, Controller, and Customer Satisfaction for AutoZone, Inc. since 2007. Pleas joined AutoZone in 1996 and has served in key leadership positions including vice president, accounting, and director of general accounting. Pleas earned his BBA in Business Administration from Delta State majoring in accounting.
Stephen Cesler worked 36 years for Procter & Gamble, the largest consumer products company in the world. Cesler retired in 2014 as the Sales Vice President for the Global Health & Grooming business, the global Electro channel, and the global Braun business. During his career he worked on virtually all of the P&G brands, both in the United States and abroad.
Jordan Abidor, the Social Media Marketing Manager for ServiceMaster Corporation and the Social Media Marketing Manager for Terminix, will also join the slate of speakers. Abidor began working for American Home Shield, a subsidiary of ServiceMaster global holdings, as a Social Media Marketing Manager in 2014 and has increased the social footprint of the American Home Shield pages by over 5,000% and began driving eComm sales through social media.
The 2016 International Business Symposium is free and open to public. For more information, contact Rebecca Hochradel at 662-846-4190 or email rhochradel@deltastate.edu.
