Under a unique agreement 7 -Eleven i a training ground for Ho ard
b dent, one of whom, Sharon . Rollin,· no a certi-
fied nt m r.
MARCH 8 -14,1987 . THE MICHIGAN CITIZEN
Free en erprise on the campus
By Henry Duvall
It' nearing 9 a.m. at the 7-
Eleven tore adjacent to Howard
University's main campus where
a professor walks in and pur­
cha s a package of Fig ew­
tons, followed by a banker and
a student both of whom buy a
cup of fresh hot coffee.
A po man then enters the
convenience ore with a pro­
blem - the video-cas tte he
had rented went on the blink.
The clerk summons the store's
manager on duty. With a dash
of customer-relations tact, she
illfully re lves the problem
and the postman is on on his
way.
This could be the scene of
pr ctically any 7-Eleven tore
in merica. But this ore
operates under partnership
greement between te univer­
sity and the tore's parent
c" '''y, Southland Corp., that
is ally unique, one of a
kind, d fir t" for the company,
say Charlie Barajas, Southland'
corporate community resources
manager.
Although the po man may
not have known it, his problem
was handled by 21-year-old
Ho rd student Sharon M. Rol-
• lin who became certified
a i rant mana er after com­
pleting a ummer management
internship at the store that ible for a 24-hour operation
double a a training ground with me 28 employees -
for Howard busines tudents. approximately 50 percent Ho-
The ore represents a com- ward students, according to
mitment by Southland and the Robert Hill, Southland district
university's School of Busine operations manager.
and Public Administration to "It's a program that' im-
encourage and train minoritie portant to Southland," Smith
to participate in busines and emphasizes.
entrepreneurship. A ed how the corporation
Under the terms of the benefits from the partnership,
partnership, which is the first Smith, who helped spearhead
such cooperative agreement the program, say, "We hope
Southland ha made with a uni- ... to expo the students to
versity, the Texas-based firm retail business. We hope to
will share ith Howard the train. people who can manage
profits of the ore in the form ores, franc hi totes and join
of grant and scholarships. the management team within
It's the company's intention the corporation. We want to
to return' what we call the cor- develop multi-unit managers
porate gain out of the store" for Southland Corp."
based on the succe of the Michael A. Petty, 25, is an
outlet, says Bill Smith, South- example of a recent Howard
land franchi operations man- busine graduate who i being
ager. developed into a multi-unit
Until recently, the Howard 7- mana er. He was invited to
Eleven store, which i also join the company's career de-
regional training center for velopment program after grad-
Southland, wa run by a team of uating last May.
three assistant manager , two of Petty took the company
whom were Howard student. up on its offer and hasn't had
But in late December, one of time to look back since he
the Howard a istant managers, began hi climb up the South-
axine K. Degbo, a 30-year- land ladder in the firm's fast-
old native of the Ivory Coast trac management program.
in We 1 Africa, was promoted After managing a local Wash-
_ to He is respon- ington, D.C., 7-Eleven store
�������������������������- since last Aupst,hewa recen�
ly named a supervisor in the
company's Baltimore district
ith responsibility for thr e to
four stores.
'I wanted the experience of
running my own business. 1
wanted the knowledge. And
I'm getting it," he stresses.
Last summer, five Howard
students had the opportunity
to get a per pective of the dif­
ferent levels of the world s
1 rgest operator and franchiser
of convenience stores.
Two rnarketin students in­
terned at the firm's Dallas cor­
porate headquarters while two
other learned local marketing
operations at the company's
'capitol" division offices in
Alexandria, Va. The fifth stu­
dent, senior Sharon Rollins,
received management training at
the Howard 7 -Eleven tore as
well as other Southland facili­
ties.
At the company's regional
training center in Bethlehem
Pa., the ew York native learned
franchise and corporate opera­
tions, product movement analy­
si and inventory control, she
explains.
When the 14-week internship
PIC SUCCESS - A national award- innin program called
Project Self Re· nee II (PSR II) aclm· • ered by the Denien-
Van Buren Private Indu ry CouncD (PIC),· help
Global Die Ca ina Company of Buchanan m . fain it pre­
miere po ·tion in the rleld of m . die ., ccording
to Global ofncials. The te-funded program won a tional
a for excellence in innovation for it cee in offe .
an aIt t e to public nee. One of the orke hired
y through the PSR II program • ..ley Kin, trbn
pre operator. She de ibed the day e as hired by Global
through the PIC program a memorable ODe. "I h d
grand by t 6: 0 .m. th mom' 1 a hired here," e
e claimed. "I t up all night long. I'll ne er for et it; I got
job and a grandbaby the e day!" Global m es the tran
.fer . for Ford' four- heel dri e pi -up truck .
Housing to meet
BE TO HARBOR - The
Benton Harbor Housing Com­
mission will have their Regular­
ly Scheduled Commission eet­
ing on Tuesday March 10 at
7:00 p.m. in the Library at
Harbor Towers 250 Wall St.
Benton Harbor, according to
Danethel O. Whitfield, Execu­
tive Director.
concluded in August, she was
named a certified assistant man­
ager. ·"1 can actually say what
it takes to operate a bu iness
from thi experience, instead
of (from only) book know­
ledge," Rollins emphasizes not­
ing that' e aspires to become an
entrepreneur.
. Depending on the interests
of the five students who intern­
ed this past summer, Southland
would be willing to offer man­
agement jobs to ,them upon
their graduation, ys Alfonso
. Cornish, a division human
resources mana er.
The Southland-Howard Part­
nership grew out of a minority
trade agreement with the Rev.
Jesse Jackson and other
minority leaders in 1983, says
Bill Smith. The accord is be­
tween organizations representing
both the Blac and Hispanic
communities and includes
increa d commitments to
minorities in the areas of em­
ployment, minority vendors
franchi ing and education
according to Southland Chair­
man Thompson in a press
relea .
"Because of the success of
the Howard partnership, the
Southland Corp. is currently
looking very clo ly at the
possibility of developing other
similar projects. . .' says Bara­
jas the corporate community
resources manager.
"It's been a very favorable
program.'
Area briefs
AREA AGING AGENCY PUBLIC HEARING
The Region IV Area Agency on Aging will hold a publi
input se ion on onday, arch 16, 1987, from 1: 15 p.m.
to 3: 15 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Region IV
Area Agency on Aging 2919 Division Street St. Joseph,
Michigan.
The AAA i currently developing its annual plan. This
plan, in part, will serve as the basi for the types of services
that will be provided to older adult through the Older Ameri­
cans Act in Berrien Ca s, and Van Buren counties. The
public input session gives individual agencies and groups
the opportunity to expre their view regarding the needs
and priorities in planning services to older adults.
If you would like to make comments but are unable to
attend the ssion, plea submit a written statement to the
Area Agency on Aging by March 20, 1987. Questions may be
directed to the agency's planner, Kris Petlick at 616 983-
0177 or 1-800-442-2803.
LMC SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE
Applications for Lake Michigan College's 50 Bo of
Tru tees scholarships are available in area high school guidance
offices. They may al be obtained from the fmancial aid
office at the main campus, or at the South Campu in ile.
According to Sylvia Coleman, director of fmancial aid,
each scholarship provide up to 500 per year, to be applied
toward tuition and fee. To be considered, applicant mu t
have achieved at least a 3.0 grade point average in high school.
They must submit their high school tran ript alon with the
scholarship application. The scholarships are ba d entirely
on aptitude, and fmancial need i not a consideration.
Anyone who would like more information on the holar­
ships may call the LM office of financial aid at 9 7-3571,
extension 213 or the uth Campu at 6 4-5 50 .