Creating customized business solutions
Archived article from Oct 23, 1998
By Michael Sepanic
When it comes to delivering tailored business-training programs to organizations across southern New Jersey, Bill Reynolds uses a trick that he learned during his years as mayor of Haddonfield: He listens.
"When I meet with someone who is interested in applying Rutgers' expertise to enhance their company, the best thing I can do is to let them tell me what they need," explained Reynolds, director of the Center for Management and Entrepreneurship (CME) at the School of Business-Camden. "From there, we work together to assemble outcomes-based training programs that their employees can understand and use."
Reynolds' simple strategy has caused managers across South Jersey to sit up and take notice. Whereas most business schools offer seminars based on topics predetermined by the college, the Rutgers-Camden center distinguishes itself by listening to the needs of each organization and then crafting an appropriate program.
"One of the most basic principles that we teach our undergraduates is that they must be sensitive to the needs of the client," observed Milton Leontiades, dean of the Camden business school. "We're simply practicing what we preach through our CME."
Established in 1997 with a $1 million grant from the William G. Rohrer Charitable Foundation, the CME has provided specialized management training for such organizations as Tropicana Hotel and Casino, Jevic Transportation, Commerce Bank and COMHAR, Philadelphia's largest provider of direct mental-health services. In its inaugural year, the programs in conflict resolution proved the most popular.
CME training programs emphasize intense class interaction to ensure that participants understand the principles at work. "We want people to walk away from each session with skills that they were not able to use before," said Reynolds. "Employees learn a skill in one session, then practice it in their jobs so that they can discuss the experience with the instructor during the next session."
During its second year, the CME has begun to provide management training to middle managers in Camden city government, thanks to a $35,000 grant from the Campbell Soup Foundation. In addition, at the request of PSE&G, the CME has helped to implement M.B.A. courses at that organization's location in Salem County.
"Our goal is to help business, government and nonprofit entities to become more effective," Reynolds said. "We use Rutgers expertise to help keep New Jersey competitive."
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