OXFORD,
Miss. – Jackson businessman and University of Mississippi alumnus Bill
Brown returns to his alma mater Thursday (Jan. 29) to discuss realities
of the business world with MBA students as part of the School of
Business Administration’s Otho Smith Lecture Series.
The talk begins at 4:30 p.m. in Conner Hall, Room 110, and is free and open to the public.
Brown
is chairman, president and CEO of Brown Bottling Group Inc., a company
that owns distribution rights to Pepsi-Cola and Dr Pepper beverage
portfolios and services parts of Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana.
Since Brown assumed leadership, the bottling group has added a vending
company subsidiary, as well as 16 additional counties to its operating
areas.
“We are thrilled to have Bill Brown speak to our students,” said Ken Cyree, business school dean. “His energy and passion for business are a powerful lesson for our aspiring business leaders. I greatly appreciate his commitment to the School of Business and for providing knowledge and expertise to help us increase our understanding of business principles.”
Brown said his lecture will be a laid-back, question-and-answer style session, focusing on what students can expect when they graduate, as well as interviewing techniques and qualities employers look for in new hires.
“I will talk to the MBA students about what to expect in the business world as it relates to them and what lies ahead of them in this uncertain economic period,” Brown said.
Brown Bottling Group Inc. was founded by Brown’s father, Kenneth, in 1971 under the name Southern Mississippi Bottling Co. Brown, who spent his high school and college summers learning the ropes of the bottling industry, joined the company as vice president in 1980 after completing his undergraduate degree at UM. In 1988, he was named head of the company, changing its name to Brown Bottling Group.
The Brown group provides beverages for more than one million consumers and employs a staff of more than 400.
Brown received the 2007 Donald M. Kendall Bottler of the Year award, and he serves as chairman of the Pepsi-Cola Bottler Association’s Customer Development Committee. In the past, he has served on the American Beverage Association’s Board of Directors and as chairman of the ABA’s Environmental Affairs Committee, among other leadership positions.
The Otho Smith Lecture Series, initiated in 1981 through a grant from the Phil B. Hardin Foundation, brings prominent business executives to the UM campus as guest speakers. It is named for the late Meridian businessman, philanthropist and former president of the UM Alumni Association.
For more information, contact the UM business school at 662-915-5820 or see http://www.olemissbusiness.com . For assistance related to a disability, call 662-915-5820.