Legends and Leaders: Students inspired by newest Alumni Hall of Fame inductees

College of Business Student Leadership Council members who participated in Legends and Leaders Day included, from left, Tiffani Bidgood, Jaclyn Madson, Jadyn Byrne, Jack Roseman, Jamie Saturno, Gabriella Gonzalez and Emma Crosa.Click to enlarge

Florida State University College of Business students seized the opportunity to learn from three distinguished alumni during the college’s annual Legends and Leaders Day.

James "Chef" Barlow, Kevin S. Little and Bethany Schenk participated in a “fireside chat” panel on the morning of their Oct. 3 induction into the college’s Alumni Hall of Fame. The interaction served as the featured event among multiple panel and roundtable discussions led by Alumni Hall of Fame members.

The three thriving entrepreneurs discussed, among other things, their barriers to success and keys to networking, plus their experiences as former FSU students. The discussion underscored the various ways panelists created or disrupted their industries.

Barlow (BS Marketing ’95), a retired decorated U.S. Air Force fighter pilot and a pioneering entrepreneur, founded Blue Air Training Corp.; Little (BS Accounting ’92), an influential healthcare entrepreneur and executive, helped build three startup companies into giants in the healthcare staffing industry; and Schenk (BS Risk Management/Insurance ’92), a visionary serial entrepreneur, built and sold multiple highly successful companies, most notably in the health-tech industry. 

“Each had completely different pathways to success,” said Jadyn Byrne, a junior finance major. “It showed that nothing's linear and that all three took different approaches to success. It's about how much effort you put in and the motivation and support you receive from your surroundings." 

Panel moderator Jamie Saturno, a senior majoring in professional sales and management information systems, said she found inspiration in the panelists’ “dedication to keep going.” 

“Throughout their lives, they saw a lot of difficulties,” she said. “But through their time at the College of Business, they were able to develop that fire and passion behind what they're doing." 

Students from the college’s Student Leadership Council, of which Byrne and Saturno – the SLC president -- are members, played key roles in the event, participating in the discussions and serving as hosts. Student hosts greeted their designated Alumni Hall of Fame member in the morning and served as escorts throughout Legends and Leaders Day.  

Student hosts also ate breakfast with their assigned member and digested decades of leadership wisdom. 

SLC member Jack Roseman, a senior finance major, hosted Barlow and learned that “getting knocked down is part of the process” in business. Roseman highlighted multiple takeaways from his conversations with Barlow, including:  

• Embrace failure and have the courage to keep going 
• Be flexible and comfortable with uncertainty 
• Choose business and life partners wisely 

Gabriella Gonzalez, a senior SLC member who is majoring in accounting and marketing, hosted Little, whom she calls “a very significant mentor.” She said Little, co-founder and CEO of Health Advocates Network, convinced her that an accounting degree would help her as an entrepreneur.  

“He understands that numbers are the way to go,” said Gonzalez, who started a business selling Rainbow Loom bracelets when she was 10. “And he gives wonderful life advice, and he somehow ties it back to the importance of accounting and entrepreneurship and how they go hand in hand.” 

Byrne hosted Schenk, founder and CEO of Web Benefits Design and BeneTek Corporation, and came away inspired from Schenk’s example of insisting at a young age that her company take her seriously.   

“She showed that she wants her opinion valued,” Byrne said of Schenk. “She showed me that you must take the steps to progress gin your career, and it’s OK to vocalize.” 

Student leaders said the day represented more than an opportunity to learn from successful alumni. They gained an opportunity to begin building or maintaining the professional relationships that will shape their journeys from classroom to boardroom. 

"Speaking with alumni helped me picture a future for myself," Saturno said. "I started seeing how to progress through different roles and align my goals with future actions." 

Saturno hasn’t yet established a mentor but said she would embrace having one, pointing out that fellow students consider those one-on-one relationships fundamental to “figuring out their best course of action for college and beyond.”