Foster College of Business Alumni Raise Funds and Spread Brave Spirit

12/20/2013 11:42 AM

By Sarah Marshall, ‘15

This year, a group of Foster College of Business alumni took it upon themselves to raise funds to win the right to name a conference room at suburban Chicago-based ConAgra. They worked for a week to raise $430 in the office and $500 out in the field.

Twenty alumni participated, including Rob Stanley, Derek Glenzinski, Mark Duffy, Mike Bodnar, Elizabeth McKernin, Eric Yoch, Laura McCurdy, Denise Opiola, Megan Thomas, Stephanie Morgan, Ashley Shanholtzer, John Stanley, Jennifer Zinn, Burke Blanken, Ann Bergen, Lyndsey Cleghorn, Betsy Hedges, Hannah Lamke and Kyle Lund.

ConAgra, which employs many Bradley alumni, has an annual tradition of raising funds for United Way. To raise more money and top last year’s count, groups at ConAgra compete to win various privileges such as the chance to pie executives in the face and the opportunity to name a conference room.

“I must have sent and received over 200 emails,” said head of the project Stanley, a 2011 Marketing and Sales alum.

The Bradley alumni group last year wasn’t in the running for a conference room but set that as a goal for 2013. They picked Conference Room 2B to rename for Bradley University.

The alumni group also went one step beyond simply naming the room and decorated it with Bradley gear. They pinned up Bradley banners, added gargoyle statues, and even removed the ConAgra clock to put up a Bradley University clock. They upped the game for future conference room winners and hope to continue the tradition of a BU room.

“The room is really hard to book,” said Stanley. “Everyone thinks it’s so cool. Even the children of our co-workers love the room and are thinking about becoming Braves.”