ways to re-purpose the company’s 200,000 square foot, three-acre beverage production site on Niagara Street. Seeler had to consider the site’s location near the waterfront and Peace Bridge, Buffalo’s current and future economic climate, Rich Product’s environmentallyfriendly objectives, and the long-term value and viability of the re-purpose ideas over the next 20 years. “The internship really forced me to broaden my knowledge, gave me new insight, and revealed many new possibilities and opportunities that I previously never knew of or considered,” says Seeler. “None of this would have happened were it not for the Prentice Family Foundation.”
Machine Co., where many Canisius alumni serve in leadership positions. These individuals and their teams outlined specific assignments for their respective Prosperity Scholars to complete throughout the course of their internships. The work entailed a whole lot more than answering phones and making photocopies. “I was definitely expected to apply what I learned in my accounting classes,” says Wrightson. Her initial work at Eastman Machine involved accounts payable and accounts receivable. Wrightson later became responsible for allocating invoices, daily check deposits and bank reconciliations. Valletta learned the value of resourcefulness during his internship at ADPRO Sports and Integrity Office. His supervisor, Derek Garner, executive vice president of both companies, tasked Valletta with two large-scale projects. The first involved a competitive overview for Integrity Office. The second required Valletta to identify new sales prospects for the ADPRO team. Both projects gave this future entrepreneur insight as to what it takes for small businesses to stay competitive. “I researched the companies’ competitors, determined what they did well, what they didn’t do so well, and who their clients are,” says Valletta. “It involved a lot of phone calls and research but the outcome could ultimately help ADPRO and Integrity differentiate their business from their competitors.”
Bryant and Joan Prentice are the generous benefactors of the Prentice Family Foundation. The couple established the philanthropic organization in 2007, as a way “to leverage economic development through scholarship support” to undergraduate and graduate students, says Bryant Prentice. Specifically, he says, the foundation aims to make a multi-generational impact on WNY to “help transform it into a 21st century knowledge economy.” Education - particularly business education - is at the heart of the Prentice family business and has been since 1854. Bryant Prentice III is the great-great grandson of J.C. Bryant, a Buffalo physician, educator and entrepreneur who founded Bryant & Stratton College, with his brother-in-law, H.D. Stratton. From its early beginnings, the college provided students with a practical workplace education that combined classroom instruction with real-world experiences. Similar experiences are being furthered at Canisius College, thanks to the generosity of the Prentice Family Foundation. Earlier this year, the foundation renewed funding for the Western New York Prosperity Scholarships at Canisius for the 2011-2012 year. This means a new round of scholars will embark on an exciting learning experience that puts their educations to work for the economic benefit of the community. “I am very grateful to the Prentice Family Foundation for its investment in the next generation of business leaders,” says Wrightson. “The Prosperity Scholarship afforded me the opportunity to turn in-class learning into real-life professional experiences, in a setting that directly contributes to Western New York’s growth and resurgence.”
“Most interns do not get opportunities to work hand-in-hand with cross-functional, upper-level management, yet I sat in on meetings and provided input on key issues,” says Stephen Seeler.
“The study of business and, in particular, entrepreneurship is not complete without practical experience, which is exactly what I received as a Prosperity Scholar,” adds Valletta. “I now have a unique perspective as to how all different functions of a business tie together. And although there are measurable risks and uncertainty involved in any business venture, the Prosperity Scholarship empowered me to believe that I can live out my entrepreneurial dreams.”
He interned on the Site Re-Purpose Team at Rich Products. Seeler’s specific assignment: to research, evaluate and present ideas on
In fact, Valletta and his Prosperity Scholar counterparts are on a one-way elevator - going up.
For many Prosperity Scholars, however, being a respected member of a team is the real value of their internship experiences.
PHOTO: Western New York Prosperity Scholarship recipients join Antone (Joe) F. Alber, PhD, dean of the Richard J. Wehle School of Business, at the college’s annual Business Awards Dinner. Pictured (front row, l-r) Lindsey Rizzo ‘12, Dean Alber, Laura Wrightson ‘12; (back row, l-r) Phillip Leszak ’10, MBA ‘12, Ryan McNulty MBA ‘12, and Brian Neff MBA ‘12.