COB alum shares business success stories at annual business leadership conference

More than 1,200 students, alumni and presenters attended the seventh annual Business Leadership Conference held Oct. 20 on the campus of East Carolina University.

During the one-day event, College of Business sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduate students heard from more than 20 local and national business leaders, entrepreneurs and alumni.

East Carolina University College of Business alumnus John May participates in a fireside chat with COB Interim Dean Mike Harris at the college’s annual business leadership conference. (Photos by Cliff Hollis)

Traditionally, the BLC is kicked off with a keynote presentation. This year, event organizers introduced a new feature that replaced the presentation: a fireside chat.

For the inaugural chat, Mike Harris, interim dean of the College of Business, welcomed Pirate alum John May (BSBA ’93) back home to Greenville and to his alma mater. May is the founder and managing partner of CORE Industrial Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm focused on North American lower middle market manufacturing, industrial technology, and industrial service businesses. He is responsible for all of CORE’s activities, including sourcing new investment opportunities, valuation, transaction structuring, acquisition financing, and fundraising. He currently serves on the boards of all CORE’s portfolio companies. May also is an at-large member of the East Carolina University Foundation, Inc. board of directors and chairs its investment committee.

“The Business Leadership Conference is a wonderful time where our alumni and speakers can connect with the College’s No. 1 resource: our students,” Harris said. “There’s always a chance a student will hear something that will set them on a path to success.”

May’s participation in the BLC marks the first time a COB alumnus has been the featured speaker at the event.

Words of advice

On a fall morning in October, COB students heard from May, who has formerly been the president and chief executive officer of seven companies prior to founding CORE Industrial Partners. CORE has bought 40 companies —and sold several — in the past five years, and the firm currently has $1 billion of assets under management.

Many listened intently as May answered one of Harris’ many questions: “What is the secret sauce to success?”

“Be prepared,” May said. “Always present yourself in a way that you’re going to be what you want to be.”

To illustrate the point, May spoke about how he once worked at a chicken factory and every day, he went to work wearing a tie. “I thought to myself, ‘I’m going be a CEO one day.'”

For tomorrow’s leaders, May recommended a lot of reading to ensure they are prepared for any processes they may need to know in their line of work.

“I taught myself how to do merger and acquisition transactions,” May told the crowd. “I didn’t go to an Ivy League school, and I didn’t work for a financial services firm … I spent a lot of time reading books and learning in real time early in my career.”

Other lessons learned that May shared were, “make hard work your passion, always find ways to give back and there is no destination; it’s all about the journey.”

Finally, surround yourself with good people, one extra ingredient to May’s secret sauce that came from lessons learned over the years.

“If you don’t know what you want to do, experiment a little bit and try a couple of different things,” he said. “Find the thing that you can be the best at, and then put all your energy and effort into it. Surround yourself with the right group of people who are aligned with your passion.”

After the fireside chat, students participated in 12 breakout sessions that featured numerous alumni presenters who focused on how to succeed in a career and what makes for good leadership. Presentations included “How can Gen Z Lead in a Boomer’s World,” “How to Enter the Job Market with Confidence,” and “Transitioning from the Dorm Room to the Board Room.”

The event closed with a session where the students networked with the presenters and practiced everything they learned from the COB’s professional development and ethical leadership course. Etiquette and networking skills were on full display.

During the session, they remembered the challenge Harris put forth to them at the event kick-off.

“At this conference, I challenge you to get a minimum of three new LinkedIn connections,” Harris said. “Honestly, you may meet someone that changes your life.”

More than 1,200 students, alumni and presenters attended the annual business leadership conference organized by East Carolina University’s College of Business.