An invitation from a local business media outlet to their power breakfast provided excellent networking opportunities and real-world education for seven Siena students.
The group attended the Economic Outlook 2022 breakfast hosted January 21 by the Albany Business Review. They were invited to sit at the head table by Walter Thorne, the Business Review’s market president and publisher, and were joined by Charles Seifert, Ph.D., dean of Siena’s School of Business. Siena was the only area college asked to send students to the breakfast, held at Wolferts Roost Country Club in Albany.
The annual event featured a panel of Capital Region business leaders who analyzed the local and national business climate and shared their perspectives on what the coming year will bring, especially as companies continue to rebound from the COVID pandemic.
“It was very interesting to hear directly from these local leaders,” said Emma Bidell MBA ’22. “They are household names here and getting their take on how the pandemic affected the economy and how we will continue to recover from that was really impactful. Some of the information they shared was pretty surprising, such as how government sector jobs were affected.”
Ashton Meriam ’22 said as soon as he received the invitation to the event he responded with a “yes.”
“As an undergraduate in the School of Business, I didn’t think twice about taking advantage of this opportunity,” he said. “To be among some of the region’s biggest names in business, and to proudly represent Siena alongside my peers; it was truly an honor to attend. The panel discussion was incredibly informative, especially hearing about their success stories during the pandemic. To be offered opportunities like this – to attend a professional conference put on by the Albany Business Review – is one of the reasons I chose Siena.”
Gaining insight on the Capital Region and national economies for the coming year was the most important takeaway for Sam Hearn ’23.
“As a college student and emerging professional, I appreciated the presentation of their business forecasts,” said Hearn. “The insights from local business leaders regarding the current and future state of business were very valuable, and I have been able to apply some of those insights to my current coursework and internships.”
Also attending the breakfast were Jayanna Monds MBA ’22, Veronica Forth ’23, Joseph Gabriel ’22, and Hassan Omar ’22.
ABR publisher Thorne, who was a School of Business guest lecturer at Siena last fall, was impressed with the caliber of Siena students who took part in the event.
“What an engaged group of young people representing the College,” he said. “Because of them, our future is bright. We sincerely appreciate Siena’s support of the ABR and sending their students to Economic Outlook.”
Dean Seifert said the power breakfast was a great learning experience for the Saints.
“It provided them with the opportunity to network with some of the top executives in the area,” he said. “In addition, having them at the head table also helped to increase Siena’s exposure and reinforce our position as the top business school in the area.”