College of Business News

The Montana State University College of Business (CoB) will host the 5th annual Women’s Circle of Excellence (WCOE) conference, April 19, at Riverside Country Club, in Bozeman.

The WCOE conference helps develop women’s professional and personal success. The conference will include sessions on leadership, customer relations, digital marketing strategies and work/life balance.

The opening session will feature Kitty Saylor, MSU alumna, president and CEO of REHAU North America. Her session will focus on what makes high-performance teams successful, with a particular emphasis on the key roles that collaborative leadership and communication play in contributing to this success. She manages a team of 1,500 employees and oversees the North American operations of the company which is based in Germany and Switzerland.

Melinda Hinson Neely, business owner, author and marathon runner, will give the keynote presentation, “Making Life Work for You!” at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 19. Women professionals often struggle with juggling increased levels of responsibilities in their work and personal lives. The session will help participants discuss balancing professional and personal time, which is vital to creating a happy and healthy lifestyle. Hinson Neely will draw from her experiences and help participants find their balance. She will share her secrets on how to maintain work/life balance—whether one is single or married, employed by a large corporation, a small business or working from home.

The conference is hosted by the CoB. Major sponsorship is provided by State Farm Insurance, with additional support from Bacterin International and breakout session sponsorship by Anderson ZurMuehlen & Co. and First Security Bank.

Conference registration is $55, which includes educational sessions, event materials, networking reception, hors d’oeuvres, silent auction and entertainment provided by Broad Comedy. Proceeds from the silent auction help fund a WCOE scholarship. Five continuing professional education credits for certified public accountants are available.

For additional conference information and to register, visit www.montana.edu/cob/Alumni_and_Friends/WomensCircle.html or contact Audrey Lee at 994-7026, audrey.lee@montana.edu.

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The documentary, “Beer Country,” about the brewing culture in the state of Montana, will make its debut at the Beer Fest on Friday, April 13. The film will be on continuous loop in the TV lounge at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds. A second chance to see the film, including a Q&A session with the filmmakers, will be Thursday, April 26 at the Procrastinator Theater on the MSU campus at 4:00 pm.

The film is the culmination of work done by College of Business (CoB) assistant professor of marketing, Graham Austin, along with a team of three student assistants: Ryan Bone, Austin Trimbach and Anthony Varriano. The team traveled around the state in 2009 gathering on-camera interviews about the culture of microbreweries throughout Montana to produce the documentary.

For more information, please contact Graham Austin, gaustin@montana.edu.

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The Human Empowered Arts Project (HEAP Bozeman), a non-profit dedicated to creative upcycling and environmental education will launch during the 2012 Gallatin Earth Celebration in Bozeman, MT.

HEAP Bozeman’s mission is to empower the Bozeman community through its educational programs, and upcycle workshops while inspiring the community to divert reusable items for the exploration of making the common uncommon. Programs supporting these goals include the Information Tank, which enables collaboration with local environmentally conscious organizations, and the HEAP Cooperative; a program dedicated to the campaign “Think Before You Toss” in partnership with local thrift, pawn and consignment stores.

Executive Director, Anna Hernandez, founded HEAP Bozeman as a continuation of her own passion for upcycling creativity, and resolved to share it with the Bozeman community. Hernandez also sought to give local students the opportunity to obtain business start-up experience through the establishment of a non-profit. Anna and a team of six Montana State University interns have collaborated this spring semester to develop an innovative program that provides Bozeman the opportunity to discover the benefits of upcycle creativity while learning the importance of sustainability and environmental awareness.

HEAP Bozeman will participate in the Hawthorne Elementary Earth Day Celebration on Friday, April 20 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., and formally launch at the Bozeman Clean Up and Sustainability Vendor Show at Bogart Park on Saturday, April 21 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. At Bogart Park, HEAP will be presenting their creative approaches to repurposing reclaimed items. Upcycle workshops for kids and adults will be provided, and items from the HEAP Eclectic Boutique will be on sale to raise funds for the Human Empowered Arts Project.

For more information, visit www.heapbozeman.org or contact Anna Hernandez, anna.hernandez@montana.edu

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Since 2008, College of Business (CoB) accounting students have been traveling to Alaska as a part of a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, a program established by the Internal Revenue Service. This year, six students—the most ever—spent spring break volunteering in rural Alaska.

Amanda Caldwell, Arianna Haines, Jodie Kunesh, Tom Langmo, Rajeev Modi and Cullen Mullany left Bozeman on March 9, 2012 for Anchorage, Alaska where they started off with a training session on tax laws and orientation. The students were split up into groups of two and sent off to different regions of the state training with the Alaska Business Development Center. Villages they visited included Alakanuk, Barrow, Eek, Kaktovik, Nightmute, Nuiqsut, Mountain Village and Tuntutuliak.

Most of the students saw this trip as an opportunity for a unique college experience, while providing an essential community service. Mullany chose to go on this trip because he thought the chance to go to a place that few people ever visit to gain some practice in the tax world, would be great. Kunesh had heard excellent things about the trip from a student who had attended the previous year and she also wanted to be exposed to different cultures and lifestyles. Langmo agreed and believed this trip would help solidify his knowledge after completing his tax class.

This opportunity allowed the students to apply what they had learned in their tax classes and VITA training, in remote areas where residents do not have easy access to tax services.

“The amount of knowledge I attained in the field of taxation and customer service was something that would be difficult to find anywhere else. I was also able to see a part of the world that many rarely see, rural Alaska. This trip is a wonderful opportunity for undergraduate accounting students. I hope that MSU participates in this program for years to come,” described Langmo.

Besides preparing taxes, these CoB students were able to experience a different culture and lifestyle. Most of them found the travel and transportation both interesting and scary. From snowmobiles and dog sleds to small Cessnas and bush planes, the volunteers were able to experience many modes of transportation. “I enjoyed traveling over the bizarre and unusual landscape while cramped in a small Cessna. It felt as if I were in a documentary they were filming for some Discovery channel show…,” Cullen said. Kunesh had to face her fears of flying during the dozen plane trips they took—a personal triumph for her.

Many of the students were able to watch native dances and basketball games, eat unique native foods and participate in potlatches. A Starbucks’ drink, priced at $13.35 in the local store, also came as a huge shock to the students.

The travel and culture were Langmo’s favorite parts of the trip. “To see that people within your own country live in such adverse and severe weather conditions is amazing. It was also very fun to see how these people travel. It was a wonderful experience to see a completely different culture than what I’m used to.”

Through this program, the students gained valuable tax preparation experience and learned about another culture and lifestyle. While there, these six students were able to help more than 430 villagers and their families.

For more information about the VITA program, please see our Website: http://www.montana.edu/cob/Accounting/vita.html

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Update: Due to a business emergency, this lecture has been cancelled.

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Senior and graduate accounting students from Montana State University’s College of Business are offering free help preparing tax returns for MSU students, individuals and/or households who made less than $58,000 last year.

The help sessions will be held on the MSU campus in Reid Hall 302 (Computer Lab). No appointment is necessary; first come, first serve. Sessions are held from 5:30-7:00 pm. The last four sessions are on the following dates: March 20, 27, 29; and April 3. At the sessions, students will be available to prepare federal and state income tax returns and answer tax questions. Free electronic filing will be available for most 1040 forms.

Individuals who are interested in free help should bring their 2011 W-2 forms, other tax documents, social security cards and copies of their 2010 tax returns (if available). International students should also bring their passports and visas. Tax assistance for international students began Feb. 21.

The student accounting volunteers are part of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, which was established by the Internal Revenue Service to assist people who may find it difficult to pay for tax preparation services. The program also gives accounting students practical experience.

Each student accounting volunteer has passed an IRS tax preparation exam, completed at least one comprehensive tax course, received specific training related to common tax issues, and has access to a variety of federal and state reference materials.

This service is provided by the MSU College of Business and Beta Alpha Psi/Accounting Club.

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Kregg Aytes, the interim dean of Idaho State University’s College of Business, has been selected as dean of Montana State University’s College of Business after a national search. Aytes will start July 1.

“We are extremely pleased to have Kregg join us,” said MSU Provost Martha Potvin. “He brings with him a real dedication to giving students the best education possible. He’ll be a great addition to the MSU family.”

Aytes has been a member of the College of Business faculty at Idaho State University since 1993. He completed his doctorate in management information systems at the University of Arizona Eller College Of Management that same year. Prior to his doctoral education, he worked as a systems engineer at IBM in Phoenix for five years after receiving his bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona.

“I’m thrilled to be coming to MSU,” Aytes said. “I met a wonderful group of faculty and students when I visited the campus and am really looking forward to working with them.”

During his time at ISU, Aytes has served as chair of the Computer Information Systems Department, associate dean, and in his current position as interim dean. He has taught a wide variety of courses, including subjects ranging from programming to strategy and small business consulting. He was named one of five master teachers at ISU in 2006.He has also twice received the outstanding service award for the College of Business at ISU.

Aytes’ research interests revolve around the management of IT, the use of technology to support group work, and more recently, the use of social media by entrepreneurs. He enjoys interacting with industry, through consulting and service on boards of various economic development organizations.

Over the years, Aytes has visited Bozeman many times, as his daughter attended MSU and she and his son currently live and work in Bozeman.

The dean position came open last spring, when Dan Moshavi left the position to become dean of the School of Business and Leadership at Dominican University of California in San Rafael. Susan Dana, who did not apply for the permanent position, has been serving as interim dean.

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Dean and Hope Folkvord of Three Forks have won the 2012 Community Excellence Awards. The couple owns and operates Wheat Montana Farms and Sacajawea Hotel, LLC. Dean Folkvord is the CEO of Wheat Montana Farms and Hope Folkvord is the CFO.

The Community Excellence Awards, which honor service to both MSU and the greater Gallatin Valley community, were announced at the 30th annual Awards for Excellence Banquet, hosted by the MSU Alumni Foundation and the Bozeman Area Chamber of Commerce on Feb. 21.

Hope (Fjelstad) Folkvord and Dean Folkvord were active and involved students at MSU. Hope Folkvord belonged to the MSU Spurs (a sophomore service honorary), was in the homecoming court and was active in the Residence Hall Association. She graduated in 1982 with a degree in business management. Dean competed in rodeo and graduated in 1982 with a degree in agricultural business.

Since graduating, these life members of the MSU Alumni Association have continued to engage with and serve MSU. They are members of the Bobcat Club, Quarterback Club, Rodeo Club, Friends of the Library, and the Montana Aggies Group, Hope Folkvord was a member of the MSU Foundation Board of Directors for five years. Dean Folkvord served on the MSU President’s Circle and is currently on the fundraising committee for the Bobcat Rodeo Club. The Folkvords have established a scholarship in their name, and they were contributors to the Bobcat Stadium End Zone campaign. As football season ticket-holders, the couple even traveled to Huntsville, Texas, this past season to watch the Bobcats in the quarterfinal playoff game.

The Folkvord family has been involved with agriculture for three generations, and their family-owned-and-operated businesses are well-known in the Gallatin Valley and beyond.

Wheat Montana’s agricultural operations encompass 12,000 acres, and the company employs more than 100 people and produces 113 products, which are sold nationwide. In 1994, Wheat Montana Farms was awarded the Montana Family Business of the Year honor. In 1997, Dean Folkvord was named Montana’s Small Business Person of the Year and in 1999, Wheat Montana Farms won the Best Managed Farms Contest. Wheat Montana Farms has also made its way into the Guinness Book of World Records for cutting, milling, mixing and baking a loaf of bread in 8 minutes and 13 seconds.

In 2009, the Folkvords bought the historic Sacajawea Hotel in Three Forks. A seven-month, $2 million renovation both restored the hotel’s historic elegance and modernized it. The Folkvords received the Commercial Preservation Award from the Montana Preservation Alliance in 2011 for restoring the 100-year-old hotel, which is now an important commercial anchor for the town of Three Forks.

Dean Folkvord is a state champion livestock auctioneer, and has donated his professional services to raise funds for the College of Agriculture, Bobcat Club, Big Brothers Big Sisters, the College of Business, and many local nonprofits. He has served on numerous chamber panels and the Montana Business Leadership Council. He was named Montana’s SBA Small Business Person of the Year, Montana Entrepreneur of the Year by “Entrepreneur” magazine, and has served on SBA’s National Advisory Council, the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana Board of Directors, the Federal Reserve Bank Advisory Council on Agriculture, and chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Helena.

The community service awards are awarded annually to a local man and woman in recognition of outstanding support of the Bozeman and MSU communities. Criteria for the award include giving time and resources beyond business or professional obligations to both the community and MSU.

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