Marketing Grad Returns the Favor

Kyle Harfst with Operations Management Students

Returning to his alma mater to take the Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP) Exam, Kyle Harfst, Ph.D, (Marketing ’84) also found time to meet with two operations management classes to discuss the proper ways to create business plans.

Dr. Harfst is currently the Interim Executive Director of Southern Illinois Research Park, Inc. at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC). He assists in creating a high tech research hub for southern Illinois and helps expand knowledge-based investment and job opportunities in Carbondale and southern Illinois. Dr. Harfst also serves as Director of the Small Business Incubator at SIUC.

Dr. Harfst provided key procedures for creating business plans to the students while he visited with them February 22. He discussed management issues, realistic expected income, design factors, and appropriate length of the business plan. He was also available to answer any further questions.

While in the Cedar Valley his itinerary also included completing the CGBP certification exam. The NASBITE CGBP certification provides a benchmark for competency in global commerce. The CGBP designation demonstrates an individual's ability to conduct global business including Global Business Management, Global Marketing, Supply Chain Management, and Trade Finance. For candidates experienced in international trade, the certification confirms that knowledge, and for companies, it assures that employees are able to practice global business at the professional level required in today's competitive environment.

Cedar Falls was one of only five cities in the U.S. to offer this certification exam in February. Other cities included Boston, New York, Los Angeles, and Seattle. The primary focus of UNIBusiness is to provide a professional education that enables graduates to be productive citizens in a complex, global society. By providing opportunities for students to develop themselves through faculty-student interaction, state-of-the-art facilities, and learning opportunities including CGBP, graduates will become positive contributors to a complex, global society.


Updated 26-Mar-08