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ALUMNUS
Doug Renfro ('84)
From humble beginnings of distributing spices and pepper sauces in a garage, to a now more than 20 million dollar salsa business, Doug Renfro is helping to build his family brand of Renfro’s Salsa, one spreadsheet at a time.
Renfro’s grandparents started Renfro’s Salsa in 1940, and while he worked his way through adolescence at the warehouse, he did not always envision his future to involve mixing spices. Instead, Renfro opened his options by pursing college and other career aspirations.
He spent a large portion of his days on the road, starting out in the early morning in Denton and driving back home to Fort Worth where he worked late hours before beginning his obligatory homework. The hours may have been long, but it was when Renfro passed by a memorable professor, Dr. John Glasscock, that he caught his big break.
“Dr. Glasscock found me in the hallway, because we didn't have email back then, and flagged me down to say that he recommended me to the financial and accounting staff at EDS,” recalled Renfro. Electronic Data Systems (better known as EDS at the time), and Renfro’s UNT connections enabled this small-time salsa man to fulfill his dream of becoming a big-time financial analyst.
Six years into the corporate world, rising through the ranks as team leader, supervisor, and later department manager, Renfro realized that something was still missing. He decided to take on a 100% commission-based job for the opportunity to earn unlimited income potential through sales, but with it, came his biggest life lesson of all—unlimited loss potential. Still against spending his life as a cog in the corporate machine, he then took the plunge and rejoined the family business—trading in his suit for a hair net.
While Renfro had not anticipated coming back to the family business, it ended up being a blessing in disguise. His finance education at UNT proved more valuable to his family business than he would have ever imagined—enabling him to apply lessons in the classroom to management operations in the warehouse.
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ALUMNUS
Pedro Galvan ('18)
Pedro Galvan’s love for UNT started before he even enrolled in his first class. He took a tour of the campus with his high school when he was 16 years old and says he immediately fell in love and felt right at home. That love has only grown since Galvan transferred to UNT, and it is on full display every time he puts on his uniform of eagle talons, green feathers and a massive beak.
Galvan says he never intended to become Scrappy, but one day a friend texted him that Student Activities was desperate for a fill-in, so he agreed to help out. He had so much fun that he has been part of the Spirit Team ever since. He was also involved on campus through Greek Life, serving as recruitment chair for Lambda Chi Alpha.
Galvan points to Dr. Ted Farris as one of his most influential professors after taking his Logistics and Supply Chain Management course. He says Farris’ humor, humility and advice – “Don't follow the money, follow your passion and the money will come” – left a big impact on him.
While the marketing major says he has too many happy memories in the Scrappy suit to pinpoint any one as his favorite, he is honored he got to be one of the few to serve as UNT’s mascot.
Galvan graduated this December, and will be trading in his feathers for a different kind of uniform. In November, he was sworn in to the Marine Corps and he leaves for recruit training in February. He says he plans to pursue a career in counterintelligence and serve a minimum of 20 years.
“UNT has taught me the base that the Corps will build off of; respect, honor and dedication are all things I learned here,” says Galvan.
But before he leaves to serve our country, he got one more opportunity to wear the Scrappy uniform – or at least part of it. The identity of who wears the suit is generally kept under wraps while the students are in school, but they are given the option to wear Scrappy’s feet or hands to their commencement ceremony to finally unveil who’s behind the mask.
Galvan says the choice was easy: “As cheesy as it sounds, those feet paved a way for me at UNT.”
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UNT Accounting Advisory Board
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On November 13, the UNT Accounting Advisory Board made history when they established the UNT Accounting Advisory Board Endowed Fund.
The decision came after a scholarship update was provided to the board by Accounting Chair Dr. Ananth Seetharaman. Upon realizing that the board was not on the list of scholarship donors, they thought it was time to make a change.
“[We] felt that as the Accounting Advisory Board we should strive to not only be on the list, but attempt to create a prestigious award for accounting students... The endowment was attractive to our group because it allows us to provide permanent future support as funds are distributed, even after the current members may have moved on,” explained UNT Board Chair and Principal for Ryan, LLC Randy Donald.
The initial goal for the endowment is $100,000 within five years. With at least $25,000 raised in commitments in just one month, the board is well on their way of reaching their goal to provide indefinite opportunities for the program and its students.
The fund has been setup to distribute 50 percent toward accounting scholarships and the remaining 50 percent toward the department’s unrestricted discretionary needs.
“As board members, we understand the value of any unrestricted funds to be used at the department’s discretion, so we elected to carve out a portion to be used for that purpose,” said Donald.
The UNT College of Business is grateful for the generosity the Accounting Advisory Board provides to its students, in both leadership and financial support. The companies that these members are employed by also serve as exemplary role models for allowing them to participate in such meaningful ways. Please visit the UNT Accounting Advisory Board website for a complete list of members and their employers.
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UNT, PGA of America sign memorandum of understanding
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To develop unparalleled educational opportunities for students in fields related to sport entertainment management, the University of North Texas and the Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) of America signed a memorandum of understanding on education, research and branding initiatives for both entities.
The signing of the memorandum follows the PGA of America's announced intent to relocate its headquarters to Frisco, Texas, a hotbed of sport entertainment activity and the location of UNT's Frisco campus, including its sport entertainment management program.
"By partnering with the PGA of America, UNT hopes to develop unique internship and volunteer opportunities for students, conduct research and collect data on behalf of the PGA and develop educational programs for the PGA's 29,000 professionals," said UNT President Neal Smatresk.
The memorandum of understanding highlights each entity's intent to work together, including through the enhancement of UNT's curriculum in areas related to sport management and hospitality, while simultaneously providing the PGA with outreach opportunities in areas related to the sport and business of golf.
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Dr. Jose Lineros appointed to Professor of Internal Audit by The Institute of Internal Auditors
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The Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) appointed UNT College of Business Clinical Assistant Professor Dr. Jose Lineros as their Professor of Internal Audit for a three-year term.
This honor is a testament to the contributions and passion Lineros brings to the field, and the influence he has on his students and the accounting community.
Lineros has taught two of the three UNT alumni that were recently recognized by the Internal Auditor for being Emerging Leaders, including: Krystal Pond Aguirre (’13), Senior IT Auditor at Southwest Airlines, and Justin Finn (’14), Bank of America Audit Supervisor. Lineros is also a member of the North Texas Information Systems and Control Association board and he gives frequent presentations across the country to further endorse internal audit and IT auditing to the greater community.
In his newly appointed role, Lineros intends on continuing this trajectory of excellence.
“I wish to advance and promote the interests of UNT students within internal audit in order to give them a better understanding of what is possible within the profession,” said Lineros. “My passion in the classroom is to become for students what many of my previous professors were for me: inspiration towards a greater appreciation of what the world has to offer, and what you can offer the world.”
As the DFW IIA Professor of Internal Audit, Lineros will inspire students in new ways by bringing additional opportunities into the College for enhanced student experiences. |
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Sixth annual Logistics Scholarship Breakfast highlights the future of UNT at the New College at Frisco
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The sixth annual Logistics Scholarship Breakfast brought together 150 guests at the Southwest Airlines headquarters in Dallas.
Hosted on Friday, December 7, the breakfast gave industry and students the opportunity to network and promote best practices in logistics. Featured speakers included Dr. Jennifer Cowley, provost and vice president for academic affairs, and Brian Bethea, general manager of The Star.
The morning’s program focused on the future of UNT at the New College at Frisco, which helped to educate UNT’s industry partners on the collaboration and impact that the university is bringing to the Frisco area. UNT’s partnership with the Dallas Cowboys served as a focal point for this discussion.
The event raised more than $148,000 for scholarships and case study competitions that will directly support the Center for Logistics and Supply Chain Management at UNT. Seven check presentations took place during the event, including Crane Worldwide Logistics ($15,000), Intermodal Association of North America ($45,000), ISM Fort Worth ($6,500), PGL ($50,699), Southwest Airlines ($10,000), NT Logistics ($15,699) and Pepsico ($5,798).
Not only do participating UNT industry partners have a history of supporting the logistics program financially, but also in hiring UNT students and providing them with invaluable advice and leadership. In hosting the annual Logistics Scholarship Breakfast, these partnerships are strengthened and recognized on a larger scale.
Special thanks are acknowledged for Southwest Airline’s generosity in allowing the College to host this event at their headquarters. This generosity enabled lower overhead costs and more funding to go toward student scholarships and programming.
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Dr. Terrance Pohlen speaks at Federal Reserve during 2018 International Business Summit
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On November 1, 2018, SentrumGlobalTrade – a division of Sentrum International Corporation - and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport held the International Business Summit with local and global trade leaders from public and private sectors. The summit aimed at enabling the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) region to become the connecting platform for suppliers and buyers from the Pacific Alliance member nations.
Among the panel of experts invited to discuss "Dallas Fort Worth: Connectivity and Accessibility" was Dr. Terrance Pohlen, associate dean for operations and research at the College of Business.
Pohlen focused his presentation on the economy and logistics, key trends driving the concentration of logistics activity in major logistics hubs, and why DFW is emerging as North America’s logistics center.
Citing the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals Annual State of Logistics Report from June 2018, Pohlen explained that U.S. business logistics system total cost of $1,494.7 billion is equivalent to 7.7% of GDP in 2017, including carrying and transportation costs.
Pohlen also stated that DFW offers the ability “to plug and play” in a global economy through air cargo. The DFW International Airport is number 10 in the national ranking and number 35 in the world ranking, according to Airports International Council. This year, the top ten trading partners of DFW have been: China, South Korea, Canada, Japan, Vietnam, Taiwan, United Kingdom, Singapore, Thailand and Germany.
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Associate Professor Jesse Robertson co-authors Premier Journal publication
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Dr. Jesse Robertson, associate professor of accounting, recently co-authored a publication that was accepted in one of the College of Business' Premier Journals, Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory.
Jeremy Vinson, UNT Ph.D. alumnus, and Cam Cockrell co-authored the publication with Robertson, titled “The Effects of Critical Audit Matter Removal and Duration on Jurors' Assessments of Auditor Negligence."
The paper examines how a new standard involving the inclusion of critical audit matters (CAMs) in the financial statement audit report influences jurors’ assessments of auditor negligence when auditors do not detect a fraud. Their findings show that jurors assess higher auditor negligence when the auditor removes a CAM, related to a relatively complex account that had been reported for multiple years.
“This research is important because the new Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) standard drastically changes the audit report by requiring either a CAM disclosure or a statement that no CAMs were identified… Many parties expressed concern that the new standard will increase auditors’ legal liability, and our paper extends prior research that has focused on the presence, or absence, of CAM disclosure by investigating CAM removal and how many years the CAM was reported,” explained Robertson.
This publication helps to elevate the accounting program, and College of Business as a Tier One research university. Furthermore, research in general heightens student learning by bringing new perspectives and innovative ways to respond to questions in the classroom.
“I use publications as part of our discussion of topics, such as how auditors can handle problematic situations with clients and other auditors, and the positive and negative consequences of PCAOB inspections of audit firms. I plan to use this recent publication to discuss issues related to the new PCAOB standard involving CAM disclosure and auditor liability,” said Robertson.
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PHILANTHROPIC OPPORTUNITIES AT THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
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$10,000
CENTER FOR LOGISTICS EDUCATION AND RESEARCH
The UNT logistics programs are among the best in the nation. Consisting of four major components: the Center for Logistics and Supply Chain Management, the Complex Logistics Systems Research Cluster, the logistics and supply chain management degree programs and the only four-year aviation logistics degree program in the country, students are given unique opportunities to excel at UNT. With a donation to the Center for Logistics Education and Research Fund, you are supporting the future of the program and its important research initiatives that will help advance the field even further.
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$5,000
THE G. BRINT RYAN ENDOWED FUND TO SUPPORT THE DEPARTMENT OF ACCOUNTING
Donations to The G. Brint Ryan Endowed Fund to Support the Department of Accounting enables professional and academic growth in the accounting field. This endowment has given the department the resources necessary to establish important initiatives, helping to advance the program through things like scholarships, research, conferences and professional meetings.
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$1,000
DEAN'S EXCELLENCE FUND
The Dean's Excellence Fund exists to give the Dean flexibility in supporting immediate needs and opportunities within the college. Whether that be a student's travel fees to an upcoming competition, a program that needs additional marketing collateral, or a piece of technology that must be fixed in the classroom, your unrestricted gifts toward the Dean's Excellence Fund, in any amount, are a critical part of our operations.
Click here or the "Make a Gift" link below to learn more
and solidify your support.
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