PHOTO COURTESY STETSON UNIVERSITY
Appreciative dean — Dr. Neal Mero, the dean of Stetson’s School of Business Administration, is thankful for the donation from an alumnus that will create a sales program for business students.
Stetson University’s School of Business Administration will launch the Centurion Sales Excellence Program that will offer a major and a minor in sales, beginning in the fall of 2017.
The program was made possible by a donation from Stetson alumnus Leopoldo Fernandez in honor of his father, Genaro Fernandez Centurion.
“Any living entity needs to grow to survive, and business is no exception,” explained Fernandez, a successful entrepreneur in Spain. “What is most important to growing a business is growth in sales — it is the fuel to driving business forward.”
Neal Mero, Ph.D., who is dean and professor of management in the School of Business Administration, praised Fernandez for his donation.
“With his generous gift, Mr. Fernandez enables current and future Stetson business students to develop the very skills that were critical to his own phenomenal success as an entrepreneur,” Mero said. “We are honored that he has founded the Centurion Sales Excellence Program and are confident that this program will have lasting impact on our students’ success.”
Fernandez credits his selling ability for his business success. Although he learned selling skills as part of his professional experience, he believes that “he would have been even more successful had he learned sales skills earlier in his education,” according to Mero.
Students in the Centurion Sales Program will learn how to meet the needs of consumers and sell products and services, with multiple sales courses as well as courses in communication and negotiations.
Advanced sales students also will participate in the training of beginning sales students.
Fernandez’s gift also helps fund the on-campus development of specialized sales-training labs that will be designed to create an environment that will help further sharpen sales skills.
Although Fernandez enrolled at Stetson University in 1964, he first served in the U.S. Army, including a tour of duty in Vietnam. Fernandez went on to graduate in 1973 from the Stetson University School of Business Administration, where he majored in accounting and finance.
As an entrepreneur, he founded Telepizza, opening 800 stores in six countries and securing a 64-percent market share of the pizza restaurant and home delivery in Spain within 11 years.
He later bought a controlling interest of Jazztel, a full telecom operator in Spain, offering cellular and landline services.
- Marie Dinklage