A stop at Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland, Florida, capped off a week of intense business education for a group of executives from Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Uruguay.
The nearly 50 business leaders were participants in Experiencia Set, an educational initiative that partnered with The Walt Disney Company to provide a close-up look at how the company operates, while also providing an exceptional level of service to its customers.
The visit highlighted Florida Poly’s emerging role as a resource for both domestic and international companies seeking to improve their operations. International partnerships are a key part of the University’s growth strategy.
“Strengthening international connections is a critical component of Florida Poly’s growth,” said Dr. Randy Avent, the university’s president. “Our location and mission make Latin American partnerships a natural strength for our University and we are focused on creating big, impactful results.”
After the group toured the Innovation, Science, and Technology (IST) building on Aug. 30, Dr. Jim Mennie, assistant professor of business analytics at Florida Poly, taught the executives about the Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, Results (SOAR) tool to help them improve their strategic planning.
“We are providing them with a unique analytical tool for organization improvement, whether it’s a business, university, research institute, or charitable organization,” said Mennie, who is also business director at Florida Poly’s Florida Industrial Phosphate Research Institute. “SOAR focuses on the positive attributes of organizations and builds upon it.”
Attendee Carlos Chacon, owner of Costa Rican tour guide systems company Epco Radioguías, said the program was very beneficial.
“I hope we can have more courses like this in different countries,” he said. “We have to learn from the best and I think the best professionals are here.”
Frank DaCosta, owner of VPI Hospitality in Orlando, Florida, and lead speaker for the group during their visit, said the attendees plan to implement what they learned within their own companies.
“We’re closing with that wow factor because visiting the University was what we were really looking forward to.”
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