Business confab has attendees seeing 'green'

The Business Department at Laney College presented its Sixth Annual Conference, "Strategically Market Your Career in Today's Economy through Student Internships and Green Entrepreneurial Opportunities" on Friday October 9, 2009.

Two workshops and a résumé clinic provided by the Employment Development Department "Experience Unlimited" volunteers comprised the program features.

Regarding this year's program, Jones noted, "it went well and was up to our expectations. This is the first year we changed the format of the conference from having panels to having workshops. Considering the economy and the times, our advisory council felt it was a necessary update."

The session opened with welcoming remarks from Ron Jones, Business Department chair, Laney College President Frank Chong, and Dr. Wise Allen, vice chancellor of Educational Services. Journalist Jerri Lange, moderator for the conference, and "green" author Scoot Cooney, keynote speaker, were introduced to the audience in preparation for their workshop presentations.

The first workshop, "Green Entrepreneurial Opportunities," facilitated by Cooney focused on green economy by highlighting industries growing in the categories of green building, organics, biofuels, and clean energy.

Additionally, Cooney, who authored "Build a Green Small Business: Profitable ways to Become an Ecopreneur," offered his expertise on how to run a small green business.

Moderated by Lange, the second workshop, "How to Strategically Market Your Career in Today's Economy through Student Internships, Volunteerism and Green Entrepreneurial Opportunities," featured panelists from local businesses who foster students through internships, as well as former Laney students who have been successful in attaining internships and subsequent jobs.

Pamela Bell, who represented the Port of Oakland, informed the attendees of efforts the Port was making to "go green." Among the strategies they have implemented are insuring that each employee has a "Great Ideas Start Here" mug from which to drink to minimize consumption of beverages from plastic bottles. The Port of Oakland is also reducing its energy usage by dimming lights and keeping lower temperatures in the buildings.

Since the Port of Oakland is a major gateway for receiving imported goods, engine pollution is a problem that impacts the West Oakland neighborhood. In light of that issue, a major initiative by the Port of Oakland is to assist truck owners with compliance of state law that necessitates a 20% reduction in emissions. Retrofitting the truck engines, which can cost $15,000 -$30,000, makes that reduction. By partnering with Bay Area Quality Management in San Francisco, the port has amassed millions of dollars to "save the region," said Bell.

Brittany Davis, a former sports intern currently employed with the San Jose Earthquakes, mentioned that her company was on board with the green initiative by sponsoring events such as "Green Nights." They also reach out to green companies and get their players involved in community activities such as tree planting to improve the environment.

Oakland-based Clorox Corporation was represented by Li Mei Johnson. As a corporation that has not traditionally been green conscious, Clorox is making steps toward being part of the green/sustainable community. In addition to improving their carbon footprint, Clorox is making strides in the megatrend category of green products.

Besides their own brand, Green Works, which Johnson said was "99 percent natural," Clorox also recently acquired the natural cosmetics brand Burt's Bees and the Britta brand, which is a water filtration system.

After the corporate representatives made their introductions, Lange asked the remaining panelists who were former students and interns to offer "tips on how to seek and acquire internships." Lange also asked the panelists to clarify the difference between volunteerism and internships and if it made a difference which a student performed.

Marian Rutenberg, a former intern at KTVU, encouraged students to "say yes" and "do what you say you are going to do," when offered intern opportunities. Rutenberg also advised future interns to spend their "down time" networking with others in the company so that by the time they finish their internship they would have a considerable list of contacts within their industry.

Eric Lacy, now employed by Comcast Sportsnet as a production assistant, revealed that his opportunity to intern was crucial in his securing a paid position in his desired industry. Even though he already had a degree, Lacy took classes at Laney and interned at KTVU and Fox Sports so that he could gain valuable experience in sports broadcasting.

Lacy echoed Rutenberg's sentiments regarding the valuable experience of interning. He emphasized the necessity of great work ethics for interns by saying that "If my job starts at ten, I will be there at nine and I will stay hours later." Clarifying the differences between volunteering and internships, Lacy added that "in television, there are no volunteer opportunities, so it's important to apply for an internship."

Hao Nguyen, a Laney student who interned with the Port of Oakland, was actually interviewed with Pamela Bell, and gained valuable experience during her internship. She too encourage students to seek out opportunities to intern and to be pro-active during their internship.

Larry Crayton, who received three associate degrees from Laney and his bachelors in business from California State University East Bay, profited from three internships with corporate tax firms while a student. He currently has an internship with San Francisco International Airport in the accounting department. Crayton also credits his affiliation with The National Association of Black Accountants as useful for his gaining opportunities.