Donor
Spotlight |
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For
further questions, please contact: Chuck Seufferlein
President and CEO
Cornish & Carey Commercial/ONCOR International
Direct: 408.982.8406 |
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| California
State University, Chico, College of Business Selects Chuck Seufferlein
Distinguished Alumni of the Year. |
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| April
19, 2004, Santa Clara, California. Charles E. Seufferlein, President and
CEO for Cornish & Carey Commercial/ONCOR International (C&C),
will be honored as Distinguished Alumni of the Year, Friday, April 23rd
at the Bell Memorial Union in Chico, California. |
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| Mr.
Seufferlein, a graduate of the College of Business at California State
University, Chico, will be honored for his accomplishments in the business
community and his efforts towards enhancing business education. A native
of Northern California, Mr. Seufferlein is well known for his leadership,
dedication and diligence, qualities first instilled during his tenure
at Chico. Cornish & Carey Commercial is the dominant commercial real
estate firm in Northern California, operating throughout Northern California
with 8 offices employing over 250 agents and staff. |
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| Mr.
Seufferlein has been actively involved in the commercial real estate for
more than 28 years. In 1985, after a ten year career as a successful commercial
real estate agent, Mr. Seufferlein was appointed Northern California President
for The Sammis Development Company . In 1991 he accepted the position
as Senior Vice President/Managing Officer of CB Richard Ellis. In 1994,
Mr. Seufferlein joined Cornish & Carey Commercial as Executive Vice
President and Partner and in 2001 was appointed by Board of Directors
to the position of President & CEO. |
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“I
am proud and honored to be recognized by this wonderful institution,”
said Mr.
Seufferlein, who currently oversees strategic direction, business growth
and profitability for Cornish & Carey’s combined operations.
“The time I spent at Chico put my career in motion and ensured that
I had developed the appropriate skill set to be successful. In addition
to a rigorous curriculum taught by outstanding faculty, I learned leadership
and social skills that have shaped my career,” said Mr. Seufferlein. |
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In
addition to his business pursuits, Mr. Seufferlein supports Chico’s
new educational programs and initiatives. Most recently, he provided funding
that enabled the College of Business to expand their study abroad program.
“I encourage students to broaden their understanding of business
and commerce by embarking on the scholarly pursuit of business theory
and practice from a global perspective,” Mr. Seufferlein added.
California State University, Chico’s College of Business is a student-centered,
residential learning community that fosters innovative business education
complemented by applied
research and instructional development. The College serves California
by preparing graduates to meet the global business challenges of the 21st
century. |
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| Mr.
Seufferlein holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business from California
State University Chico and a Masters of Business Administration Degree
from the University of Santa Clara. He currently sits on the Cornish &
Carey Commercial Board of Directors, the World Board of ONCOR International
as Vice-Chairman, and the Board of Directors of the Association of South
Bay Brokers and the Board of Directors for the College of Business at
California State University Chico. He is a member of the International
Council of Shopping Centers, Urban Land Institute, and the National Association
of Industrial and Office Parks. |
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A
dominant regional real estate force since 1935, Cornish & Carey Commercial/ONCOR
International provides a full range of services for both property owners
and companies occupying buildings throughout Northern California. With
more than 170 agents in eight strategically located offices - Santa Clara,
Palo Alto, San Mateo, San Francisco, Walnut Creek, Emeryville, Pleasanton
and Sacramento - Cornish & Carey Commercial is one of the largest
privately held commercial real estate service providers in the world.
Our services have expanded throughout the United States and to major markets
internationally in
conjunction with the company's affiliation with ONCOR International, an
organization of leading brokerage firms in North America, Europe and Latin
America.
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| A
Conversation with Brian Strom (Link Magazine, Fall 2002) |
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| B.S.,
Accounting, 1969 |
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Brian
Strom is president and CEO of SureWest Communications
in Roseville, California. Strom was selected as the 2002 Sacramento
Metro Chamber of Commerce Businessperson of the Year and
as the 2001 Roseville Chamber of Commerce Businessperson of the
Year. He serves as vice chairman of the United States Telecom
Association and chairman of the California Telephone Association,
and is active in numerous community organizations. Strom graduated
from CSU, Chico in 1969 with a degree in accounting. |
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| LINK:
Please tell our readers about SureWest Communications. |
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SureWest
Communications provides a wide range of advanced
communications products and services in the
Sacramento metropolitan region, including broadband,
wireless, long distance, directories, and Internet. SureWest
Communications is parent to Roseville Telephone Company,
California’s third-largest incumbent local exchange carrier. |
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LINK:
Brian, describe for our readers how your management style
has changed in the face of deregulation. |
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As SureWest
Communications has grown and evolved, I
have tried to develop and nurture our internal communications
systems to ensure that all company employees are
informed about where the company is going. Since
SureWest Communications has recently entered a new and
very competitive arena with our CLEC (Competitive Local
Exchange Carrier), I believe the support of our employees
is more important than ever as we strive to carve out our
niche in the marketplace. I’ve also worked hard to keep the
company unified, especially as we’ve continued to add
subsidiaries to our core business, Roseville Telephone
Company. To do that, we hold weekly meetings with our
senior managers from all business units to ensure that
everyone is abreast of what’s going on company-wide. We
also hold an annual 10K meeting and quarterly 10Q meetings
with all employees to keep them in the loop about how
we’re doing financially and strategically. I have always
believed our employees are one of our strongest assets and
that keeping them informed about company news is a
number one priority. |
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LINK:
The telecom industry has fallen on hard times. What are
some of the differences that enabled SureWest to avoid the
downdraft in this telecom market? |
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At least
three factors have hurt telecoms in the past couple
of years: too much debt, pricing pressure, and lower than
expected demand. SureWest Communications has worked
to learn from other’s mistakes and avoid the pitfalls. We
currently have very little debt—the lowest of any telecom in
our peer group. SureWest Communications has also adopted
a diversified and layered business model that provides a
strong, stable foundation for the safe and sustained growth
of all of our business units. As a result, our cash flows remain
strong and positive. We’re a bit unusual in the telecom group
right now—a growing, profitable company with widening
margins. |
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LINK:
What is the most critical success factor that will influence the
growth of SureWest? |
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Two factors
are equally critical. One is leveraging synergies.
We must leverage our network architecture and other synergies
across the organization to benefit each unit. And two is
making smart acquisitions. SureWest Communications must
take advantage of the collapse of the competitive market. |
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LINK:
How do you motivate, evaluate and reward the people
making up your company? |
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I have found
over the years that employees are effective
ambassadors for taking the company’s message into the
community. We want our employees to feel proud of the
company they work for and proud of the part they play in
the company’s success. One of the ways we recognize and
reward employees who have gone above and beyond the call
of duty is by holding quarterly and annual employee awards
ceremonies. Awards are presented to employees whose
dedication, commitment and willingness to go the extra mile
have helped make our company what it is today. The
awards are presented by the company’s vice presidents,
which sends a message to employees that the senior
management team is accessible. |
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LINK:
It has been more than 30 years since you completed
your degree at CSU, Chico. Looking back, what are the
dominant decisions or events that helped your career progress
from staff accountant to CEO? |
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Listening
to and learning from a wide range of
friends and advisors has been invaluable. Counsel
during the recruiting process from Professor Harry
Jefferson and Floyd Mulkey, a local CPA for whom I
worked while at Chico State, directed me to the
training development at a “Big 8” CPA firm. Once at
Arthur Young, it was the mentoring from a number of
partners, such as Frank O’Brien and Dave Pearson,
who encouraged me to keep setting higher goals. It
was also important to learn how to balance the
oftentimes competing family and professional demands
by talking with my wife, Doris. In addition, I
learned a lot from working directly with my clients’
CEOs, such as Roseville Telephone Company Chairman
and President, Bob Doyle, who later asked me to
join his company. |
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LINK:
What courses at CSU, Chico helped you most
through your early career? |
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Accounting
courses certainly helped in my first career, but
also the math, statistics, logic and problem-solving courses
continue to provide valuable tools. |
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LINK:
Finally, what advice do you give to students studying for a
career in business? |
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Set goals,
stay focused, be determined to succeed and, more
than ever, have high ethical standards. |
