Sheetz Fellows Mentoring Program

Sheetz Mentor

Sheetz Fellow mentee Eric Maholtz and mentor Debra Dellaposta met monthly during the academic year.

Steve Sheetz tells every Sheetz Fellows class that it was his brother Bob who mentored him as they grew the business together and guided him on a successful entrepreneurial and leadership path. Naturally, when The Sheetz Fellows Program was being developed, one of the main components to be included was a mentoring program. During their senior year, each Sheetz Fellow is paired with a mentor who best meets the student’s interests. The pair meets at least monthly during the academic year to accomplish the many goals they map out during their first meeting.

Debra Dellaposta of Doing Better Business mentored Eric Maholtz this year. We asked each of them to share their thoughts about their mentor/mentee experience.

Debra Dellaposta: 
Q: This program is a 9-month commitment to mentor Eric during his senior year. What interested you in being a mentor?
DD: Eric is my fourth mentee. I enjoy being able to help connect these young men and women with other people and opportunities to help them achieve their goals. Sometimes being a mentor is about helping them focus their goals. Eric met a friend of mine during the Entrepreneur in Residence program and he expressed an interest in sales. I knew I would be able to give him opportunities and experiences directly in this field.

 

Q: What goals did/do you hope to achieve or teach Eric?
DD: My hope is to provide Eric with enough experiences to narrow his focus and be able to do something he loves.

 

Interviewer: What are some of the activities or experiences you have shared with Eric?
DD: In addition to our regular meetings, Eric has attended several of our sales meetings, trainings, and events. We had Eric go through our interview process and sales testing program. He was able to interact and receive feedback from several key employees and our third-party evaluator.

 

Q: What have you most enjoyed about the Mentoring Program?
DD: I enjoy so many aspects of this program! Many times I learn just as much from the mentees as I think I am teaching. I really enjoy staying in touch after the program ends and watching how successful they all become in their lives.

Eric Maholtz:
Q: What were your expectations at the beginning of this program?
EM: Honestly I didn’t know what to expect at the beginning of the mentor program. I was actually kind of nervous to meet with someone and ask them these kinds of questions without knowing them first. As time went on, I wasn’t nervous at all to contact my mentor. She said I could send her an email at any time if I needed help with anything.

Q: What are some skills you learned or experiences you had specifically from Ms. Dellaposta’s mentoring?
EM: Ms. Dellaposta asked me to attend her opening day at the Blair County Convention Center. At the Convention Center, she and some of her employees were giving presentations on how the company will look in the upcoming year. As I was observing, I saw how successful communication and presenting skills were imperative for your company. Also during the visit, we broke into teams for a quick exercise on how to attract customers. In this activity, I saw that you can’t be shy. You have to be open in the business world and be able to work with new faces, even though I was nervous.

Q: How will this experience help you when you are on a job interview?
EM: This mentoring program has helped me so much in job interviews. Actually, Ms. Dellaposta had me run through her interview process. I received guidelines on how to prepare and act in an interview. She had me meet with a few of her employees face-to-face and over the phone to get the real life feeling of how it is going to be in an actual interview process. Also, I took a personality test, which was something new to me. Now when it is time to meet individuals for an internship or job interview, I have confidence. Ms. Dellaposta really prepared me for how it is going to be in the real world and I am no longer nervous when I am either talking with HR over the phone or going in to have a face-to-face interview.

Q: Have you or would you have gained this experience anywhere else during your college years, such as from a class or an internship?
EM: No, I did have classes where we did a mock interviews but it didn’t nearly compare to how much Ms. Dellaposta prepared me for interviews. Also, just being able to ask a real business professional questions about how they overcame their challenges and what it was like to start and run your own company is a huge advantage to a student who wants to do the same one day. I can truly say that this mentor program has really helped me.

 


YEA! Students Get Round of Applause

The Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) is just about to complete its inaugural year. Every Tuesday during the academic year, twenty-two high school students have been meeting at The Sheetz Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence with Program Manager Jim Kilmartin. One of the program’s highlights was the unveiling of their business projects to a panel of investors. The winner was Connor McConnell, a junior at Hollidaysburg Area High School, who will be the Blair County Chamber of Commerce’s YEA! program representative in the Rochester, NY, competition for a Saunder’s Scholar Award. Penn State Altoona and The Sheetz Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence are pleased to partner with the Blair County Chamber of Commerce in this program to aid in the growth and development of young entrepreneurs!

 

Student Investment Club Features
Guest Speaker

Linda Burns
Ms. Linda Burns
Next Financial Group

The Penn State Student Investment Club gained valuable information from guest speaker, Ms. Linda Burns of Next Financial Group, who also sits on the Penn State Altoona Business Advisory Council.  The topic was Academic Preparation and the Importance of Networking. Students interested in finance and wealth management gained information from Burns’ extensive background as a wealth management specialist.  She gave them best-practice advice on networking and tips on taking advantage of career opportunities.

To follow the Penn State Altoona Student Investment Club on Facebook at PSUA SIC.

Building Better Teams

Presented by
Mr. James Hoy
Corporate Trainer

Wednesday,
May 10, 2017
9:00–11:30 a.m.
Sheetz Center for
Entrepreneurial
Excellence

REGISTER ONLINE NOW

Topics will include:

  • Characteristics of ineffective and effective teams
  • What teams need to be successful
  • The stages of team development
  • Typical roles and responsibilities of team members
  • Team challenges and how to overcome them
  • The purpose of ground rules
  • Ways to improve team meeting management

Cost: $30 per person

Call 814-949-5535, email SRA1@psu.edu, or visit this site for more information about all Business Training Programs and the cancellation policy at  https://sites.psu.edu/sheetzcenter/events/business-training-programs/

Entrepreneurs In Residence


Mr. Ron Thompson
Owner, Highland Design Solutions, Inc.


Mr. Brian Durbin
General Partner, Durbin Companies, L.P.

Penn State Altoona students had the opportunity to meet with two entrepreneurs in March and April. The EIR program provides students with opportunities to expand their network and get immediate feedback on their ventures or entrepreneurial career goals and aspirations.