Building Business Relationships with Mario Ramirez
This week on the Be Epic podcast, host Brent Williams welcomes guest Mario Ramirez, President of M Ramirez Group and Chief Client Officer for Golden Rod Companies. They delve into the importance of relationships in business, with Mario emphasizing the value of conveying your principles and work ethic in every interaction. Mario shares his career journey, starting with architecture and moving into finance, which included a stint at Merrill Lynch and a 21-year tenure at TIAA. He discusses his diverse roles, from starting a Trust Company to leading the executive relations forum and the Hispanic market nationally. Furthermore, he shares his experience of shifting to entrepreneurship and the formation of his own consulting firm, M Ramirez Group. This episode offers invaluable insights into career transitions, the power of relationships, and the importance of adaptability in business.
Transcript
When you meet somebody, try to convey your,
Mario Ramirez:some of your values and principles of who you are. You
Mario Ramirez:know, you're, you're, you're reliable, you're loyal. You're
Mario Ramirez:your work ethic, and they get to know you. And all of a sudden
Mario Ramirez:that becomes valuable at some point. But until that point
Mario Ramirez:occurs, just keep the relationship going. And there's
Mario Ramirez:value in every relationship.
Brent Williams:Welcome to the Be Epic podcast, brought to you
Brent Williams:by the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of
Brent Williams:Arkansas. I'm your host, Brent Williams. Together, we'll
Brent Williams:explore the dynamic landscape of business, and uncover the
Brent Williams:strategies, insights, and stories that drive business
Brent Williams:today. Well, today I have with me Mario Ramirez. Mario is
Brent Williams:President of the M Ramirez group, his own consulting firm,
Brent Williams:and he's also the Chief Client Officer for Golden Rod
Brent Williams:Companies. Mario, thanks for joining me today.
Mario Ramirez:You're welcome, Brent, it's great to be here.
Mario Ramirez:Thanks for having me.
Brent Williams:Well, Mario, you're a great supporter of the
Brent Williams:University of Arkansas Walton College and an alum of the
Brent Williams:Walton College and your your relationships here, across
Brent Williams:campus go pretty deep, don't they?
Mario Ramirez:They really do. They do. And I'm, I'm a proud
Mario Ramirez:alum, also proud dad of, of one alum, and two current students
Mario Ramirez:one law student and in one, undergrad. So a lot of
Mario Ramirez:relationships across the campus, for sure.
Brent Williams:Well, where I want us to focus on today will
Brent Williams:be sort of the power of relationships in business. But
Brent Williams:but before that, maybe a little bit about your journey, your
Brent Williams:career journey thus far. And then a little bit of, I think,
Brent Williams:you know, mentioned, you have your own consulting firm, you're
Brent Williams:also working in real estate with golden rod, and a few other
Brent Williams:things. So I'd love to hear kind of your journey and what you're
Brent Williams:up to now.
Mario Ramirez:Sure. Thanks, Brent, you know, I told somebody
Mario Ramirez:the other day that I that I studied architecture, in
Mario Ramirez:college, and I did for a year, then I then I moved to finance.
Mario Ramirez:And that's what I got my degree in. I had cold called with a
Mario Ramirez:good friend and fraternity brother, Kenny Gibbs at Merrill
Mario Ramirez:Lynch and had when I interviewed at Merrill Lynch, for my first
Mario Ramirez:job, they hired me, I said, why'd you hire me? And they
Mario Ramirez:said, well, Kenny Gibbs put a good word in for you. And when I
Mario Ramirez:thanked Kenny, he said, no, just just pay it forward. Next time,
Mario Ramirez:you will have an opportunity to do the same thing. And I've
Mario Ramirez:never forgotten about that. My entire career. In my I think my
Mario Ramirez:involvement in nonprofits or in helping students in in board
Mario Ramirez:work kind of stems from that premise. But that said, I
Mario Ramirez:started with Merrill Lynch, was there five years I left there, I
Mario Ramirez:felt a little bit ethically challenged with one particular
Mario Ramirez:main manager. So I left and I had, I wanted to leave
Mario Ramirez:brokerage, I wanted to get more into other financial services
Mario Ramirez:more broadly. And start to run out of money. And so I ended up
Mario Ramirez:my dad was saying, Can I can I give you some money, some money
Mario Ramirez:and I said no. I don't need any money, but I needed money. And
Mario Ramirez:so we were married, and I asked my next door neighbor who ran
Mario Ramirez:and ran a lawn service. I said, can I he put me on the crew. And
Mario Ramirez:he said, okay, we'll put you on the crew. And so I'd go mow
Mario Ramirez:20-25 lawns a day, come home, take a shower, put a suit on, go
Mario Ramirez:to an interview. And so I found TIAA, transitioned over to TI.
Mario Ramirez:It's now called TIAA at the time, it was TI Cref. I spent 21
Mario Ramirez:years there. And starting from an advisory role. Working with
Mario Ramirez:the University of Arkansas actually actually played a big
Mario Ramirez:part in this. They I was the the president of the local alumni
Mario Ramirez:chapter in Dallas. And they needed somebody to come in and
Mario Ramirez:work with the institutions across the state of Ark, of
Mario Ramirez:Arkansas. And so they said, you're a perfect fit. So I did
Mario Ramirez:that. That's where I started my career with TI CREF. And then,
Mario Ramirez:you know, they wanted me to help them create a Trust Company,
Mario Ramirez:which I did, I worked with, you know, beginning the Trust
Mario Ramirez:Company. Then we started wealth management, started working with
Mario Ramirez:our highest our wealthiest clients. And so I became one of
Mario Ramirez:the first directors in wealth management than they asked me to
Mario Ramirez:create something specifically for because the company focuses
Mario Ramirez:on cost large universities, nonprofits around the country
Mario Ramirez:it's a trillion dollar pension fund. They said we need, we need
Mario Ramirez:you to create something for the very the decision makers, the
Mario Ramirez:most influential leaders across the organizations that we serve.
Mario Ramirez:So I stepped into that role created that and helped help
Mario Ramirez:form, you know, Private Client Services. Then I eventually
Mario Ramirez:worked with with our CEO Roger Ferguson, in leading the
Mario Ramirez:executive relations forum, and also the Hispanic market
Mario Ramirez:nationally. I left there, and I started my own consulting firm.
Mario Ramirez:I remember, I wasn't sure what I was going to do, I knew that we
Mario Ramirez:were having a downsizing in the company. And in a couple of
Mario Ramirez:months, my position was going to be eliminated. I remember asking
Mario Ramirez:a good friend of mine, a former governor, you know, what do you
Mario Ramirez:think I should do? And he said, well, you have a pretty
Mario Ramirez:incredible network. Why don't you? Why don't you use that
Mario Ramirez:network and establish a consulting firm, opened doors
Mario Ramirez:for families like ours, and others, and help help us build
Mario Ramirez:our businesses. And so they and he said, I will be your first
Mario Ramirez:client. And so that's how I started M Ramirez Group. And
Mario Ramirez:then I put different components together around it, for example,
Mario Ramirez:tax expertise, and also insurance. And basically
Mario Ramirez:different parts of my group came together to serve the clients.
Mario Ramirez:And since I was licensed leaving TIAA licensed, securities
Mario Ramirez:license, I was able to represent companies that are raising
Mario Ramirez:capital, for example, projects that are raising capital. And so
Mario Ramirez:it was a it was a good fit all around in ways to, you know,
Mario Ramirez:create in a way to serve the needs of ultra high net worth
Mario Ramirez:families, influential families. Along the course of this
Mario Ramirez:development of this business, I met Zach Wiegert. And Zach is a
Mario Ramirez:former NFL player and started investing in real estate. And he
Mario Ramirez:eventually created Golden Rod Companies, Golden Rod Funds,
Mario Ramirez:about four and a half billion in assets, and properties. And he
Mario Ramirez:asked me to be his Chief Client Officer, and working with some
Mario Ramirez:of the same families that I've been working with and other
Mario Ramirez:wealthy individuals, and we invest in large projects around
Mario Ramirez:the center, central part of the country.
Brent Williams:Well, I can tell that it's been a lot of fun in
Brent Williams:the journey, not not, including TIA, probably Merrill to some
Brent Williams:degree, but certainly, since then, I can tell you, I've had a
Brent Williams:lot of fun putting these things together.
Mario Ramirez:Definitely.
Brent Williams:You know, one part of your story I didn't
Brent Williams:quite remember until just then, was that the, the opportunity at
Brent Williams:TIAA came ultimately, because of your service on leading the
Brent Williams:alumni group in Dallas.
Mario Ramirez:It really did. Yeah.
Brent Williams:So you know, talk a little bit about that,
Brent Williams:because that's clearly an investment of time you made that
Brent Williams:you didn't necessarily have an expectation of it paying off
Brent Williams:that way.
Mario Ramirez:It's interesting, you put it that way, because
Mario Ramirez:I've had people ask me, why do you volunteer? Why do you get
Mario Ramirez:involved, you know, on a, on a board? You know, I serve on your
Mario Ramirez:board, and it's an honor to do so. And, and they say, you
Mario Ramirez:don't, you don't get paid with that. And I said, you really do
Mario Ramirez:that, because the relationships that you make, there and really
Mario Ramirez:the the work that you're doing to help, you know, students in
Mario Ramirez:the university that you love. So it was it was a natural fit for
Mario Ramirez:TIAA to say, hey, why don't you come help us in the state of
Mario Ramirez:Arkansas? It was it was a perfect fit. And, and it was, it
Mario Ramirez:was interesting, going back to former professors, and working
Mario Ramirez:with them, you know, on their, on their retirement planning on
Mario Ramirez:their financial planning, and eventually working with, you
Mario Ramirez:know, the leadership here, the university and the coaches and,
Mario Ramirez:and eventually doing that nationally. But it did all start
Mario Ramirez:with really the relationship with the University of Arkansas
Mario Ramirez:and relationships that I have within that, within our school,
Mario Ramirez:our university.
Brent Williams:Yeah. What do you think it is? I mean,
Brent Williams:clearly, you have a propensity to really invest in
Brent Williams:relationships, not necessarily with an expectation of return.
Brent Williams:But, but knowing more broadly, they will return. How do you
Brent Williams:think maybe even going back to the to the way you grew up, how
Brent Williams:did you learn that?
Mario Ramirez:That's a good that's a good question. How I
Mario Ramirez:learned that I'm not honestly, I'm not really sure how I
Mario Ramirez:learned it. I I want to be able to I want to be care about the
Mario Ramirez:relationship that I'm, that I'm involved with or that I, you
Mario Ramirez:know, I guess, if I listen to my own advice, when I'm when I meet
Mario Ramirez:with students, for example, you know, I'll tell them, I'll tell
Mario Ramirez:them, hey, it's, has anybody heard, the idea of, it's who you
Mario Ramirez:know, and you'll get a lot of hands raised. And I'll say,
Mario Ramirez:okay, write that down. And, and then I'll say, okay, now rip
Mario Ramirez:that sheet of paper out of your, out of your notebook and throw
Mario Ramirez:it away. Because it's not who you know, because we all know a
Mario Ramirez:lot of people, I tell them, it's kind of cheesy, but it's who
Mario Ramirez:knows you. And what I tell students, and I guess I've
Mario Ramirez:follow my own advice when you meet somebody. And it doesn't
Mario Ramirez:have to be anyone note worthy, so to speak. When you meet
Mario Ramirez:somebody, try to convey your, some of your values and
Mario Ramirez:principles of who you are, you know, your, your you're
Mario Ramirez:reliable, you're loyal, your, your work ethic, your you know,
Mario Ramirez:what, what value you can bring to the relationship or what in
Mario Ramirez:the work that you do. And they get to know you, somewhat. And
Mario Ramirez:all of a sudden, that becomes valuable at some point. But
Mario Ramirez:until that point occurs, just keep the relationship going. And
Mario Ramirez:there's value in every relationship. And I don't know,
Mario Ramirez:we don't know what it is sometimes upfront, it may be a
Mario Ramirez:few years down the road, before you understand what that value
Mario Ramirez:is, and how it fits into your overall kind of walk in life.
Brent Williams:Yeah
Mario Ramirez:You know, or in your career. And I guess I'm
Mario Ramirez:just kind of thought about it that way.
Brent Williams:Largely worked in financial services. And
Brent Williams:that's started to broaden for you. But, you know, as you as
Brent Williams:you work across industries now, and you know, interact across
Brent Williams:those throughout your career, it seems to me that the power of
Brent Williams:relationships, matters, no matter what area of business
Brent Williams:that you're working in.
Mario Ramirez:Yeah, no question, no question and
Mario Ramirez:finances, it really matters because you're dealing with with
Mario Ramirez:something very personal to these individuals, and they need to
Mario Ramirez:know that, that they can trust you, that you're looking out for
Mario Ramirez:their best interest. So you need to establish that trust. And
Mario Ramirez:that's really the case in any business that you're working in.
Mario Ramirez:And so I think that's maybe what I strive to do establish the
Mario Ramirez:trust, and so that you can have honest conversations about how
Mario Ramirez:we can collaborate, we can work together, you hear this
Mario Ramirez:statement all the time. You know it's great to work with, you
Mario Ramirez:know, with good people, great to put good people together. You
Mario Ramirez:know, part of that is, is is knowing who those good people
Mario Ramirez:know, knowing the good people that at, at a relationship
Mario Ramirez:level, excuse me, the, building the relationship first. That's
Mario Ramirez:what I'm trying to say, and then understanding where you can
Mario Ramirez:insert yourself to help them.
Brent Williams:Yep, you know, almost, I've got our students in
Brent Williams:mind, and this doesn't, what we're going to talk about does
Brent Williams:not just apply to students, it applies to me. But it applies to
Brent Williams:probably just anybody out there building any kind of career. You
Brent Williams:said something a moment ago, like when you when you meet
Brent Williams:someone and you start building a relationship, you want to convey
Brent Williams:your values in some way really early on. And and that is not
Brent Williams:something you know, you don't I don't think you've ever walked
Brent Williams:up to me and said, hey, Brent, here's my values, right? So you,
Brent Williams:you demonstrate that through action, what are just some any
Brent Williams:just like simple, like practical ways that you do that?
Mario Ramirez:I know that families or individuals that I
Mario Ramirez:work with, that are high net worth, ultra high net worth a
Mario Ramirez:lot, they they're they're in demand. And so they get asked a
Mario Ramirez:lot of them. So if you sit down with someone like this, to not
Mario Ramirez:ask for something, except to understand who they are, and for
Mario Ramirez:him for them to understand who you are, kind of where you're
Mario Ramirez:from, what you're, what you're about, and what they're about,
Mario Ramirez:listen to them. And not ask not ask anything of them at all, is
Mario Ramirez:is one way. And that's that's usually pretty evident. It's in
Mario Ramirez:the sense that they're so used to getting asked, you know, so
Mario Ramirez:that's one way to do it, I think following up with whatever was
Mario Ramirez:discussed, you know, and promised in a timely manner, in
Mario Ramirez:the appropriate way, you know, is is another way to demonstrate
Mario Ramirez:that and just just showing them that you're actually listening
Mario Ramirez:to them as they're talking.
Brent Williams:You know what I went out talk to our students,
Brent Williams:when I get to give, you know, advice in this area, there's two
Brent Williams:things you just said that I think are really key. One is the
Brent Williams:ability to listen. Underrated skill, the the ability to
Brent Williams:listen. But the other is follow up, that is very, very
Brent Williams:important, right in terms of the, the relationship building
Brent Williams:process.
Mario Ramirez:It is, it really is and, and follow up not only
Mario Ramirez:on specific items that were requested, or that were, that
Mario Ramirez:were discussed, let's say, but also just follow up, you know,
Mario Ramirez:if you're, you know, we all do, we all travel in our careers,
Mario Ramirez:and even personally, and you know, who's in that city that
Mario Ramirez:you're going where you're going to, you know, you have your
Mario Ramirez:agenda, your schedule, your itinerary for that time that
Mario Ramirez:you're there, but, you know, is there anybody you need to follow
Mario Ramirez:up with, you know, and just catch up with, and, and staying
Mario Ramirez:relevant with people, and, you know, business aside, just kind
Mario Ramirez:of caring about those, those people as as how they, how they
Mario Ramirez:do in life, you know, and just staying in touch is, is a good
Mario Ramirez:thing, you know, relationships and friendships there, they,
Mario Ramirez:they become more and more valuable, I think the older you
Mario Ramirez:become just, you know, you start really emphasizing that.
Brent Williams:Yeah and the value you get out of those
Brent Williams:relationships often sort of evolves over time, I would say,
Brent Williams:you know, and but you said something that made me think
Brent Williams:about, you know, say, truly caring, right, and I think
Brent Williams:that's really where where it starts with relationships is
Brent Williams:truly just caring about the well being of the people around you.
Mario Ramirez:Regardless of the position of somebody, you know,
Mario Ramirez:an executive or it doesn't, doesn't matter, any, any level,
Mario Ramirez:you know, professionally, caring about that individual, you know,
Mario Ramirez:who they are, where they are in life and is there anything you
Mario Ramirez:can do to to help, you know, sincerely, is, I think, I think,
Mario Ramirez:I think people will understand and feel the sincerity in your,
Mario Ramirez:in your discussion in your voice, and, but it's really
Mario Ramirez:identifying in a business setting and identifying what the
Mario Ramirez:needs are, and approaching it in a very consultative way, you
Mario Ramirez:know, here's how, a couple of different ways that we could, we
Mario Ramirez:could help and, and then get the best resources possible to
Mario Ramirez:address those particular, you know, pain points or challenges.
Brent Williams:You know, one thing that, that I wanted to
Brent Williams:bring up that I observed in, in getting to be around you, you
Brent Williams:and I are around each other quite a bit. Even though we live
Brent Williams:in, in different places, you know, innovation is often
Brent Williams:putting, not always just creation, right? It's often
Brent Williams:about putting unique things together. Sometimes that's
Brent Williams:relationships. You know, and, and I see, I see you do that a
Brent Williams:lot like you think about like, oh, how does this relationship
Brent Williams:fit with this? And how do I bring those people together? And
Brent Williams:it's kind of allowed you to get into lots of really fun and
Brent Williams:unique projects.
Mario Ramirez:Yeah, you know, the going back to caring about
Mario Ramirez:people understanding where they are in life. Part of that is
Mario Ramirez:understanding what they're doing, what their priorities
Mario Ramirez:are, I used to walk into, into when I was at TI Cref, I'd walk
Mario Ramirez:into the president's office and, and one of the questions I would
Mario Ramirez:always ask is, what do you think about first thing, you walk in
Mario Ramirez:the door here in the morning? And what's the last thing on
Mario Ramirez:your mind when you leave? When you close that door? What's on
Mario Ramirez:your mind on the way out the door? And those are the things I
Mario Ramirez:want to try to help you with. And it could be any number of
Mario Ramirez:things. I remember one president said, well, okay, we need to
Mario Ramirez:build a pedestrian bridge on the south end of campus, and I need
Mario Ramirez:to get it done. But I need some political help to navigate that
Mario Ramirez:and, and get the funding for it. And this, you know, and we were
Mario Ramirez:able to put together the right individuals to help in that
Mario Ramirez:situation. But opportunities, I see a lot of opportunities, I
Mario Ramirez:see a lot of deals, I see a lot of projects, and in companies
Mario Ramirez:that are raising capital or growing. You know, I had one the
Mario Ramirez:other day. And they they they're building a factory in one part
Mario Ramirez:of the country. And I said, well, what if you put the
Mario Ramirez:factory in a different part of the country, we could get the
Mario Ramirez:right investors involved here. We could get the right political
Mario Ramirez:capital involved. We could get the university involved. We
Mario Ramirez:could we could allow the university to provide jobs into
Mario Ramirez:this and it itself this project is going to create 1,000 new
Mario Ramirez:jobs so but coordinating all the different pieces meant that I
Mario Ramirez:needed to know what each component who the the point
Mario Ramirez:person would be on each component part of that. And I
Mario Ramirez:think just getting to know, people developing relationships
Mario Ramirez:gives me the kind of the bank of, of priorities for each
Mario Ramirez:individual and how to match that up. Does that make sense?
Brent Williams:That totally make sense. That's, that's
Brent Williams:exactly right. I don't think I've ever until I'm sitting
Brent Williams:here, I don't know that I've ever thought about innovation in
Brent Williams:that way. I've always thought about innovation as putting
Brent Williams:unique things together that may not have ever been put together,
Brent Williams:that's innovation. But it also works with relationships, too.
Brent Williams:And I guess that's often key to getting something new and unique
Brent Williams:and different done.
Mario Ramirez:Yeah. Yeah, it really is, you know and when you
Mario Ramirez:have those relationships you know, I think it's, yeah, I
Mario Ramirez:think it's important when you have a board, for example, to
Mario Ramirez:understand, to get to know, each board member, each board member
Mario Ramirez:is then re giving their time, there are some very important
Mario Ramirez:business things that are usually going on that day, but they're
Mario Ramirez:here, you know, and each one has something to give. So developing
Mario Ramirez:the relationship and understanding where their heart
Mario Ramirez:is, what, what they what they can provide, what kind of, you
Mario Ramirez:know, intelligent, or business intuition or business insight
Brent Williams:Agreed. Well, you know, Mario, you've after, I
Brent Williams:they might have, that they could help, in this case, the Walton
Brent Williams:College, you know, with what, and then and then kind of
Brent Williams:know, you're still involved in the finance industry in some
Brent Williams:storing that away and knowing, well, I really like this person
Brent Williams:and gotten to know them over the past couple of years. And I know
Brent Williams:way. But but your career has evolved into you're more and
Brent Williams:that they have a company that that specializes in this, and
Brent Williams:maybe in a couple of years, we'll develop something in that
Brent Williams:more involved in real estate, with Golden Rod as an example,
Brent Williams:space. You know, so you understand how to match that up
Brent Williams:at the right moment.
Brent Williams:you've also been involved in with large construction
Brent Williams:companies. So how's that transition been? And, you know,
Brent Williams:into into that realm?
Mario Ramirez:Yeah, it's funny, it's all very symbiotic let me
Mario Ramirez:say it that way. Everything's related to to the other. You
Mario Ramirez:know, as I look at my role with Golden Rod, it's, it's as Chief
Mario Ramirez:Client Officer, we're doing some really cool projects, we're
Mario Ramirez:building, you know, a $500 million hotel and condo, you
Mario Ramirez:know, what, together with the Atlanta Braves at the, at the
Mario Ramirez:Battery, in Atlanta overlooking the stadium, that's a neat
Mario Ramirez:project, you know, but if you look at the fund, itself, that
Mario Ramirez:this project is coming out of, it's very investor friendly. So
Mario Ramirez:I work with a lot of investors I work with, you know, high net
Mario Ramirez:worth families that are that are looking to, for for investments
Mario Ramirez:that have value to them, that are set up the right way. And,
Mario Ramirez:for instance, in that particular case, the fund is very investor
Mario Ramirez:friendly. So it's easy to to, to discuss and bring up and it can
Mario Ramirez:be, you know, I, I wouldn't be involved with it if I didn't
Mario Ramirez:think it was a good match for some of the individuals that I
Mario Ramirez:work with. So the work that we're doing there is meaningful
Mario Ramirez:and really designed for the clientele that I've been working
Mario Ramirez:with. One of the families that I've been working with over the
Mario Ramirez:past several years, they do have a very large infrastructure
Mario Ramirez:company, Southland Holdings. And they decided to go public in the
Mario Ramirez:past year, and they invited me to join the board, which has
Mario Ramirez:been really exciting. You know, we went up to New York to ring
Mario Ramirez:the bell, and to see this company that that started, you
Mario Ramirez:know, in the last generation, and to see it start from from,
Mario Ramirez:you know, immigrants from Italy, starting the construction
Mario Ramirez:company that has acquired, you know, has grown on their own
Mario Ramirez:grown through acquisition now owns American Bridge, for
Mario Ramirez:example, the company that built the Empire State Building,
Brent Williams:Yeah,
Mario Ramirez:It's just really, really a neat American story.
Brent Williams:Absolutely. Some iconic projects I've gotten to
Brent Williams:visit Southland with you.
Mario Ramirez:Yeah
Brent Williams:The headquarters. And to walk along
Brent Williams:and see the iconic projects throughout this country's
Brent Williams:history that they've been involved in is actually truly
Brent Williams:tremendous.
Mario Ramirez:It really is. It really is seeing, seeing the
Mario Ramirez:Astrodome and the Oakland Bay Bridge and the Tappan Zee Bridge
Mario Ramirez:up in New York. And of course, you know, even aircraft carriers
Mario Ramirez:and battleships during World War II. Seeing the things that that
Mario Ramirez:we've built as a company over the, over the decades. And
Mario Ramirez:they're really part of American history.
Brent Williams:Yeah.
Mario Ramirez:It's neat.
Brent Williams:You know, Mario, you've heard me say this many
Brent Williams:times, I think I think one of the Walton College's most
Brent Williams:important competitive advantages, you will, if you
Brent Williams:will, is our connectivity, connectivity to companies and
Brent Williams:our alumni. It seems to me that, you know, the U of A and the
Brent Williams:Walton College has really been a big part of your story. I mean,
Brent Williams:going back, I guess, to, you know, getting you in the door in
Brent Williams:some way in TIAA, but it's really continue, you've really,
Brent Williams:you've really continued to invest in this set of
Brent Williams:relationships. And it's, it's, I don't know that I would say it's
Brent Williams:the absolute core, but it certainly has been important
Brent Williams:throughout that journey.
Mario Ramirez:Well it's been important to me, you know, that
Mario Ramirez:Walton College and the University. You know, I've
Mario Ramirez:gotten so much out of it, relationships, you know, from my
Mario Ramirez:family, my wife, you know, we met here, we met in front of the
Mario Ramirez:Walton College, actually, right in front of it. And, you know,
Mario Ramirez:now having my kids go to school here, having lifelong
Mario Ramirez:friendships here, so it means a lot to me. And so to be able to
Mario Ramirez:serve on the board, and give back in a variety of ways, is
Mario Ramirez:something as it's a priority, you know, frankly, but, you
Mario Ramirez:know, the Walton College makes it in the connectivity that
Mario Ramirez:you're referred to, I think that what makes it easy, what makes
Mario Ramirez:that flourish, and you're right, it does here, it really does,
Mario Ramirez:among our students, our alumni, our board, the leadership of the
Mario Ramirez:college, I think it's, it's the same quality that I see that I
Mario Ramirez:was place as my number one quality for leaders, for good
Mario Ramirez:leaders, if somebody were to ask me, what's the number one
Mario Ramirez:quality in a good leader? I'd say humility. And I see that
Mario Ramirez:here. And humility in the sense that regardless of position, CEO
Mario Ramirez:of any company, you know, that we all know of any any company
Mario Ramirez:or, you know, a wealthy family or individual doesn't matter.
Mario Ramirez:They're open to hearing what the students have to say,
Brent Williams:Yeah,
Mario Ramirez:They're open to hearing what the leadership has
Mario Ramirez:to say about the college.
Brent Williams:Yeah.
Mario Ramirez:And where it's going,
Brent Williams:You you hit on something there, that's really
Brent Williams:important. It is kind of who we are. Right, you know. And you
Brent Williams:and I were just a, you know, at a luncheon, where I observed,
Brent Williams:you know, one of our students get a chance to tell these
Brent Williams:really successful people, they were asked they, they wanted to
Brent Williams:know what she thought, right? They wanted to learn from her.
Brent Williams:And, you know, and she was able to voice, you know, that
Brent Williams:actually, what was really important to her was being able
Brent Williams:to make an impact through her internships and her career. And
Brent Williams:I was walking, I was looking around that room and watching
Brent Williams:people glued to her. And these are very successful people.
Brent Williams:They're running big companies, they've got busy lives. But it
Brent Williams:does take humility to do that. And, and I think that, that
Brent Williams:it's, it's a part of who we are.
Mario Ramirez:It really is, you know, we, we talked about how so
Mario Ramirez:many universities now, you may get admitted to the university,
Mario Ramirez:but that doesn't mean that you're necessarily a part of
Mario Ramirez:that business school. You know, you need to apply again for
Mario Ramirez:that. In not in every case, you don't get in, in every case.
Mario Ramirez:Right. So, but here, we do we allow that. And I don't think we
Mario Ramirez:as a college, as you know, the Walton College. We're not we,
Mario Ramirez:although we're an elite school of business, we don't presume
Mario Ramirez:ourselves to be elitist. You know, we're not, we're not. We
Mario Ramirez:we're humble enough to be in that room and be open with these
Mario Ramirez:students. Make them feel comfortable. You know, because
Mario Ramirez:they're stressing over the past week. We got to go present
Mario Ramirez:before the board. They probably told their parents, I have this
Mario Ramirez:tomorrow. I'm really stressed about it. But yeah, hopefully
Mario Ramirez:they got in there and they felt comfortable. And they actually
Mario Ramirez:had good conversations and, you know, some of the board members
Mario Ramirez:are asking them can, can we ask them advice of you? You know,
Mario Ramirez:which is great.
Brent Williams:You know, one thing I love about this state
Brent Williams:is, is just that, you know, hard work is still valued, ingenuity
Brent Williams:is still valued, humble. Humility is still valued. And
Brent Williams:it's really, really fun to get to see people like you and
Brent Williams:others on the Dean's Executive Advisory Board model that for
Brent Williams:those students that were in the room And, you know, you probably
Brent Williams:really don't know the kind of impact that ultimately makes.
Brent Williams:But it does make a difference.
Mario Ramirez:Well, I hope it does, I think it does. And if
Mario Ramirez:that if we can convey that value to our students, in how we
Mario Ramirez:design our curriculum, and how we teach our students and how
Mario Ramirez:we, you know, carry ourselves, you know, in the public eye on,
Mario Ramirez:you know, even within the walls of the Walton College, I think
Mario Ramirez:that's, that's a homerun, you know, that's a, that's a value
Mario Ramirez:that you can't really, it's hard to teach in a class, you have to
Mario Ramirez:demonstrate it, I think it's sort of an intangible. It's,
Mario Ramirez:it's sort of an innate ability, that can be maybe trained
Mario Ramirez:through demonstration, as opposed to maybe being taught in
Mario Ramirez:a book. And it's so so important.
Brent Williams:What you said couldn't be more right. Like,
Brent Williams:you know, like getting things in business done, often is about
Brent Williams:again, we'll go back to that the power of relationships and
Brent Williams:Mario, I'll say thank you for investing in the relationship
Brent Williams:with the Walton College and investing in our students and,
Brent Williams:and helping us by using, you know, that that network of
Brent Williams:relationships that you've created on our behalf, so thank
Brent Williams:you.
Mario Ramirez:You're welcome. It's my pleasure, Brent, thank
Mario Ramirez:you for your leadership.
Brent Williams:On behalf of the Walton College, thank you for
Brent Williams:joining us for this captivating conversation. To stay connected
Brent Williams:and never miss an episode, simply search for Be Epic on
Brent Williams:your preferred podcast service.
