Business School Unveils Conversation Series with Successful Business Leaders
January 13, 2016
Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739

This spring, the University of Baltimore's Merrick School of Business will launch its new Merrick Engages series of public dialogues, bringing to the UB campus a distinct group of business leaders for a lively, no-holds-barred conversation about the transformation of business, the importance of new ideas, and the promise of future careers in fields that were little more than dreams only a generation ago.
Each of the four Merrick Engages events scheduled for this semester will feature an extended conversation between a leading CEO—ranging from the principal of a highly regarded Maryland construction firm to the boss of a maker of spaceships—and Murray Dalziel, dean of the Merrick School of Business. The sessions, free and open to the public, are designed to inform and enlighten the audience, and to provide new and interesting perspectives on how business actually works in 2016. Each time, the largely informal talk will focus on the CEO's expertise and experience, and reveal important life lessons that can’t be gleaned from a textbook or a PowerPoint presentation.
"Our world is moving so fast, and business changes so incredibly quickly now, that I believe it's valuable to take a moment and recognize the people behind these companies and their successes," Dalziel said. "Not one of our speakers is driven solely by financial success or growth numbers. They each have purely human stories about how they got to the top, the mistakes they made along the way and their amazing breakthroughs. They are fully aware of the need to remain grounded even as their companies grow larger and more impactful. I see a bright, positive future in each of these leaders, and I look forward to introducing them to the community."
Merrick Engages participants and event dates are as follows:
- Feb. 23. 5:30 p.m.: "Looking for Business in All the Right Places: Principles of a Habitual Entrepreneur," a conversation with Rich Nelson, vice chairman of PCM Companies, which comprises PCM Services, McLaughlin Electric, BP Landscaping, PCM Reality Capital and PCM Private Equity.
- March 9: "Business Creation and Community Transformation: Why Both Go Together," a conversation with Jay Steinmetz, CEO and co-founder of Baltimore-based Barcoding Inc., a systems integrator specializing in the development, deployment, and management of enterprise-wide solutions in areas of supply chain architecture and analytics, automatic identification (AIDC), radio frequency identification (RFID), consumables, software, and professional services.
- March 31: "Business Resurrection: Bringing Life Back to the Disrupted Company," a conversation with David Sharman, co-CEO of Hibu, a company that provides digital and print marketing technology and content services to nearly one million small and medium-sized businesses in the U.S., UK, Spain and Latin America.
- April 26: "No One Has Traveled Here: The Story of Virgin Galactic," a conversation with George Whitesides, CEO of Virgin Galactic and The Spaceship Company, a firm that see its purpose to become the "spaceline" for Earth, democratizing access to space for the benefit of life on Earth.
Each of these events is free and open to the public. An R.S.V.P. is required. Get details on attending.
Learn more about the Merrick School of Business.
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the College of Public Affairs, the Merrick School of Business, the UB School of Law and the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences.