Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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Cayton Named New Director at Center for Entrepreneurship by KAREN POPPELE Wherever one looks, the interest in and emphasis upon supporting local businesses continues to build. Necessary to that interest of course, are local entrepreneurs and their products and The signs are easy to spot these days. "Buy local." "Support your local business." services. And since 1973, under the leadership of founder Dr. Sid Gautam, the Center for Entrepreneurship at Methodist University has been at the forefront in helping new entrepreneurs explore their visions and in improving our region's economy while supporting the principles of free enterprise. After 45 years of leading and teaching, Gautam retired this past spring and welcomed Marty V. Cayton, a local business owner and MU alumnus, as the new director of the CFE. Cayton, owner and president of Amerizon Wireless, Cayton in contact with him throughout the years. About fi ve or six years ago, I actually got involved in the CFE helping make presentations at summer boot camps and at some of the teaching institutes we conducted, as well as participating in the panel discussions in the business succession and how that works. I was later asked to serve on the advisory board for CFE. I've been a lifelong — and always will be — admirer and friend of Dr. Gautam." After an extensive advertising and interviewing process, Cayton explained that he was "fortunate enough and blessed enough to be selected." He is also excited about served in the U.S. Navy and has actively worked with the CFE for the past six years. He currently sits on the CFE's advisory board. The organization named him Economics and Business Alumnus of the Year and awarded his company its American Business Ethics Award in 2009 and 2012, respectively. As director of the CFE, Cayton will teach a class in entrepreneurship as an assistant professor of business administration. Additionally, he will work with the Reeves School of Business on the CFE annual symposiums, business luncheons and student programs. "Dr. Gautam was one of my professors back in the '80s when I attended Methodist University," said Cayton in a phone interview. "I graduated in '90, and I've stayed continuing the legacy of excellence the CFE has established. "The center has always been a resource to honor community members and business folks in southeastern North Carolina. It's done a phenomenal job in the past," Cayton said. "One of the things we hope to see happen in the future is more of a mentoring source for our students as well as the business community as a whole, but also taking advantage of the opportunity to train veterans who aspire to become entrepreneurs. We do offer a minor in entrepreneurship now at Methodist University, so that's a great step forward in creating a specifi c program that focuses on entrepreneurship." And part of continuing forward involves looking at where the center is now. "We did conduct a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis not long ago with our advisory board," said Cayton. "In our business, I see a lot of value in looking at and getting other people involved in looking at the opportunities and strengths their organization has and also understanding some of the weaknesses and outside threats, making sure you focus on the areas of strengths and opportunities. We've done that in the center, and we'll continue to do that to make the organization hopefully even greater than it has been in the past." Though he did not expect a lot of change, Cayton did note that the CFE has some different focuses that it will pursue in the next 18-36 months. Administration at then Methodist College. Today, almost 40 years later, the CFE continues to work to meet its mission of helping entrepreneurs explore opportunity, but also promote, create and preserve wealth. The CFE strives to help "nurture the entrepreneurial spirit" through inventive programs, including mentoring, business succession and spirituality and entrepreneurship. "We do see it as a great opportunity for the university to continue to assist the business community in growth and opportunity," Cayton said, "and we defi nitely want to be that resource to the community and certainly take advantage of the resources that Methodist University has to offer as well." For more information on the Center for Entrepreneurship at Methodist University, contact Marty V. Cayton, Director, at cfe@methodist.edu or call (910) 630-7642. KAREN POPPELE, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. Gautam founded the CFE while chair of the Department of Economics and Business tributing Writer, COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly.com. DR. SHANESSA FENNER, Con- Voices of the Heart Women's Wellness Center WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM NOVEMBER 21-27, 2012 UCW 11