September 27, 2002

K. Randall "Randy" Russ, President and CEO of Community Coffee, spoke to LSU MBA students on September 27, 2002. Russ is president and CEO of Community Coffee Company, the largest family-owned retail coffee brand in the United States.

Russ spoke about the career path he has followed while giving students valuable advice regarding their own careers. The most important detail for business professionals to remember, said Russ, is to dress for success. He said that many people believe that this simply requires wearing a suit. They fail to realize that one's virtues are just as important as dress. Russ addressed the recent corruptions surrounding CEOs and their corporations and noted that these professionals were once on the cover of Fortune magazine. Their fall from success was due to their unethical foundation.

Russ encouraged students to become involved in organizations that will help them develop both professionally and personally. Such organizations, Russ said, may be churches, Boys and Girls Scouts or organizations such as rotary clubs. These organizations reinforce values of honesty and service rather than the importance of money and power. Russ told students that having a solid moral foundation allows one to refrain from becoming involved in unethical situations.

Russ was named vice president of operations of Community Coffee in 1998, after serving four years as director of operations and human resources. He was an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette from 1987-89 and an adjunct professor of health care administration at the College of St. Francis from 1989-95.

Russ earned a BS in Industrial Management from LSU in 1979 and completed all requirements for a PhD in Business Administration at LSU with the exception of a dissertation. He is a life-long member of the United Methodist Church as well as a Rotarian.

Founded in the heart of New Orleans in 1919, Community Coffee is located in Baton Rouge, LA and is distributed in eight southern states and shipped around the world. In 1995, Community opened its first location of CC's Coffee House in New Orleans. With greater than 30 locations throughout Alabama, Louisiana and Texas, it has become the premier coffee house of the south. While CC's foundation lies within tradition of the finest family-owned coffee company in America, CC's appeals to generations of coffee lovers with its one-of-a-kind coffee and fresh approach to consumers.

Along with Russ, two more distinguished speakers will have the opportunity to impart their knowledge to LSU MBA students. Jan S. Jobe, President and CEO of Pan-American Life Insurance Company, will visit LSU on October 18, 2002 and Jim Hackett, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ocean Energy, Inc. will speak on November 22, 2002.

Reservations are required to attend. Please RSVP with Allison Bridgewater, Assistant Director of MBA Programs, by email at abridg2@lsu.edu or by phone at (225) 578-8867. For event details, contact the LSU Flores MBA office at (225) 578-8867.

See Calendar of Events for event details.