School of Business

First Citizens Professional
Speaker Series

Tuesday, March 17 • 11am-Noon
SCC Downtown Campus (maps)
Purchase Tickets (includes lunch) $10
SCC students/faculty/staff register (no charge)

Sean McEnroe joined ATI Physical Therapy, a nationwide operator of 800+ physical therapy clinics, in 2015.  At ATI, McEnroe served as the Chief Strategy Officer during a period of rapid expansion, executive leadership growth, and equity partner transition from KRG Capital to Advent International.  During this period, Sean led the efforts to install the Transformation Office which was responsible for creating and executing the value creation plan.  These efforts focused on growth from 300 clinics when he arrived to over 800 clinics currently.  Specifically, the company transformed from 80% acquisition growth to 80% de novo growth to execute a more capital efficient plan while continuing to add over 100 locations per year. 

Prior to ATI, Sean served as the CEO of Proaxis Therapy, a regional platform in physical therapy established in professional partnership with the world renown orthopedic surgeons of the Steadman Hawkins Clinic.  Originally in Vail, CO, the physical therapy firm expanded to 4 states and 35 offices through three main growth initiatives.

Sean serves on multiple equity backed, multi-site healthcare, start-up, and non-profit boards including Southern Veterinary Partners and SENTA.  He uses his experience as both an entrepreneur and a senior executive in a large, private equity backed company to prioritize strategy for significant growth and transformation.  

 

October 23, 2019: Ricaye Harris

Ricaye Harris joined Milliken & Company in 2005 and is currently the Director of Diversity & Inclusion. She began her career as a Process Improvement Specialist at Milliken’s Gayley Manufacturing Plant. Following that role, she held various roles within Milliken’s Manufacturing and Corporate HR team, ranging from HR Employment Manager, Change Management Coordinator, HR Generalist, Corporate Recruiter to her current role today.

While recruiting, Ricaye had a Performance Momentum goal to research and benchmark other diversity programs across the Upstate, as she’s always had a passion for people and ensuring they feel valued and included. It quickly grew from there and she has been leading the efforts to create the strategy and implement the program company-wide, in addition to creating and leading the 16-membered Diversity & Inclusion Council who champion the program. The key initiatives for the program will focus on Recruiting & Internships, Onboarding & Mentoring, Education & Awareness, and Data Driven Processes.

Ricaye graduated from Wofford College with a B.S. in Computer Science in 2005. While at Wofford, she was on the Women’s Basketball team and continues to enjoy playing basketball, tennis, and running in her spare time. She has completed two half-marathons and will not do anymore. LOL!

 

September 25, 2019: Erin Strickland

Erin Strickland, Quality Control Director at SwaimBrown
Education: B.A., Accounting and Art History, Converse College, 1998 
Practice Areas: Financial Audits (non-profit and for profit); Employee Benefit Plan Audits; Business Consulting; Accounting Services; Manufacturing; Distribution; Foreign Subsidiaries; Closely-held Businesses; SwaimBrown’s Quality Control Director.
Experience: SwaimBrown
Professional & Civic: AICPA; SCACPA; West Main Artist Co-Op – Board of Governors; Episcopal Church of the Advent – former Vestry Member, Episcopal Church Woman, Outreach Commission, Sunday School Teacher; Jesse Boyd Elementary School PTSO Board Member; Spartanburg Science Center – Past President and Treasurer of Board of Directors; Past Treasurer for Junior League of Spartanburg, Spartanburg Artist Guild and Converse Heights Neighborhood; prior member of the Converse College Alumnae Board; Mobile Meals volunteer.
Personal Interests: Spending time with family and friends, volunteering, cooking, reading

Jack McBride is owner and CEO of Contec, a manufacturer of wipes, presaturated wipes, disinfectants, and mopping systems used in cleanroom environments and in healthcare. Starting from zero, the company has seen sales growth in 29 of the 30 years it has been in business and has become the global leader in critical cleaning products for the pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device industries. The company is also a leader in supplying critical cleaning products to the compounding pharmacy, the microelectronics industry and the US OEM automotive paint industry.

Jack is active in the community in many ways and served for eight years as a trustee for the Mary Black Foundation, the last year as Chairman of the Board. He is also on the board of the Spartanburg Regional Healthcare Foundation and is a member of the taskforce for Economic Mobility in the south. In addition, Contec has received numerous awards for community service in Spartanburg community.

Jack is married (Stacy) and they have four children; John (24), Harry (22), Sally (20), and Kate (18).

 

January 30, 2019: Kim Nelson

Kim Nelson, owner of Daisy Cakes spoke in our series January 30, 2019. Kim learned to bake at the apron strings of her grandmothers and great aunt Daisy. She figured out early on that her superpowers were unleashed in the kitchen and that her greatest happiness came from sharing her dessert creations with family and friends.

After more than 30 years in the food business, Kim, along with her Southern accent, has become a nationally recognized baker and speaker. Her first big television appearance came when she walked into ABC’s Shark Tank and shared her Daisy Cakes with the sharks. Getting a deal with Barbara Corcoran has allowed her Daisy Cakes business to skyrocket. Kim continues to bake and ship her hand-sifted, made-from-scratch cakes to all 50 states.

Kim loves to meet fans and share a little cake love. She has been featured on Good Morning America, ABC News, 20/20, The Chew, QVC, Hallmark Channel’s Home and Family, CNBC, and the Today Show. Her newest cookbook, Daisy Cakes Bakes is available everywhere.
 

November 7, 2018: Molly Cashman

 Our second speaker in this series was Molly Cashman, who shared a session focused on marketing. Cashman is a Spartanburg native and a summa cum laude graduate of the University of South Carolina Honors College with a degree in Public Relations. She spent 10 years in corporate marketing working for big national companies like Amazon.com and Pure Barre. In mid-2016, Molly decided to try her hand at a more entrepreneurial gig and helped her Dad open the first retail location for his company, Blue Moon Specialty Foods. The concept was a hit and they have since moved into a much larger building and have expanded their offerings. Molly is now a full-time partner with Blue Moon Specialty Foods and adores having her three young kids join her for “shifts” at the family business.  

 

October 24, 2018: John Bauknight

Our inaugural speaker was John Bauknight who kicked-off our series with a session focused on entrepreneurship. Bauknight is president and co-founder of Longleaf Holdings USA, a Spartanburg-based investment firm that oversees several business ventures. Amongst recent high-profile acquisitions, Longleaf Holdings USA acquired RJ Rockers Brewing Co. of Spartanburg and Bauknight, along with founder and Brewmaster Mark Johnsen, relocated the brewery to downtown Spartanburg in 2009. RJ Rockers continues to thrive and serve as a lively spot in the downtown social scene.

Bauknight also serves as an active and contributing member throughout the Spartanburg community, acting as a trustee to the Spartanburg County Foundation and as a founding member of the Spartanburg Angel Network (SAN), among other things.