Jack Rhodes '60 leads Sales Training in the Foster School of Business

 Jack Rhodes '60 sold his business in Southern California more than a decade ago, and then moved back to his college stomping grounds.

Drawing on his early days of Sales Training, Jack joined the team on the UW campus to buttress their fledgling Sales Training Certificate program.  Nearly 15 years later, and the program is nearly four times the size it was when Jack arrived on the scene.

Today, the program is renowned for its students graduating with their certificates along with proven skill sets that move products and sell services.

Today, the program can be selective as it chooses from the over-capacity crowd of students applying for acceptance into the program.  Not only do these students complete a program with classes that run over two years, but they each complete an internship with a Seattle business during the Spring Quarter prior to their graduation.  Last year's class has 92% job placement at graduation, and this year's class is on-track to have even higher success.

The program has grown to a 124 graduates being honored at this 2014 Appreciation breakfast.  Nearly 500 students and business filled the HUB Ballroom.

And one of the teams that participated in national sales competitions shared their story of round-the-clock preparations for the final presentation.  This is an entertaining story of "Gramps" Rhodes hanging with the young set and teaching them all his old skills and a few sales tricks as well.  

Jack Rhodes '60 holding his Spirit of Business award 

 The carefully organized program was interrupted with an unscheduled announcement.  Patrick Chestnut of AAOA Health Care took the stage to present Jack with AAOA's award for best representation of the Spirit of Business.

Left to Right:  Jack Rhodes '60, Ann Rhodes, and Patrick Chestnut, CEO of AAOA Health Care