When Ken Flynt (above), chair of Guilford’s fledgling Business Advisory Board, approached President Kyle Farmbry last year about the College hosting a Business Summit, he says Kyle had one request.

“Just make it big,” Kyle told Ken. “I’ve got complete faith in you but whatever you do just make it big.”

These days Ken smiles telling that story because next month’s Guilford College Business Summit – scheduled April 3 at 3 pm at Koury Convention Center – is not only big, it continues to grow. 

With Truliant Federal Credit Union leading the way as the presenting sponsor, more than a dozen Triad banks, credit unions and other businesses are also taking part in the Summit, which features Tom Barkin, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, as its keynote speaker.

The topic of the Summit, Confronting a Disrupted Global Economy, is as timely as ever. The global economy has been upended by unprecedented disruptions. COVID-19 shifted how and where many of us work. The pandemic and geopolitics conspired to snarl trade and supply chains. Technology has become more ingrained into the global economy—for better and worse. And the consequences of climate change continue to mount.

Tom and other prominent thought leaders will explore which of those disruptions will eventually pass and which are here to stay.

Trying to bring clarity and perspective to these times is the focus of the summit, which has a theme of Confronting a Disrupted Global Economy. “There are so many things happening in so many corners of our economy and culture,” says Ken, a longtime banking executive. “The key is determining what we can count on to stay with us and what’s not going to last. There’s a new order to our economy and we want this Business Summit to find out what that new order is.”

Joining Tom in the discussion are:

• Dale Folwell, North Carolina State Treasurer
• Alastair Hamilton, Senior Vice President of Business Development at Collins Aerospace
• Byron Loflin, Global Head of Board Advisory for NASDAQ
• Hope Williams, President of N.C. Independent Colleges and Universities

Todd Hall, CEO and President of Truliant Federal Credit Union, will moderate the discussion.

Michael Dutch, Macon Professor of Business, Chair of the Department of Business and Accounting and MBA Director, wants future summits to explore the evolving context of business. He says Guilford is the perfect host for these events. “Guilford is a great liberal arts school with strong business programs," says Michael. "The Business Summit is a way to let the community know that exciting things are happening here.”

“Our Business Advisory Board has been an invaluable asset to the program in connecting us and our students to the community; this event extends that connection regionally.”

Ken says the Business Summit is just the start for the Business Advisory Board, a group of business leaders chosen by Kyle and Ken to grow relationships between Guilford and Triad businesses. “And, of course, we want to raise money for the College,” says Ken. “I think Guilford is a great opportunity for a lot of businesses to partner with because investing in this College means you’re investing in the community and Greensboro.”

In a way, Ken’s work with Guilford is a homecoming of sorts. He’s a longtime Triad banking executive and a former Associate Dean in the College of Business at Western Carolina University.

Ken grew up in Oak Ridge as a Quaker and always wanted to attend Guilford, but his parents couldn’t afford to send him to the College so he attended Western Carolina, where he received his undergraduate degree in Economics.

“But my heart was always with Guilford,” he says. “I watched it grow, I watched the basketball team win the (1973) national championship so coming back here is a little like home to me. This College under Kyle’s leadership is going to do great things and in whatever way I can help I want to do my part.”

He says the Board and the upcoming Business Summit is one way to help Guilford extend its presence beyond campus. “We want to grow our reach, we want to build new alliances and reconnect with old ones,” he says. “How do we get back to the main scene? I think it starts with events like our summit.”

Western Carolina’s Business School endowment grew eightfold in the 12 years Ken helped lead the school. During that period enrollment tripled and the MBA program doubled admissions.  

“We can have that same success at Guilford,” he says. “There’s nothing holding this College back, and once we get the word out on it, just watch.”