On August 27, 2020, Southwestern Family of Companies hosted its very first virtual Family Reunion. Southwestern Family of Companies has hosted many alumni events in the past to stay in touch with its alumni network throughout the world, but this was the first virtual event of its kind.
The Southwestern Family Reunion brought over 100 former Bookpeople together to meet, reconnect, and catch up with similar-minded individuals in a dynamic virtual environment.
During the event, Lee McCroskey — a professional speaker with Southwestern Speakers and former Bookman — kicked off this beach-themed night with some Beach Boys music and entertaining jokes. The alumni also had a chance to hear from top business leaders like Dustin Hillis, CEO of Southwestern Family of Companies, Virgie Sandford, District Sales Leader with Southwestern Advantage, and Luke Aull, Vice President of Southwestern Investment Group who shared an excellent and relevant personal development presentation: Financial Principles to Navigate COVID-19.
We were also excited to announce a special guest during the event, Governor Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, who shared his experience with Southwestern Advantage and how it led him down the path of politics.
The Vice President of Human Resources, Patty Hoppenstedt, also shared examples of alumni who are working for Southwestern in sales and non-sales roles, such as with the finance team. We are always looking to find the best of the best for placement into any of the over 20 diversified businesses within Southwestern Family of Companies. The Southwestern Advantage alumni are always a great source to share these opportunities with first.
Finally, to conclude the night, the attendees were divided into three different breakout rooms to network, story tell, and reminisce. These breakouts were split up into decades so that attendees could meet with people they sold with. The facilitators of the breakouts included Dan Moore, President of Southwestern Advantage, Ron Alford, Senior Partner with Southwestern Consulting, and Hans Schlegel, Recruiter with ThinkingAhead. So many amazing stories came out of those breakouts. Interestingly enough, in one of the breakouts, one of the participants was actually driving his daughter down to checkout after finishing her summer selling books.
Southwestern Travel Group, a member of Southwestern Family of Companies, managed the virtual event from start to finish. Their team of travel experts would love to help you plan your next adventure or virtual event. Their depth of expertise, knowledge of destinations, and attention to detail saves you time, money, and headaches. As travel experts, they can handle any emergency that may arise when you’re on the road — everything from a missed flight connection to a hotel that closes unexpectedly — and they will go the extra mile. To learn more, contact Southwestern Travel Group today at 800.222.4441 or [email protected].
The next Virtual Alumni event will be held on Thursday, November 12, 2020 from 5:00 PM – 6:15 PM PT or from 6:00 PM – 7:15 PM MT. You can check out the event details HERE.
For information on future family reunions and to be added to the guest list for future events, email [email protected].
