The Kelley School of Business Indianapolis delivered its 2010 Access Award recently to local printing and marketing company CIK Enterprises.
Founder Scott Hill accepted the award Nov. 11 on behalf of CIK, a company that has worked closely with the Evening MBA program during the past few years to help students understand corporate culture and the challenges that come with a new venture startup.
“I am truly honored and humbled to receive this award,” Hill said. “This is something that I didn’t start out to achieve, but this has been something from the very beginning that I enjoyed very much.”
The Access Award was created a decade ago in response to a growing number of Indiana graduates choosing to pursue careers out of state. Recipients are chosen from individuals or companies that partner with and provide creative learning opportunities for Kelley students.
Hill worked closely with Kelley management professor Todd Saxton, head of the Discovery, Innovations and Ventures Enterprise (DIVE) learning experience to help students understand his business and allow for a critical analysis of issues facing the company, including maintaining a business during a serious economic downturn.
As he accepted the award Thursday, Hill suggested to the audience that he benefitted the most from his close interaction with Kelley students.
“I hope whatever I’ve been able to share with these students is half of what they provided to me,” he said.
CIK, headquartered at 7225 Georgetown Road, is comprised of Trace Communications and Tri-Auto Enterprises. Trace specializes in newspaper printing, inserts, direct mail, magazines and special sections. Tri-Auto offers print advertising for car dealers.
In addition to the award presentation, the event was designed to celebrate five years of the Enterprise series at Kelley Indianapolis. These voluntary programs allow students to work closely with corporations in Central Indiana on issues affecting businesses and allow students considerable impact on the future of those companies. Many past corporate partners, alumni, and current Enterprise students were in attendance.
Associate Dean Phil Cochran thanked attendants for helping to enhance the experience of pursuing a Kelley Evening MBA, ranked recently among the top 10 in the nation.
“Those leaders who contribute so much to our program through these interactions gain insight into their own businesses and the satisfaction of enriching the lives of our students and the value of the Kelley Evening MBA,” Cochran said.