Tony has seen some changes at Ross during the past five years. But, more than that, he’s played an important role in bringing those changes about.

The Ross Leadership Team unanimously nominated Tony for the MVP spotlight. “Everyone in the organization recognizes Tony’s superior work ethic, attention to detail, accuracy and availability,” explains Ross CEO, Paul Mitchell. “Tony exemplifies our leadership keys: Accountable, Prepared, Proactive and Analytical.”

Tony says economic conditions naturally spurred interest in post-secondary education over the past two years, but a number of moves initiated by the Leadership Team ensured Ross would be the first choice among prospective students.

“Upgrading our facilities and equipment, rolling out new locations and refining our curriculum strengthened our programs and our position in the allied health career education segment,” he explains.

Re-engineering Ross’ graduate placement strategy also put Ross ahead of the competition as the job market changed, he says: “We put a greater emphasis on developing relationships with employers to create job and externship leads.”

With all that in the past, Tony plans to take a breather now, right? Not a chance! He says Ross will stay ahead of the game in the near future by adding allied health programs, offering advanced degrees and expanding online learning opportunities.

“We always need to differentiate ourselves,” he says. “We’ve done that by being in smaller communities and having smaller campuses with high-touch programs and by offering a higher level of service. What we plan to do over the next few years will help us maintain our position as a leader in post-secondary education.”

New campuses don’t just spring up on their own. Someone has to order the furniture, buy the equipment, stock the supply closets and hire the employees.

Don is that someone. He joined Ross just before the Niles, Ohio, campus opened in May. Overseeing operations at the new Canton, Michigan, location has been keeping him busy this summer.

Once the facilities are in order, Don sets to filling the staffing positions. He assists in the hiring of a director and assistant director, then screens and interviews administrative staffers and at least a dozen instructors.

The goal is to have the campus ready six to eight weeks before classes start so prospective students can take tours and enroll. Classes begin in Canton October 4.

Don came to Ross with a background in operations with McDonald’s. For 25 years, his duties in the opening of new restaurants included hiring and training employees.

“I retired for a while, then ran a consulting business for a number of years,” he says.

He won’t be living the laid-back life in his position with Ross, which plans to develop three to five new campuses in the upcoming year in small- to mid-sized communities. It’s part of Ross’ plan to differentiate itself from the competition.

“We could have gone into Cleveland,” Don says, “but Niles was a perfect market for us. There was a real need there.”

Serving as Niles’ interim director for several weeks was exhilarating, he says.

“I got to meet some of the students, and it was great to see their eyes light up,” he recalls. “These are people who want to make a change, and that’s why we do what we do: To help them fulfill their dreams.”