Business Links

Business Links

By Jean Gruss

Editor/Lee-Collier

When David Kakkuri was Kraft Foods' senior human resource executive, one of his responsibilities was to help the company's far-flung operations buy into the overall mission.

In many ways, Kakkuri's job as director of Florida Gulf Coast University's Center for Leadership and Innovation (CLI) will be similar. Appointed in September, Kakkuri, 59, has been charged with helping a broad array of businesses and economic development agencies in Southwest Florida tap into the university's resources.

Kakkuri has his work cut out for him: The CLI encompasses a diverse group of university-sponsored programs and faculty-led institutes that are loosely connected under one umbrella organization.

These include the executive MBA program, the Small Business Development Center, faculty institutes such as the Regional Economic Research Institute and executive development programs.

"I want to get out there and I want them to know who we are," he says.

One advantage: The organization's headquarters are housed in Westlinks Business Park, an office park about 10 miles away from the university campus and a few miles from Interstate 75 off Daniels Parkway. That's especially important for professionals enrolled in the executive MBA program because they don't have to fight for parking on the crowded campus and there's plenty of lecture space.

Some of the programs are already well underway. For example, the executive MBA program and the Small Business Development Center have been running effectively for several years now. In fact, the executive MBA program pays for itself; tuition is $34,000.

However, Kakkuri says he is eager to help bring faculty and businesses together. For instance, a company might hire a professor to design a Web site or design a special training program for managers. As an example, training 10 supervisors for a full day might cost about $2,000, Kakkuri says.

Another area Kakkuri plans to focus on is assisting economic development groups in recruiting businesses to Southwest Florida. That could include offering specialized training programs to companies relocating to the area or sponsoring economic research about issues that are important to the local economies.

Finally, Kakkuri says he will devote time to facilitating international trade and academic exchanges with countries that already have links to Southwest Florida, such as Germany, as well as others that don't, such as China. In a global economy, Kakkuri says, there are opportunities for Southwest Florida to benefit from international trade. For example, Southwest Florida International Airport already has international flights to Germany and could easily accommodate more growth from other regions, such as Latin America. And, he adds, "You don't know what China can bring to the party."

Need a

consultant? Call FGCU

Florida Gulf Coast University's Center for Leadership and Innovation can help companies with in-house training and consultation services. Here are three recent examples:

• Conducted a comprehensive strategic assessment of five agricultural entities for Barron Collier Cos. in Naples, including an analysis of current citrus-grove operations and plans for new ventures.

• Analyzed and counseled the 24-member management team of Bears Plumbing of Naples over a two-day planning retreat. The center assessed managers using the Myers Briggs Trait Indicator and provided them with an analysis of training needs.

•Conducted a series of 40 focus groups to determine opinions of an upscale golf-course community for Bonita Bay Group, a Bonita Springs-based residential developer.

- Jean Gruss