Event to Feature Panda Express Founder and USU Football Coach

One might think the obstacles facing a national Chinese restaurant chain and the challenges facing a major college football team are entirely different.

The Jon M. Huntsman School of Business is betting that those interested in mining the secrets of leadership will find treasures of insight at a Partners In Business seminar March 23 in the Eccles Conference Center on the Utah State University campus. The event, billed as the first Principle-Centered Leadership Seminar the organization has sponsored, will bring together Andrew Cherng, founder and chairman of Panda Restaurant Group, Inc., and Gary Andersen, head football coach at USU.

“Anyone who studies the lives of great leaders discovers that they live by certain timeless principles,” said Douglas D. Anderson, dean of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business. “This seminar is going to bring together a refreshing combination of leaders who have demonstrated the importance that integrity, focus and respect play in accomplishing worthy ideals.”

Cherng opened the first Panda restaurant in 1973 with his father. He has been with the company since and has watched Panda Express become one of the most successful restaurant chains in North America. Panda Restaurant Group reports that it now employs nearly 18,000 associates and brings in more than $1.4 billion in sales.

“Cherng exemplifies the principle-centered leadership that we strive to teach our students,” said Jami Andrus, assistant director of Partners In Business. “His leadership and devotion were indispensible in turning Panda Express into one of the nation’s largest family-owned businesses.”

At the seminar, Cherng will be joined by Boyd Craig, a member of the executive board of the Panda Restaurant Group. Craig is also the executive director of the Stephen R. Covey Group at FranklinCovey Co.

Andersen was named USU head football coach in December of 2008. He came to USU after five seasons as the assistant head coach, defensive coordinator and defensive line coach at University of Utah. While at Utah, he helped lead the Utes to two Bowl Championship Series victories.

Elder Steven Snow, a former senior law partner who now serves full time as a leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Craig Donaldson, president of Harris Research, Inc. will also speak at the seminar. Mary Gentile, an author and research scholar from Babson College, and Bruce Parker, who recently climbed Mount Everest, will also give presentations.

Those interested in a more detailed schedule and in learning more about the seminar, how much it costs and how to register, may visit the Partners In Business website (www.partners.usu.edu).

The Partners In Business program is a student-run, non-profit organization sponsored by the Huntsman School of Business at USU.

The Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University seeks to inspire and equip students to become innovative, ethical leaders with refined analytical skills that will help them understand and succeed in the global marketplace. The Huntsman School of Business is one of eight colleges at USU, located in northern Utah. More information on the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business may be found on the web.

Contact: Steve Eaton, Jon M. Huntsman School of Business, Utah State University, 435-797-8640, steve.eaton@usu.edu