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Eccles Business Buzz

Eccles Business Buzz

Von: David Eccles School of Business
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Welcome to the Eccles Business Buzz Podcast. My name is Frances Johnson, and your host for our podcast show. We know the Eccles community is only as strong as its alumni network and as I have built relationships with alumni across the nation, I’ve learned how truly remarkable our network is. Our goal is to share alumni stories, perspectives, and voices on topics that are driving conversations around the globe and within our school today. The core values of the Eccles community will underlie everything we discuss here: Entrepreneurial Grit, Continuous Curiosity, Empathetic Global Citizenship, and Impacting Your World.

Eccles Business Buzz is a production of David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University FM.

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  • S9E7: From Banking to Building: Real Estate Revelations with Ashley Atkinson Williamson

    S9E7: From Banking to Building: Real Estate Revelations with Ashley Atkinson Williamson
    Jan 15 2026
    We’re back for more stories about the impact the David Eccles School of Business has on their lives and careers, and for this episode, host Frances Johnson is joined by Ashley Atkinson Williamson, Founder and Principal at Williamson Development. In this episode, Frances talks to Ashley about her journey from med school to finance and then real estate, and what valuable lessons she learned from each segment, and how it all helps her now in her passion for real estate development. Ashley discusses her other significant projects, including the co-founding of Utah’s Perpetual Housing Fund, and highlights the importance of adaptability, intuition, continuous learning, and building strong relationships. Ashley also emphasizes the value of grit and open-mindedness in navigating career changes and underscores the importance of community involvement and giving back.Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University.fm.Eccles Business Buzz is proud to be selected by FeedSpot as one of the Top 70 Business School podcasts on the web. Learn more at https://podcast.feedspot.com/us_business_school_podcasts. Episode Quotes:Being a lifelong learner helps you embrace change and every pivot that comes with it.[21:21] I think that intuitiveness comes from experiences and learning. Now I'm 30, almost 35, and I still am like, well, now what am I going to learn? Like now I learned LIHTC; what should I learn next? Because you just have no idea where that's going to help you somewhere else. Anyway, I think continuing to want to learn and enjoy it, even if it's like architecture or planning or art or something that really, maybe it's adjacent, maybe it has nothing to do with your career, I think reading books about anything will help you somewhere. So I think just that mindset of enjoying learning—try to keep that up even when you're in the thick of long workweeks and your late twenties and early thirties. Find a way to learn and enjoy what you're learning.Ashley reveals what it took for her to push past the fear of changing careers.[16:42] Frances Johnson: Talk to us about how you motivated yourself and how you prepared yourself. What was it, maybe a mantra or a ritual or something that allowed you to overcome that fear and just really go for the opportunity?[16:58] Ashley Atkinson Williamson: I think it was just this self-knowing that this is where I want to be. I could have stayed at the bank; I could have worked my way up, but looking like five or ten years ahead, would I just have wasted those five or ten years, or would I be putting my effort into something else? And I have to attribute it to just grit. Like I just knew that this is where I was supposed to be. There were a lot of miserable days. Some of those days dragged on for a very long time, but I just, if this is what I wanted to do, I had to start somewhere. I had to get my foot in the door, and I do think that's one of my most valuable skills, especially being a developer.How staying connected to the alumni network opened doors for Ashley[30:52] I have gotten job offers, partnership opportunities from the relationships that I made years later. Like you talked about, maybe these relationships are going to bring opportunities years in the future. I'm really busy now. I'm running a business, and I'm a mom to a one-and-a-half-year-old, but I still make a point to say yes anytime I get invited to the U because, and I'm sure this is the same for most alums, we just want to give back to the school that gave so much to us. And I love getting invited to come back, and I love meeting with the students, and I really hope that I can inspire someone that maybe is nervous about jumping into something that seems scary or not following exactly the trajectory that seems like either their other classmates are doing or their mentors are kind of pushing them. Like just be open to doing something a little different. Anyway, I am always excited to come and tell my story and to try to help any students that I can.Show Links:Ashley Atkinson Williamson | LinkedInUtah’s Perpetual Housing Fund | WebsiteDavid Eccles School of Business (@ubusiness) | InstagramUndergraduate Scholars ProgramsRising Business LeadersEccles Alumni Network (@ecclesalumni) | Instagram Eccles Experience Magazine
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    33 Min.
  • S9E6: Generations of Success: Continuity and Innovation feat. Jeff Young

    S9E6: Generations of Success: Continuity and Innovation feat. Jeff Young
    Jan 5 2026
    This season we are exploring all the different ways the David Eccles School of Business has impacted our alums, and today we are exploring the benefit of generational engagement with the Eccles School and the U, for businesses, communities, and families. We’re back for more stories about the impact the David Eccles School of Business has on their lives and careers, and for this episode, host Frances Johnson is joined by Jeff Young, Executive Vice President at YESCO. In this episode, host Frances Johnson is joined by Jeff Young, Executive Vice President at YESCO, a custom electric sign company. Frances talks to Jeff about his multi-generational family business, its origins, and its evolution, including key projects like the 2002 Winter Olympics and the massive screen installation at the Las Vegas Sphere. Jeff discusses the deep-rooted connection between his family and the University of Utah, including a 100 year legacy of family alumni. He also emphasizes the impact of the David Eccles School of Business on their success. Jeff highlights the importance of continuous learning, leveraging networks, and investing in education for the company's growth. This episode underscores the reciprocal relationship between YESCO and the Eccles School, illustrating how education and community engagement drive long-term business success.Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University.fm.Eccles Business Buzz is proud to be selected by FeedSpot as one of the Top 70 Business School podcasts on the web. Learn more at https://podcast.feedspot.com/us_business_school_podcasts. Episode Quotes:Why investing in the U is a growth strategy for business owners [25:34] If you go to the Small Business Administration statistics, we know that businesses just don't… You have a higher chance of failing than not. And with the headwind we have in our economy, in our world, you've got to pursue every possible avenue to create a successful trajectory. And that means hitting all channels. If you are not investing in yourselves and in your organizations and your people, you're going to fail, probably. And the university… I can't think of a more beautiful, well-situated campus, meaning the business school campus, a set of buildings, and a group of more capable people to help host events, and a more capable group of people who can help bring material and content to the training than the University of Utah. I mean, I'm practically looking at it out my window. I'm facing north. Having grown up in, basically, in the University of Utah neighborhood, I have a real deep feeling of love and appreciation for everything that you do and the value you bring. And so, we, as an organization, you just wonder where we'd be without the benefit of having this university so close and all the insights, thoughts, skills, aptitudes that have come because of that.How Jeff’s ties to the U and the Eccles School help sustain a multi-generation family business[10:02] Frances Johnson: I'd love to hear from you how your connection to the U and to the Eccles School has helped sustain your family business into so many generations.[10:13] Jeff Young: That's really a great question. Without the knowledge of how family businesses operate within the state, we've been able to meet dozens and dozens of other family businesses that strangely are also centennial-long businesses, and it's amazing to know that our grandfathers knew each other. Our grandmothers knew each other. Our fathers and mothers knew each other. And in current generations, a lot of them have gone through the University of Utah. And so, it's great to have the familiarity and that point of reference. And so, the business building in particular, we know where to go. We know who the people are, and it just feels like home to us. And we look around the room and see everyone else in that conference, and we say, "Yeah, we started here. We're still here. And we continue to decide to be here for all the right reasons." So, that continuing education and connection is vital. On how Eccles School equipped Jeff for success[4:00] The challenges we're facing today are much different than they were when we went to school. But the aptitude to want to learn, to apply, and to continue to learn and apply remains true. As recently as this morning, I had my face in a book. I've just purchased it. I've got 90 people coming to a training next Tuesday. This training has to be fresh and to the point, and pertinent to what they're facing. It's a sales group, right? And you say, "Okay, here's some additional tools that you can apply in your life to make your lives better." And the idea that we're not fearful of learning more is we've got to continue the learning and the application of that learning. Every day, every week, every month. That spirit of that is as alive today as it was when I was walking in and out, it's a new building, walking in and out those buildings that...
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    26 Min.
  • S9E5: Mentors and Milestones: The Power of Networking feat. Jeff Lewis and Alexandra Floor

    S9E5: Mentors and Milestones: The Power of Networking feat. Jeff Lewis and Alexandra Floor
    Dec 18 2025
    We’re back for more stories about the impact the David Eccles School of Business has on the lives and careers of our alums, and today we are sharing another success story of connections made through the David Eccles Alumni Network with Jeff Lewis and Alexandra Floor.Continuing our focus on mentorship and networking, Frances talks to Jeff and Alexandra about how they connected through the Eccles School, and how that connection led to an internship opportunity that created benefits for both Jeff and Alexandra. Jeff, a wealth management advisor at Northwestern Mutual and Founder/CEO of Gelder Generational Wealth, served as a member of the David Eccles Alumni Network Board for 15 years, and Alexandra, set to graduate from the David Eccles School of Business this spring, serves as the director of Mentorship for Women in Finance and vice president of recruitment for Alpha Phi. Jeff has been involved with the school as an alum and a mentor, while Alexandra shares her experiences as a student benefiting from these connections. They discuss the value of internships, mentorship, and the ways in which the alumni network fosters professional growth for both current students and graduates. Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University.fm.Eccles Business Buzz is proud to be selected by FeedSpot as one of the Top 70 Business School podcasts on the web. Learn more at https://podcast.feedspot.com/us_business_school_podcasts. Episode Quotes:Alexandra reveals the real secret to building and growing your network[27:48] You're only as smart as the people you surround yourself by. And if you don't reach out to people who are smarter than you and intelligent and not in a negative way, but as students, there's so much opportunity out there. And for people with such high levels of experience, I mean, Jeff's been in the business for almost 30 years and for just taking that step to reach out and be around them and surround yourself, even if it's just lunch, even if you know it does turn into an internship, is the only way you're going to grow so significantly and build your network. Why experiential opportunities build student confidence[13:46] When you think about an internship, it's really that you're test driving a career, and you're doing it without high consequence. You're not going into it with this expectation of being there for years on end. You're going into it with the parameters that are dialed out, like in this case, a semester. In some cases, it's just summer. But I think that's where the opportunity lies with an intern opportunity: to really have the student engage in that experiential learning and do it in order to build their confidence and really stretch themselves because I think that's what's going to differentiate them, not only on a resume, but really in the marketplace to be able to say, “Look, I've done something; I've done something different here, and here's why I know I do or don't want to continue to do that.” And I think that's something that, from my standpoint, if we find out that it's not a good fit, we're going to hopefully help that intern find something else that's a better fit. And when I was mentoring some students years ago, when they started the mentoring program at the University of Utah formally, I remember being in the union, and there were so many students that wanted to have mentors, and I had a table of about 10 students. And I learned very quickly that some of them just really wanted to have that interaction, to have discussions, have conversations, and some of them just wanted to be walked down the road. Jeff reminds alumni that simply showing up makes a big impact on a student’s life[25:58] It's always fun to have that connection with people that you just have been able to do some good with and to be able to raise money for scholarships or to be able to mentor incoming students or outgoing students or those that are right in the middle. So all of the above. And I would encourage anybody if they're having second thoughts about doing it, like, “Well, I don't know if I can really help.” There's always something you can do. Showing up is such a great thing. There are so many people that come up and just invest a little bit of time, and it really yields some great benefits for the students and all those that are participating.Show Links:Jeff Lewis | LinkedInJeffrey Gelder Lewis | Northwestern MutualAlexandra Floor | LinkedInDavid Eccles School of Business (@ubusiness) | InstagramUndergraduate Scholars ProgramsRising Business LeadersEccles Alumni Network (@ecclesalumni) | Instagram Eccles Experience Magazine
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    33 Min.
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