PBLI Spring 2015- Orlando, Florida

This weekend a group of 32 brothers went to Alpha Kappa Psi's annual Principled Business Leaders Institute in Orlando, Florida. The event was held at the Rosen Centre Hotel.

The Principled Business Leaders Institute is designed to further professional growth for brothers by hosting a variety of activities and speakers to teach important business skills and facilitate discussion of brotherhood best practices.

The event began Friday night with an opening ceremony that featured guest speaker Kostya Kimlat, a keynote speaker on magic and business. Kimlat gave a presentation on "the magic of personalities," which taught us about how to recognize different personality types to best foster collaboration and success in groups.

Brothers then started their interactive Saturday at 8 a.m. with a regional meeting that rallied the spirit of all the chapters in the Southeast region. Throughout the day, we had breakout meetings to discuss the five building blocks to becoming a principled business leader and various educational blocks featuring topics such as choosing the right path, planning your future, and how to stand out.

While the Saturday was a very long day, all brothers were excited to learn so much valuable information that would better their future success within the brotherhood as well as in the future with potential internships and careers.

But that's not it... Four brothers from the Alpha Phi chapter participated in the case competition team and won 3rd place out of 16 participants! We are proud of their great success.

Our brotherhood also won several awards including Chapter of the Year. It's safe to say that our chapter's success comes from the boundless energy and dedication from our brothers. We are so proud to represent AKPsi and can't wait until the AKPsi convention in Norfolk, Virginia this summer!

And, as always, Go Gators! 

Pro Trip: Part 2

Wow, it's been two weeks since we left Washington, D.C.! While all of us who went on the trip miss D.C., it's been great to be in the warmer weather. This is part 2 of the pro trip posts so check out the details and pictures below to see what our brothers did on Saturday and Sunday of the trip!

Saturday, Nov.22:

Our brothers broke up into different groups to tour the city. Brothers checked out the White House, the Smithsonian museums, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial and so much more! Here's some of the best pictures our brothers took:

After touring the city, we went to dinner with brothers from American University and George Washington at Buca di Beppo. The food was great, but the company was even better!

Sunday, Nov.23:

Our brothers only had a few hours before we had to pack our bags up and head back home, but that didn't stop them from exploring D.C. just a little bit more!

Some brothers went to the Newseum, an interactive museum about the history of gathering news, and some went to have an organic breakfast.

We were definitely sad to leave, but we made such great memories.

Washington, D.C. Professional Trip 2014- Part 1

This past weekend from the Nov. 21-23, a pack of 28 brothers braved the cold, windy streets of Washington, D.C.! The weekend was packed full of company tours, city tourist attractions and interchapter relations.

Friday, Nov. 21 we landed in D.C. around 8:30 a.m. We then scurried to the hotel to freshen ourselves up. We toured NPR at 12 noon and then Deloitte at 3 p.m.

NPR, National Public Radio, gave us a great tour! Our brothers had the opportunities to see the Tiny Desk, hold Emmys, see a real NPR studio and so much more.

Deloitte, one of the top accounting firms in the country, also provides a wide spectrum of financial services. Deloitte consulting gave us an interactive presentation about their consulting services. We listened to a great presentation on the overview of the company and then broke up into smaller groups to network and learn more about the company.

After Deloitte, most brothers headed over to American University to see their local Alpha Kappa Psi chapter's Honor Court. It was great seeing how another university handles their honor court and mingling with all of their brothers.

We had a busy day full of great activities! We would like to give a BIG thank you to brother Sarah Van Valkenburgh for organizing the trip and all the activities we attended on Friday.

Thanks for checking out a little about our pro trip! If you would like to see what the brothers did on Saturday and Sunday check out the blog in the coming days to see part 2!

10 Minute Mentor

Last week on Thursday, we had our semi-annual 10 Minute Mentor professional workshop!

The event was hosted like a game of musical chairs. Every speaker had 10 minutes to give a brief talk about their professional experiences and then answer questions from our brothers. After the 10 minutes were up, the brothers would switch tables to speak with a new professional.

Brothers listen intently to speaker Trevor Abbott.

Speakers included:

• Mark Freid, creator of Think Creative Inc.,Orlando, Florida
• Trevor Abbott, co-founder of SpinChill, Gainesville, Florida

Trevor Abbott and Blair Smith pose for a photo.

• Brett Lackey, Geographic Information Systems, Gainesville, Florida

Brett Lackey hydrates between groups.

• Dave Sullivan, Associate Director of Career and Leadership Programs at the University of Florida

Dave Sullivan does his signature move.

• Keith Herndon, Associate Director for Finance and Administration at the UF Emerging Pathogens Institute
• Jill Boylston Herndon, an associate professor for the UF College of Medicine

Our VP of Alumni, Jenna Radomsky, put on a fantastic event.

“This semester's event had an incredible turnout,” she said. “Our mentors were able to share their knowledge and experience with about 50 of our brothers and pledges—one of the largest turnouts we have had for this particular event.”

“I couldn't be happier with how successful this event was, and I look forward to seeing what future mentors share with our brotherhood,” Radomsky said.

A Weekend of Unity

This weekend was all about unity for the Alpha Phi chapter! Our VP of Brotherhood, Maggie Trychel, organized events at Universal Studio's Halloween Horror Nights on Friday and a brotherhood retreat at Ginnie Springs on Saturday.

A group of about 30 brothers and guests went to HHN.

The night was filled with laughter, screams and a few tears(for the ones who couldn't handle the men with chainsaws.)

While fear is a great way to bond, we like to get to know our brothers in more calm settings as well. Our brotherhood retreat at Ginnie Springs splashed a big wave of unity on our hearts. The retreat had activities where we learned about our brother's different backgrounds,  a game of Red Rover and lots of food.

Amy Walsh, the committee chair for brotherhood retreat, said she was really proud of the retreat because it was the first one she ever planned. She was really excited that event went well with lots of brotherhood participation.

"Everyone seemed to have fun and that's all that matters," she said.

After the bonding activities we all floated down the beautiful springs to end a great day.

The Greater Gator Alumni Chapter

Do you love being a brother of Alpha Kappa Psi? The Greater Gator Alumni Chapter was created on May 31^st, 2014 to share and perpetuate the love of brotherhood with all Alpha Phi chapter alumni.  The GAC was established with the help of 52 brothers covering over 60 years of alumni.

The GAC differs from other chapters in that it is not purely based on geographical location. But rather with the help of technology and a global network, the GAC will stay connected through professional development, community service and networking events that will be open to Alpha Phi alumni as well as all of Alpha Kappa Psi alumni. They plan on supporting the Alpha Phi chapter by interviewing pledges and planning events for the football and homecoming season. The GAC will meet at such fraternity events as convention and eventually host their own annual Alpha Phi alumni reunions.

Chapter members are only required to attend one business meeting a year, in person or virtually, and pay an annual due of $25. Currently, the chapter is working on launching their website and designing their first promotional T-shirt.

The alumni chapter will offer many great opportunities for Alpha Phi alumni as they make their transition from student to alumni member.

The entire Alpha Phi chapter is very excited about the launch of the GAC, and look forward to seeing all the great things our alumni do!

Like the Greater Gator Alumni Chapter on Facebook to stay updated with all events.

https://www.facebook.com/greatergatoralumnichapter

If anyone has any questions or feedback, feel free to contact the executive board!

Greg Cohen, Alpha Phi ’14-Life

President

Gcohen14@gmail.com

Stephen Smith, Alpha Phi ’86-Life

Vice President

sesmith@gol.com

Lylah Gold, Alpha Phi ‘13

Treasurer

lylahgold@me.com

Cara Bearison, Alpha Phi ‘14

Secretary

cabearison@gmail.com