Hunt Business Launches Career Plan with Executive Panel

The Big Picture

This week, the Hunt Business Career Plan officially launched with a program overview, executive panel discussion, and networking session designed to give students a structured, measurable framework for long-term career development.

Created and led by local businessman and philanthropist Bob Wingo, the six-session program moves beyond informal mentorship into deliberate career strategy.

“We saw an opportunity to elevate mentorship into a detailed, structured approach to career preparation,” Wingo said.

Inside the Launch

Students received an overview of the six-week structure, including:

• Goal setting
• Interview preparation
• Executive engagement strategy
• Long-term career mapping

A multi-industry executive panel and networking session followed, offering candid insight into leadership decisions, career pivots, and the power of relationships.

Executive Panelists

• Bobby Blanco — Partner and Director of Risk Management & Insurance Planning, Strategic Wealth Management
• John Hjalmquist — President and CEO, Pizza Properties
• Shawn Ollis — Market President, Southern NM & West TX, Nusenda Credit Union
• Scott Adkins — President and CEO, PyroCom Systems
• Ricardo Samaniego — El Paso County Judge
• Brendan Gallagher — Vice President for Business Affairs, UTEP

A Q&A allowed students to ask questions about the interview process, career setbacks, and long-term career trajectory.

What Changes in Six Weeks

The Hunt Business Career Plan is designed to make students measurably different.

“Students should walk away with a clear roadmap, confidence before interviews, and a step-by-step approach to engaging with executives,” Wingo said.

Participants will learn how to:

• Define career goals
• Anticipate difficult interview questions
• Conduct executive-level research
• Execute meaningful follow-up

Relationships as Strategy

The program treats relationships as foundational infrastructure for building a career.

“Relationships are fundamental to creating career opportunities,” Wingo said. “Success is often about who you know and how you build those connections.”

Students are taught to transform interviews into conversations, identify connectors within organizations, and approach networking as a long-term investment rather than a one-time transaction.

Defining the Journey

Wingo challenges students to map a five-year trajectory early.

“Students should define their destiny in broad but clear terms and establish compelling goals,” he said.

The Hunt Business Career Plan pushes participants from vague ambition to documented strategy.

“The true measure of the program’s success,” Wingo said, “will be students who come back and pay the experience forward.”