By Jenny Munro
Business Writer
jmunro@greenvillenews.com

Automation Engineering Corp., an Upstate firm, wanted its engineers and other top employees to also be able to manage a business.

President Gary Foster and human resources director Nancy Faust talked with Greenville Technical College's Buck Mickel Center, asking for help.

"They said, 'Look, I have lots of people who are professionals ... but when it comes to the business of doing business, they're at a loss. I want my people to be grounded not only in engineering but in business,'" said Carol Beckham, a program manager at the center.

The success of the mini-MBA program that resulted allowed it to quickly progress from a customized program for one company to a public offering, Beckham said.

As far as Buck Mickel Center officials know, it's the only program of its kind in South Carolina and possibly in the Southeast. Most mini-MBA programs are found at universities.

"It's really based on an MBA program," Beckham said. "It has some of the same topics. It has all the core topics. You don't see this at community colleges."

Patti Wagner, a business consultant and executive coach who is teaching the program, said it is designed to help leaders become more effective as their businesses change.

Change is no longer something you weather, she said.

It "has become a strategy. It's not stopping. It's getting faster and faster," she said, and global competitiveness fuels some of that. "Global boundaries are disappearing quickly."

Faust said AEC's management needs came about because the company's small executive management group held most of the responsibility for running the company.

"We said, 'Look at all the talent we have here. We should use it,'" she said, but many of the managers had never been trained to manage.

"We wanted basic, old-fashioned management taught. Greenville Tech gave us the ability to pull that first group in and give them management background," she said, adding that a second group is waiting in the wings.

Brian Sheehan, AEC's manager for both the electrical and mechanical shops, said the program has been worth the time he's spending on it.

"The program for me has been outstanding," he said. "I have grown greatly from this."

He said he's learned how to communicate better with his peers, his employees and his boss. One of the best aspects, Sheehan said, is the skills practice in which the class practices dealing with situations that normally arise in the company.

Geoff Jones, an AEC project manager, said this is the first management training he's ever had.

"What I like is that it's very in-depth about reading people," he said. "The interaction is beneficial. It allows us as a team to know each other a lot better."

The mini-MBA includes segments on business ethics, human resources management, learning and personal development, leadership practices, management strategy and implementation, marketing management, operations management and organizational analysis and change.

The course is taught through case studies, seminars, problem-solving exercises and interactive sessions.

Faust said each student in the AEC program is writing a thesis on a business topic that will help the company solve issues facing it.

"We've got 12 people doing this. We've gotten all kinds of ideas out of it," she said.

"We're hoping this will become a prestigious program," Wagner said.

The mini-MBA is not, however, a three-year program, and students who complete the program receive a certificate rather than a master's degree in business administration, Beckham said.

"At a university, you get predominantly theory. We're moving the focus from theory to application," she said. "This program gets you off the mark quickly."

Wagner, who has an executive MBA degree with more than 20 years of experience in executive management, created the initial program and the public offering. She will teach the course, which will meet Friday nights and Saturday mornings from Aug. 25 to Sept. 30 at the Buck Mickel Center.

The need for the course is obvious, she said.

"Executive leaders are in a lonely position," she said. "They don't have places to share. This is for heavy hitters to learn from shared experiences."

The requirements to take the course are either a bachelor's degree or five years' business experience, Beckham said. She expects professionals in the medical, engineering, nursing, real estate and legal industries as well as successful business owners to be interested in the program, which will cost $1,895 per person.

"I would highly recommend it to anyone. It is highly beneficial," Sheehan said, adding he wants to obtain his full MBA now.

Faust said AEC is paying the tuition.

"It's a whole lot of money. It's a privilege and honor to be asked to take this class, and our employees know it," she said.