Eyes on the prize

Students try to wow banker Ed Hale, win job

The Associate may be TU's adaptation of NBC's wildly popular The Apprentice, but there are some differences. For starters, Ed Hale is considerably nicer than Donald Trump.  

And while the competitors will be doing their utmost to impress him, it's unlikely they'll stoop to the kind of backstabbing and bad-mouthing that characterizes the reality show.  

The Associate's premise is simple: Two teams of business school seniors--each with two men and two women--will compete over the course of eight weeks for a job with Hale, owner of the Baltimore Blast soccer team and chairman of the board of First Mariner Bank.

He'll fire one would-be employee per week until the winner remains, but--unlike the often surly Trump--no one's likely to cower in his presence. "He's very down-to-earth, very approachable and supportive," says Laleh Malek, coordinator of the internship, career services and professional experience course in the College of Business and Economics. Malek, who developed the idea for the Apprentice -like competition, says Hale made it clear at the outset that the firings wouldn't be personal. "In fact, he told them he'd like to help all eight of them find jobs," she says.

"Ed Hale is a self-made man," she continues. "That's one of the reasons we wanted him for The Associate. He's a great leader who projects the kinds of qualities we want business students to see."

The teams received their first case on February 15 at a special two-hour meeting attended by Hale, President Robert L. Caret and Dennis Finnegan, executive vice president at First Mariner Bancorp. They'll return for regularly scheduled meetings--and firings--until only one is left.  Meetings are scheduled for February 22, March 8, March 15, April 5, April 12 and April 19, all at 5 p.m. in Administration Building 424.

"The Associate team members didn't really know one another, but they've really bonded,” says Malek. “They're really excited about this opportunity to showcase their talent. And of course one will end up with a job offer, which is a huge motivator.

“Everybody in the college, from the dean on down, is excited for them.”

The Associate's cast includes (from left) Steve Kruskamp, Truong Doan, Amanda Knott, Brianna Lindner, Ed Hale, Reanna Tarleton, Jerry Jones, Megan Olmert and Matthew Leebel.

Story by Jan Lucas/Photo by Sofia Silva

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