Business center gets a new leader

New training course among list of programs for students, community

By Brent VonCannon
The Collegian

Emil Milevoj is fun-loving but serious. Serious about taking the University Business Center in innovative directions and having fun making it happen. This Fresno State alumnus and former exchange student from Croatia took a step forward with his recent promotion to director of UBC.

Douglas Hensler, dean of the Craig School of Business, announced the decision in July and said Milevoj has raised UBC’s profile in the community since he became acting director in January 2006. Milevoj was chosen to be permanent director over numerous other applicants.

“I like his great people skills and his entrepreneurship,” Hensler said, who has known Milevoj since January 2005. “He has a great vision for UBC. Milevoj understands the relationship between the curriculum side of the Craig school, UBC, and the business community.”

Hensler also noted that Milevoj has an extra charge to create international business relationships. He said, for example, that the Craig school plans to take in a number of students from China next summer for training. Milevoj’s background has helped him raise UBC’s profile on the international scene.

Prior to becoming acting director of UBC, Milevoj was a business development specialist with the center, where he scouted out businesses and sought cooperative activities and marketing strategies for business development.

“I worked in the shopping center industry, working with their marketing departments for promotions and customer service training,” Milevoj said. “It was fun — I got to travel around and see different malls; see how the shopping is different from region to region.”

Milevoj has also been instrumental in developing new programs for UBC. One such program is Accelerator Online which he said is a nine-week training course on putting together a business plan, with direct correspondence with faculty and existing businesses. He also said the program is available to the general public as well as Fresno State students. It can be accessed at www.acceleratoronline.com.

Milevoj said Accelerator Online is applicable to non-business majors as well. He noted that freelancers and graphic artists can make some money by going into business for themselves, full-time or on the side.

“The program is designed to help everyone,” he said.

Milevoj is always on the lookout for funds and new funding sources to start new programs. “We’re working on additional programs for business development,” Milevoj said. Specifically, he said he’s looking for new partners in the form of micro-entrepreneurs, which are small businesses that will remain small. In addition, Milevoj is starting to correspond with employers in the rural parts of the county.

“We utilize faculty from the business school to provide training for the community,” Milevoj said. “It’s a great way for faculty and the community to interact, share common knowledge and get feedback.”

He’s already been directly involved with creating supervisory training programs for several different companies and organizations, including Pelco and the Central Valley-based Regional Jobs Initiative.

As director, Milevoj has encountered plenty of challenges but takes them in stride. One is the ongoing battle to keep UBC self-sufficient. UBC pays for most of its operations through fees.

Coming from Croatia to attend Fresno State as an exchange student at age 17, Milevoj knows about financial management. He used a host of sources to fund his education, including scholarships, an international office on campus, his family and host family and working part-time jobs. Initially planning to study abroad for one year, he fell in love with the place and decided to stay.

“I like the people here in Fresno,” Milevoj said. “It’s easy to communicate with them and share ideas. I get excited about the university’s impact in the area. I also like that we attract a large number of international students here, which offers a new flavor, more like a global village. I like the diversity.”

Milevoj finds time to go back to Croatia at least once a year to visit family. He looks forward to seeing his hometown of Labin close to the Italian border, which he described as having “just one stoplight."

Now, after having learned and lived business for the past decade, having graduated from Fresno State with his bachelor's degree in 1998 and M.B.A. in 2001, and now experimenting with different ways to go about his new job, Milevoj is still passionate. And that's what he would like to instill in business majors and all who use the UBC's resources.

“Going into business takes a lot of hard work,” Milevoj said. “But never give up on your dreams. Always remember why you pursued your course to begin with. Follow your passion. And take advantage of resources here and in the community. We’re here to help.”

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