"What we have in this room is a lot of respect," said 93-year-old Carl Barron, prominent Cambridge businessman turned lecturer. And what was in this room, his highly decorated board room, was an impressive tripod of partnerships formed between Cambridge College, the City of Cambridge and local businesses. Recently eleven individuals were gathered together here by Carl Barron to be recognized for sharing their vast wealth of business knowledge with Cambridge College students during weekly lectures held in his red carpeted board room.
Awardee Catherine Seo, Cambridge College School of Management faculty member and self professed "digital diva", said that long after attending lectures in Mr. Barron's board room, students continue to address, debate and implement what they learn. Donna Maimes, fellow faculty member and awardee, agreed, "I still hear from graduate students living around the world who continue to apply the knowledge they learned here in this very spot."
Louis Fiorenzi, Jr., president and CEO of Ackers Vending Services, enjoys the classes because, as he said, "Text book knowledge can only provide part of what is needed to be successful in business. With Mr. Barron's help, Cambridge College students are exposed to real day-to-day knowledge of what is necessary to succeed in today's business world."
"My work takes me all over the world and it's heartwarming to step into a room full of students from the very countries where I do business," said Kenneth Barron, managing director of global relocation and client services, CORT Global. Joseph Roller, II, president and CEO of Cambridge Trust Company, and Thomas Johnson, senior vice president and consumer banking director, also of Cambridge Trust Company, couldn't agree more. "The discussions we have here in this board room are even richer with such a diverse student body. I'm always so impressed with their enthusiasm and desire to learn."
"What Carl Barron offers in this Central Square board room-by-day turned classroom-by-night is three things: Seventy years of experience, connections and a family environment," said businessman Adam Yawnick, district manager, CORT. "It is this kind of spirit that builds community," said David Maher, mayor of the City of Cambridge.
Awardees were thanked for taking part in the Carl F. Barron Lecture Series begun five years ago after a discussion between Barron and the Cambridge College president. Since those first days, many students have started businesses of their own. Those businesses owe much of their success to the many nightly lectures held in the Caru Associates Board Room.