“Soccer shaped so much of my early childhood through college. I am driven by competitiveness and teamwork, which played out at UNC Greensboro and plays out daily in my work with Samet,” says Brian Hall ‘12 MBA.
Hall applied that athletic determination to his academics when he pursued and earned his master of business administration at UNCG’s Bryan School of Business and Economics in December 2012.
Hall’s camaraderie with classmates, instructive business courses, and developing leadership style all informed his Bryan School experience and helped him grow into his current position as president of real estate at Samet Corporation, headquartered in Greensboro.
Classmate Camaraderie
Hall landed at UNCG partially due to Samet. Already an employee, Samet leadership challenged Hall to go for his MBA, to further his education and accelerate his work experience, which was no simple feat.
Hall committed to in-person night classes for two and a half years, while working a full-time job and raising young children with his wife Amy. He reflects on “grabbing a hot dog at Yum-Yum’s with the family and then heading to class.”
Not doing it alone was Hall’s saving grace: “I was in class mostly with other professionals who were working all day and attending class in the evening like me. Students were from a wide variety of industries and businesses across the Triad. Friendships were built along the way from sharing the same experience.”
Working with these diversified business students currently helps Hall understand how to work with professionals in a variety of industries as Samet serves manufacturers, healthcare, education, and others. Hall says, “Being with classmates in unique companies, like VF Corporation and LabCorp, helped me understand what is important to a particular industry or company.”
Memorable Bryan School Course
Hall specifically remembered the course MBA 708: Operations for Competitive Advantage taught by Dr. Vidyaranya Gargeya. He applies what he learned in this class to his work at Samet on a regular basis.
“At Samet, we work hard to ensure we not only highlight but also capitalize on our advantages. That class taught me how to do this across a wide range of operations and across industries,” says Hall.
When working with industry-specific clients, Hall thinks about the construction of a building–how a building goes together–while his clients are thinking about the future functionality within the building. Hall’s broad operations understanding allows Samet to help the client achieve their competitive advantages via construction.
Burgeoning Business Acumen
Hall had all the right ingredients for MBA success, partially due to his drive and discipline formed during his soccer years.
But Hall’s workload requirements at the Bryan School required him “to put things in place, like discipline, study time, and major effort behind my work.” The experience Hall gained through this process led him to what he calls a professional and positive “make it happen” leadership style.
These learned leadership skills translate easily to his role at Samet. His company must make it happen to deliver the best results to their customers.
“No different than the challenges I faced in the MBA program, every Samet project has a long list of challenges–from rain storms to zoning issues – but as a team, we must find a way to be successful.”
Headquartered in Greensboro
Hall started with Samet in 2007 as an assistant pre-construction project manager and was named president of real estate earlier this year. Samet was founded in High Point, North Carolina in 1961 and is now headquartered in Greensboro. The company delivers real estate and construction solutions.
Hall has oversight over real estate operations. He serves real estate customers by delivering speculative buildings in industrial parks throughout the southeast, within the markets Samet serves.
Future MBA Student Advice?
Of pursuing an MBA, Hall says this: “It’s super beneficial. Once you get into the program, hang in there. Stick it out. It’s been incredibly valuable for me to have my MBA from the Bryan School. And to utilize the experience I gained in school to better my company every day.”
From soccer to UNCG to Samet, Hall continues to make things happen with drive and determination.
Story by Amy Burtch, AMBCopy, LLC
Photography by Sean Norona, University Communications
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