Tadd Schwab

Name: Tadd Schwab
Major: Business/General Studies
Class of: 1973

• What is your Major?
  When I came to ACC my major was the least of my worries. I had had a very bad experience at another school, had worked and traveled and hopefully was better prepared for college life. I thought business was the direction I wanted to go. I just wanted to be successful.

• What advice would you give to students interested in your career path?
  My advice to students is to find things you enjoy doing and develop your career path around it. If you like sciences, there are so many career opportunities. In Cumberland volunteer at the hospital and you can see so many career opportunities. Perhaps if you worked in a business and like it, business is for you. Another important piece is culture. The world is getting smaller. International business is something that requires understanding cultures. Take the time to learn a language. 

• What was your overall experience at ACM?
  

  ACC was perhaps the best experience in my growing into the person I am today for so many reasons. 

  I have had a reading comprehension problem. The reading program at ACC helped me understand my problems some still exist today. I learned what I needed to do to study successfully. 

  Socially, I had a ball at ACC. I was a little older and it helped me gain personal confidence. I was Treasurer of the SGA when Coach Kirk’s basketball budget was part of my budget. Oddly enough that budget taught me a lot about real accounting and budgeting. I ended up as the announcer of basketball games. PVTV was the local Cumberland TV station. The college was lucky enough to provide programming to the community. We did afternoon news as well as several shows. I did a sports show. One of my highlights was an interview with comedian Pat Paulson when he ran for President in 1972. 

  I was proud to be Outstanding Male Student of the year in 1972-1973. For me, when I came to ACC I was an academic mess. I made the dean’s list when I was there. I continued on to receive a Bachelor of Science degree from Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science which is now known as Jefferson University.

• Who was your favorite ACM faculty/staff member?  Why?  
  Nan Putman was simply unbelievable as a reading guru. She gave me confidence. Stanley Dougan taught a course called Cultural Geography which was years ahead of its time. In business I traveled internationally and what I learned from this class helped me understand the importance of how different the world is. It taught me to appreciate that English was not the only language in the world. My global understanding began with this class. I would be remiss if I left out Coach Kirk. Someone I became friends with till the time he passed.
• What is your greatest achievement in your career?
  

  There are two events that come to mind. First, in 1980 (I was 29) I opened a New York Office for our family business Little Me Childrenswear. I had been working in NY in the industry when I was asked to open a sales office. I said yes but perhaps felt I was not ready for that job. I was proud of the work we did and what I was able to accomplish.  

  The second piece was later in my career. In the fashion industry, retailers were charging manufacturers for shipping errors but not explaining the terms when orders were placed. I left my sales position, and I was able to create a compliance area for retailers by partnering with the customers receiving department in major accounts. We also added government compliance and safety compliance in a major way. We trained quality and compliance globally. The results were significant decline in problems and stronger vendor relations.

• Additional comments:
  In today’s world education is critical to success in any jobs. Technology changes daily perhaps hourly. A high school diploma is not a key to success. A minimum of a two-year career-oriented education is a must. Even if you want to be a plumber, electrician or another skill trade, two years of college can only help you be entrepreneurial in your business. Never stop learning and finding ways to improve your skills. “Think big all the time and your dreams will come true.” Joe Baglio-Speech and Drama Professor at ACC.