Page 1 - Gamma Tauk - Spring 2014

Georgia Institute of Technology | Gamma Tau Fiji Graduate Association | Alumni Offce | P.O. Box 80828 | Atlanta, Georgia 30366 | www.GTFijiGrads.com | Spring 2014 A Message from the Editor’s Note: For this issue of the newsletter we’re shining the House Corporation Spotlight on Brother Paul Raines ’85. Paul is the Chief Executive Offcer of GameStop Corporation, a global retailer in the video game President industry. Our keynote speaker at the 88th Annual Pig Dinner in March, Paul’s story is both inspiring and impactful, and we are very honored Brothers, to have had him as our speaker. Paul moved to Atlanta when he was young, but had the opportunity to spend every summer in his hometown ’m happy to report of San Jose, Costa Rica. He enjoyed surfng and spending time with his grandmother. His relationship with the Latin community continues I that our brand new today through his travels, charity, leadership, and with a scholarship chapter house is serving opportunity at Georgia Tech. His leadership has been recognized us well. From the usual nationaly, and he was named one of the 100 Most Infuential Latinos. undergraduate events, to At Tech, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Industrial and hosting special graduate Systems Engineering. After working with Home Depot for eight years functions like the in various management positions in retail operations, he worked as Norris Pig Dinner, our Executive Vice President for U.S. stores and President of the Southern brothers have been able to host exceptional Division for the Atlanta-based company. Prior to Home Depot, he Phi Gamma Delta experiences in the new spent four years in global sourcing for L.L. Bean and 10 years with Landon-Nelson Hall. In that direction, I’d Kurt Salmon Associates in their consumer products group. Currently also like to mention that the chapter has done residing in Dallas, TX, he and his wife enjoy travel to her hometown in an excellent job of caring for the new house. Chile, visiting Gamestop countries, golf, running, GA Tech football and From the day the building inspector allowed tailgates with his buddies from Gamma Tau. With a daughter at Tech us to occupy the building, the undergraduate and a son in 10th grade, Paul will surely leave a proud legacy. brothers have been working closely with the House Corporation to ensure that Landon- alumni Nelson Hall is being well maintained and its J. Paul Raines ’85 systems working properly. spotlight So far this year, the House Corporation has overseen several updates and improvements to the house. We added an air conditioning How did your family play a role in your education? of lessons as Gamma Tauk editor, Rush Chairman, unit to the frst foor computer study room My parents had great faith in education and and Chapter President. and had the lack of water pressure on the instilled that value in me early on Although third foor corrected. We hired a lawn neither had attended college, they were great fans At Home Depot, how did you interact with the care service to take care of the grounds, a of engineering and business. They did not know community when opening new locations? cleaning service to maintain the common much about Georgia Tech but it seemed to them Home Depot does a great job of including the rooms of the building, and maintenance like the right kind of an education to prepare you community in their grand openings, with local agreements covering our major building high school bands and charities participating in the systems. The Building Committee did a for a solid career and they encouraged me to apply. stores openings. Bernie Marcus taught me how to superb job of overseeing the construction of Do you stay in touch with any of the Gamma Tau manage one store at a time. an energy effcient structure and operating guys today? systems to signifcantly reduce utility I try to stay in touch with as many of my GT What’s the best advice you have received over costs. We are also pleased the chapter, brothers as possible. I still tailgate with JD Hamil the years? with our encouragement, has hired a food ’81, Sandy Stephens ’87, Barry Lee Whitton “Make people around you successful,” “Reinvent service operator to eliminate the fnancial yourself every two years,” and “Develop a risk of operating the kitchen. Our fnancial ’86, Allen Stanley ’85, Steve Kendrick ’88, and reputation for excellence.” condition is currently excellent and stable. their families. Thank you again for your support of the After graduation, why did you choose to go into How does being a “hands on” guy help out with building campaign. The new chapter house consulting? business? continues to rejuvenate the brotherhood. I I actually went to work for Frito-Lay as a process I think that when your colleagues see that you know I can speak for the many volunteer engineer after graduation and then switched over are into the details and willing to do the work, it graduate brothers in saying we are excited to develops trust and allows for faster velocity and continue the momentum the campaign has to consulting about a year and a half later. Kurt better decision making. begun. It is our goal to continually improve, Salmon Associates had recruited me at Tech, build on our recent successes, and inspire and they kept calling, so I took them up on the How does GameStop stay fexible in the industry greater graduate collaboration. opportunity to go into consulting. with the constant changes and upgrades in Fraternally, When did you realize your potential for technology? leadership? Simply put, I would say that we maintain an internal rate of change that is greater than the My honest answer is that I never expected to be environment around us. That is often easier said Gamma Tau, Inc ΦΓΔ in a leadership role and sometimes you just fnd than done! Raines (Continued on Page 4) Marc D. Perla ’92 that if you do a good job, your job usually gets President bigger. Certainly, 841 Fowler Street taught me lots