Monmouth University’s Alumni in Management (AIM), a Zoom series that features alumni who educate undergraduates about the real business world, hosted its first Zoom call on Wednesday, Sept. 22. Organized by Joe Palazzolo, Ed.D., Instructor in the Management and Leadership department within the Leon Hess Business School, the goal is to bring experience from emergent leaders into the classroom.
The first call featured Louis Marinos, owner of the transportation and logistics company Tri-State Express. Marinos graduated from Monmouth University in 2014 and was a member of Sigma Pi Fraternity on-campus. As a first-generation student whose family immigrated from Peru, Marinos’s parents motivated him to be a diligent student and find a fulfilling career path.
Marinos entered college with a major in software engineering. He realized it was not for him, and switched to business management with a minor in Information Technology after many conversations with his parents. He said, “I feel like any kid wants to make their parents proud. That is kind of what guided my choice in my major.”
Upon graduation, Marinos got a job as an IT Helpdesk Technician. He held that title for one year before he decided to leave. Marinos never got the fulfillment he needed at that job because he felt like he, “could be doing more.” Around that time, Marinos’s father was starting his own trucking company that transports waste around the Tri-State area. Marinos joined his father and never looked back.
Marinos learned a lot from his father and other managers at the trucking company, as he constantly asked questions no matter how naive they sounded in his head. “You want to embrace your position and learn as much as possible,” he said.
One of the hardest aspects to learn was the “lingo” of the trucking industry. To sound professional and knowledgeable, he said that an employee should learn the correct terminology of his industry. Marinos often had to miss nights out with his friends to learn and help his dad build the company.
After a few years, Marinos gained enough experience to open his own trucking company called Tri-State Express. “If you own your own company, it becomes a 24/7 job,” he said. “You’re constantly on call.” Marinos has trucks on the road all hours of the day, so he must be ready to aid an employee that calls for help. He usually gets his first call around 7 a.m., and he facilitates where each truck is going for the day. The rest of his day is filled with data entries, in-voices, ordering truck parts, truck maintenance, and looking at different routes and future opportunities to expand.
Marinos gave advice to the undergraduate students in the Zoom call. He stressed the importance of internships, as they allow students to gain experience in a potential career path. “You don’t have to love what you do, but try to enjoy what you do,” he said. “Take in as much as you can and appreciate the time you have there.”
The next AIM series event is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 20 with Paul Salvesen. Students will be receiving the Zoom information via email before the event.
