Samuel Blum ’13 is one lucky dog. He’s hitting the road this year as one of 12 Oscar Mayer Hotdoggers, driving the company’s iconic Wienermobile from sea to shining sea. 

The Cupid’s Cup business competition this year expanded beyond the university to award cash prizes to the most promising entrepreneurs in the country. But the April 5 competition, sponsored by Under Armour founder and CEO Kevin Plank ’96 and hosted by Smith’s Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship, found its top winner close to home.

Between baseball games, wine tastings, panel discussions and speaker events — all great networking opportunities — being a member of the Smith alumni community provides exciting connections.  Wherever you are in the world, chances are there’s a Smith alum nearby. Take advantage of this growing network by joining an alumni club today. 

Nigerian-born Mondiu Ladejobi, EMBA ’13, found using wire transfers to send money home inconvenient and plagued by poor service. Ladejobi used his time in Smith’s EMBA program to launch Payvius, an international money transfer service that uses mobile and cloud technology. Ladejobi is focused on rolling out Payvius to serve the Sub-Saharan Africa market first. His goal is to help migrants and immigrants in the United States save on the cost of sending money home. 

’50s David Reznick ’59 received the Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers Lifetime Achievement Award. ’60s Donald Linton ’60 was named a master entrepreneur. ’70s Howard Bomstein ’70 was appointed executive marketing director of the Washington Times. Jon Colin ’78 was appointed interim chief executive officer at EQM Technologies & Energy, Inc.

Six Tips to Help Get What You Want Negotiation is crucial for your career. Wages and promotions aren’t like grades awarded on merit. If you want a raise, you have to persuade someone to give it to you.

Fede Garcia-Lopez (Smith MBA 2003; Engineering 1998) came up with the idea for Panas Gourmet Empanadas during an entrepreneurship class while in the part-time MBA program at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business. It started as a wholesale business and in 2010 he opened restaurants in Dupont Circle and Bethesda.

Every five years, the University of Maryland Alumni Association honors and celebrates notable achievements of 21 outstanding individuals who have made their mark on the university and/or within their respective industry. The 12th Annual Awards Gala, a prestigious, black-tie event held at the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center on April 14, 2012, recognized five Smith alumni for their professional achievements, personal accomplishments and exceptional service to the university.

Frank Islam, a member of the Smith School Board of Advisors, is the chairman/CEO of FI Investment Group LLC (FIIG), which focuses on providing growth capital to emerging companies, and managing specialized and branded funds. In addition to his volunteer work with the Smith School, Islam serves on the International Advisory Council of the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) National Advisory Board, the advisory committee of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, and the Department of Commerce Industry Trade Advisory Committee (ITAC).

When Christos Marafatsos ’09 and longtime friend Kosta Dionisopoulos started Delta Produce in 2009, they never dreamed that only two years later their business would be featured in Bloomberg BusinessWeek as part of an entrepreneurial contest.