NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State University’s School of Business will host the 53rd annual J. Walter Porter Forum Thursday, Oct. 17.  This year’s theme is “Growing Businesses while Sustaining the Environment.”

 

The forum will begin with a welcome and introduction at 9:40 a.m. in Russell Hall Room 107.  Speakers will be Kevin Guith and Whit Rankin.

 

Guth is principal for KGC, overseeing all aspects of business and technical operations.  For the past 26 years, he has provided senior oversight and management of KGC’s most complex industrial hygiene and hazardous waste management projects.  Guth holds a Master of Science degree in public health (industrial hygiene) from Tulane University and is currently pursuing his doctorate in public health with emphasis in assessing chemical toxicity and public health risks.  He is a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) and certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

 

Rankin is a professional civil engineer with over 16 years of experience in structural design, geotechnical design and heavy construction processes.  He is the principal for Rankin, LLC Consulting Engineers and serves as the engineer of record for the firm.  Since its creation in 2014, Rankin LLC has participated in many structural and geotechnical design projects ranging from commercial buildings, roads and bridges, bulkheads and construction processes along the Gulf Coast.  Many projects include environmental containment system design for cleaning and painting steel structures.  Rankin has a B.S. in civil engineering from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette and is currently licensed in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas.

 

The J. Walter Porter Forum is sponsored annually through NSU’s School of Business.  The forum is made possible by the endowment established by the family and friends of the late J. Walter Porter in recognition of his interest in improving the image of business as a career field for college students and of his concern for moral and ethical standards as expressed in his philosophy of business. The forum is an effort to translate the textbook into practice by bringing capable, successful business executives to the campus to speak on selected topics in their area of expertise.

 

The Porter Forum is free and open to the public.  For more Information, contact Dr. Margaret Kilcoyne, dean of the College of Business and Technology, at kilcoyne@nsula.edu.