UTC’s Richard Becherer has become an international ambassador for Chattanooga’s entrepreneurial spirit.

Dr. Becherer’s experience as an entrepreneur and as Clarence E. Harris Chair of Excellence in Business and Entrepreneurship at the university led to Becherer’s selection as the Fulbright-Kathryn and Craig Hall Distinguished Chair for Entrepreneurship in Central Europe. He was assigned to the Czech Republic to teach in spring 2008. The Fulbright-Hall Distinguished Chair is designed to address a broad spectrum of principle and regional issues related to entrepreneurship.

“Dr. Becherer’s award is considered a high honor reserved for those with the most prominent records of scholarly accomplishment,” says Dr. Richard Casavant, Dean of the UTC College of Business. “The Fulbright Scholars program may make 1,000 grants each year, but fewer than 40 scholars receive a distinguished chair. He has been a true ambassador for the U.S. academic community and UTC’s College of Business.”

At the Czech University of Life Sciences (formerly Czech University of Agriculture), Becherer taught an entrepreneurship course to 42 diverse MBA students from ten different European Union countries. Engaging the students with lecture, discussion, and applied learning, Becherer said the classes were conducted in English, which the students understood quite well.

Becherer discovered a beer brewing major on the campus which functions as part of the Engineering/Technical program. “Periodically tours are run, and they supply all the beer to the four pubs on campus,” he adds.

At the Prague University of Economics, Becherer used a team teaching approach in an Entrepreneurship class for international MBA students.

“These students were similarly diverse, but the university has a broader reach, with additional students from Denmark, Norway, and New Zealand. These students were a little more intense, as they are not really in an exchange program. They were part of an International MBA program, where, as part of the required coursework, they attend universities in several countries. Some of my students studied in Spain or England in fall semester 2007,” Becherer says.

Additionally, Becherer worked with a Czech professor on entrepreneurship cases. They interviewed entrepreneurs to construct case scenarios, which will be used as teaching aids about Czech companies.

Curriculum development for future entrepreneurs abroad grew from Becherer’s experience in the UTC College of Business. The college developed a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Entrepreneurship and established the Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame.

When Becherer teaches students about entrepreneurship, he understands first hand the joys and pitfalls of starting a business. He helped launch one of the nation’s first for-profit health maintenance organizations in 1978, which later went public and was recognized by Inc. magazine as the nation’s seventh-fastest growing small public company.

One of Becherer’s outstanding students wrapped up his education in the UTC College of Business while Becherer stayed busy in the Czech Republic. Triple major Pierre Dabit graduated in May 2008 with degrees in marketing, management, and entrepreneurship.

Nearly every member of Dabit’s family owns a clothing store, and he is no exception. While he took a full load of classes, he ran Giorgio Men’s Warehouse, located at 704 Market Street in downtown Chattanooga.

Dabit stresses the importance of learning from a self-starting businessman like Becherer, who was his professor in an upper-level entrepreneurship class. Becherer invited Dabit’s class to explore the lifestyle of the entrepreneur, where they identified actual business opportunities, and then students evaluated them with group feasibility
projects.

“I learned specifically from Dr. Becherer’s class that only the minimum is necessary to run the business,” Dabit says. “He taught us the concept of ’Bootstrapping,’ meaning that when a business is first starting, only focus on the bare essentials to run the business. Another concept I learned from Dr. Becherer was that to be a successful entrepreneur, you have to be willing to take a risk and be confident. He taught us that there is no opportunity to grow by being content and being risk adverse. However he taught us that risks shouldn’t be a gamble. He taught us that every decision needs to be well thought out and researched.”

Armed with the tools provided by Becherer’s entrepreneurship class and considering a bit of risk-taking himself, Dabit confides his plans for the future.

“I plan on expanding by opening other retail locations in the city at first, but then move throughout the South,” Dabit says. “I also am looking into opening up other types of clothing stores such as casual clothing and urban fashion clothing. I am really interested and have worked closely with a manufacturer to design and produce clothing such as suits and specialty dress shirts for my family’s clothing stores. Manufacturing is the area I am most interested in.”

Dabit’s hard work paid off when he was recognized as one of nine John C. Stophel Distinguished Students at the College’s Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel Student Recognition Banquet. The awards are presented annually to recognize students who show promise and have made significant and meaningful civic contributions to UTC and the College of Business while maintaining a strong academic record.

Dabit’s inspiration to achieve in the business world comes from many sources, but one source is undoubtedly the Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame housed at the UTC College of Business. Becherer and a group of business leaders established this tribute to the entrepreneurial heritage of Chattanooga. Each year, new inductees are honored, and their pictures are permanently hung on the third floor of the College of Business for students to see.

As Becherer again walks the hallways of the UTC College of Business and readjusts to the American lifestyle, he believes his experience abroad may affect him in ways he and his wife Pat had not anticipated.

“We have learned to live with less, and we appreciate taking a break to enjoy an espresso in the middle of the day or not always trying to multitask,” Becherer says. “We have found that most Europeans actually like Americans. They just think we want to do everything fast and as easily as possible. They often laugh and wonder why we don’t smell the flowers along the way and enjoy the moment a little more. Perhaps I have lost my multitasking skills while I was there. It is probably a good thing.”