Nearly 30 Penn State Smeal College of Business students spent last weekend at Pocono Raceway, but their visit was as much about the business of racing as it was about the sport of racing.
Penn State’s emerging partnership with Axalta Coating Systems, a Philadelphia-based manufacturer of liquid and powder coatings as well as a sponsor of NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon, allowed those Smeal students, as well as students from the Colleges of Engineering and Communications at Penn State, to get behind-the-scenes access to a race.
The Axalta “We Paint Winners” 400 featured Gordon’s No. 24 Chevrolet SS car with a special Penn State paint scheme. Penn State unveiled the partnership, as well as Gordon’s PSU paint scheme, at the Business Building on the University Park campus on April 14.
At Pocono, the students toured pit road and other areas of the race track, interacted with Axalta employees and executives, listened to talks from Gordon and fellow driver Danica Patrick, and watched two races.
“We spent most of our time mingling with Axalta employees while touring various parts of the track,” said Marc Signorello, a sophomore accounting major. “In addition, we had a panel discussion with two executives and the president of the Pocono racetrack. We discussed topics such as sustainability, profitability, global reach, and economic impacts.”
Tony Bae, a sophomore in the Division of Undergraduate Studies who intends to major in business, said it was an opportunity to apply lessons learned in the classroom to real-life situations.
“In school we learn abstract things like leadership, collaboration, open communication,” Bae said. “This was our opportunity to not only gain insights but also apply what we’ve learned.”
The partnership between Penn State and Axalta is a means to drive awareness and support for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and business education. It will also provide an opportunity for Penn State students to forge relationships with Axalta, perhaps leading to employment.
“As a business student, I would be eager and excited to work for Axalta,” Signorello said. “Based off of this weekend, there seems to be a fantastic corporate culture and I think I would fit in well. Not to mention (Axalta) is a major sponsor of my favorite NASCAR driver.”