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Small Business Breakthroughs with Dr. Thomas E. Becker
Join the Ohio Small Business Development Center at Columbus State Community College for a live podcast-style discussion designed to dig into the topics that are impacting your business and keeping you up at night.
If you’re a small business owner who isn’t an HR expert and doesn’t have hours to spend on hiring and employee issues, this session is for you.
Hiring the wrong person can be far more painful and expensive for a small business than for a large corporation. One bad hire can drain your time, money, and energy — resources you can’t afford to lose. Yet most small business owners are forced to handle recruiting, interviewing, and training without formal HR support.
In this practical, podcast-style discussion, Dr. Thomas Becker will share straightforward, no-nonsense strategies to help you:
- Recruit better candidates without wasting time
- Make smarter hiring decisions
- Train and onboard new team members quickly and effectively
- Build a stronger, more reliable team — even if HR isn’t your specialty
Featured Guest Dr. Thomas Becker is Professor Emeritus of Management at the University of South Florida’s Muma College of Business. He holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from The Ohio State University.
With decades of experience consulting with both Fortune 500 companies and small businesses, Tom specializes in employee attitudes, job performance, change management, and engagement. He is the author of The No-Nonsense HR Playbook.
This live recording will connect real-world experience with practical SBDC resources, giving you simple, actionable takeaways you can start using right away — without turning HR into a full-time job.
Space is limited. Register today to reserve your spot and receive the Zoom link.
We look forward to having you join us!
Guest: Dr. Thomas E. Becker, Author, The No-Nonsense HR Playbook
Thomas E. Becker is Professor Emeritus of Management at the University of South Florida’s Muma College of Business. He previously served as Interim Dean of the College of Business at USF’s Sarasota-Manatee campus and as Chair of the Department of Business Administration at the University of Delaware.
Tom earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from The Ohio State University and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of South Florida. His research focuses on employee commitment, integrity, and organizational resilience. He has authored articles in top journals including the Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Applied Psychology, and Organizational Research Methods. His work has been cited over 20,000 times and he was included on the Ioannidis list of the top 2% of scientists worldwide.
Tom has received multiple honors for research and teaching, including best paper awards from the Journal of Organizational Behavior and Organizational Research Methods, the USF Excellence in Research Award, and teaching awards from the University of Delaware. He is a Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and the Association for Psychological Science.
Internationally, he was appointed Belgian International Francqui Chair in the Human Sciences at the Université Catholique de Louvain and held a German Science Foundation Mercator Fellowship at Goethe University in Frankfurt.
In addition to his academic career, Tom has consulted with Fortune 500 companies and small businesses on employee attitudes, job performance, change management, and employee engagement. He has also contributed to professional service as an editorial board member, reviewer, and conference organizer.
Tom has taught undergraduate, MBA, and doctoral courses in organizational behavior, leadership, and strategic human resource management, and has served in numerous faculty leadership roles supporting accreditation, curriculum development, and faculty governance.
Host: Michael Bowers, CBA – Director, Ohio SBDC at Columbus State Community College
Michael Bowers is a Business Advisor and Director for the Ohio Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Columbus State Community College. The primary focus of the SBDC is to support prospective and existing entrepreneurs as they seek to start and grow businesses in Central Ohio.
Michael holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Finance from the University of North Alabama and a Master’s in Public Administration from The Ohio State University. Michael is currently pursuing a Doctoral degree in Public Administration from Liberty University.
Michael has worked with entrepreneurs and small business owners for over 30 years, 20 of which have been in Columbus leading the SBDC. He has a diverse business skill set with experience in banking, private equity, strategic planning, leadership, and public sector management.
Michael is the lead instructor for the Basis of A Successful Enterprise (B.A.S.E) business startup training, as well as the host of the Small Business Breakthroughs YouTube series.