Be prepared, do the right things, and dream big, Millender tells PTC graduates
“I’ll bet that two out of three of you will be doing something different within 10 years, something you had not planned on doing,” retired Capsugel executive Ron Millender told some 415 new Piedmont Technical College (PTC) graduates at their commencement exercises on May 4, 2023. “Being in the right place at the right time is important, but being prepared is critical. … My whole career has been about being ready for that next opportunity.”
Raised on a rural farm, Millender said that no one in his immediate family had gone to college, and there was not expectation for him to either. Lo and behold, he enrolled at Clemson University, where he earned a degree in mechanical engineering. His first position out of college seemed to lack opportunities, so he interviewed with several companies before arriving where his career was destined to take off.
“The interview at Capsugel was just different,” he said. “I was hired as a process engineer. In fact, I was the first engineer at the Greenwood plant in 10 years.”
Millender noted that many people wait for an opportunity to emerge before they begin getting ready for it. He decided to start preparing on his own before the next opportunity came along. It seems to have worked well. He became plant manager at age 29, vice president of global operations at 41, and vice president and general manager for North and South America by 51. He retired in 2011 at age 57.
Being prepared was only the first part of his advice trilogy. Millender secondly urged graduates to “keep doing the right stuff, and good things will happen. The key is figuring out what the right stuff is!” He admitted this can be challenging at times because everyone has their integrity challenged at some point in their career. Nonetheless, he implored his audience to stay the course and be consistently true to their values.
Thirdly, Millender said, “Let your dreams be bigger than your memories.” He offered The Greenwood Promise last-dollar scholarship program, which he founded and chairs, as a prime example. “The outcome of this dream was too great to let it fade away. So we stayed with it and would not let it die, in spite of all the challenges.”
In addition to Millender, two students also addressed the graduates. Welding major Allysa Hinson of Abbeville was the student speaker for the morning ceremony. The humble single mother of 2-year-old Carter, Hinson has overcome many challenges and is grateful for the support of her family. Childbirth complications seemed to derail her college career just as it was starting, and she needed to take time off to recover. Unable to secure childcare, she was losing hope until night classes provided a way forward.
“Those late nights really paid off, as it did for all of us,” she said. I was able to secure new scholarships and attend classes, all while maintaining the role of mother at home. With instructors helping me in my courses and my family watching my son, I was blessed.”
Nursing major Brad Garner of Simpsonville spoke during the afternoon ceremony. He served his country as a soldier and his community as a law enforcement officer before — in his 30s — he again altered his career path. After losing his mother to ovarian cancer, he never forgot the compassionate and expert care she received from her nurses. The nursing profession soon became a calling.
“My mother always shared little phrases of wisdom with me that I still think of daily,” he said. “Phrases like ‘Good things come to those who wait’ and ‘Don’t put all your eggs in one basket’ come to mind.”
During the Covid quarantine, Garner used some of his down time on self-reflection.
“I brainstormed and researched various careers that I thought I would be interested in, and I kept coming back to nursing,” he said. “I thought back to all the positive encounters I had with nurses over the years, especially throughout my mother’s battle with cancer. … I thought, what better career to choose than the most trusted one!”
Garner currently works as an operating room technician at Self Regional Healthcare and — and as a newly minted RN — will be transferring to the hospital’s Cardiac ICU. He said it has been a remarkable journey, with his instructors and classmates providing ample encouragement.
“All the instructors have been very caring and engaged, because they are nurses themselves,” he said. “What has been most inspiring to me are all my fellow nursing students. Every time I would start to feel sorry for myself or overwhelmed, I would think of the mothers in my class who had to do the hardest job of all. … I’ve seen a student with a child fighting cancer. I’ve seen a study become a mother. All the while, they all found time to study or make it to exams and clinical assignments on time. I have all of them to thank.”
Hinson summarized the PTC experience well.
“My story is just one of many,” Hinson noted. “If there’s one thing I have learned, it’s that Piedmont Tech will do their best to help every single one of us equally, regardless of who we are or where we come from. Piedmont is more than a school. It is a family, a family that cares.”
To learn more about opportunities at PTC, visit www.ptc.edu.
PHOTOS:
• Ron Millender
• Graduates make their way to the Medford Center for commencement activities.
• Allysa Hinson addresses her fellow graduates.
• Student speaker Brad Garner urges his fellow graduates 'Don't stop believing.'
• Graduates adjust their caps and regalia before the ceremony.
• A new graduate tosses her cap in celebration.
• Associate Dean for Advising Services Carol Paguntalan provides pre-ceremony instruction to the graduates.