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As a Distributive Education – “vo-tech” – student at Lakeland High School in Shrub Oak, N.Y. during the late 1960s, Vince Orza was discouraged from applying to college. He “wasn’t college material,” according to his school counselor.
Vince Orza
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Armed with his second-generation New York Italian attitude for meeting a challenge, a work ethic instilled by his self-employed father and teachers who believed in him, Orza not only earned a scholarship to Oklahoma City University, he was recently named Dean of the Meinders School of Business at his alma mater.
By the time he turned 25 years of age, Orza had obtained a doctorate of education from the University of Oklahoma.
After college graduation, Orza’s first career path led back to the classroom for 18 years, beginning with Oklahoma’s CareerTech Distributive Education program – now called Marketing Education – at Del City High School. He then became a business professor at Oklahoma City Community College and professor of marketing at the University of Central Oklahoma.
“I wanted to prove my counselor wrong,” Orza said. “She had a poor understanding, like many people both then and now, of what vocational/career education is about. Imagine if I had listened to her. |
“Becoming a teacher was my way of paying back people like Pete Seymour, my high school DE teacher for the guidance, direction and encouragement he and my high school accounting and business law teachers gave me,” Orza said. “I wanted to do for other kids, what Pete had done for me.”
Orza is recognized both state and nationwide as the founder, chairman and CEO of Eateries Inc., an eighteen-state, 60-unit chain of restaurants with 4,000 employees and annual sales of more than $100 million. Eateries establishments include Garfield’s Restaurant & Pub, Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant and the Pepperoni Grill Italian Bistros.
Orza has received many awards including induction into the academic Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and the Oklahoma Commerce and Industry Hall of Honor. He also earned the Restaurant Neighbor Award from Oklahoma Restaurant Association for work in the community and the National Restaurant Association.
This entrepreneur, well-known public speaker and two-time contender in Oklahoma’s gubernatorial race, attributes many of the skills developed through his high school CareerTech program for his current success.
“Through DE – marketing education – I learned how to public speak, make presentations, perform simple math in my head and to think quickly during negotiations,” Orza said. “I also learned about salesmanship, team building and leadership.”
That is why he is being recognized as an Oklahoma CareerTech champion, according to Phil Berkenbile, CareerTech state director. |
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Vince Orza and student Lauren Loruse at 2005 Oklahoma Commerce and Industry Hall of Honor Induction Ceremony. |
“CareerTech Champions are alumni of the system's high school or adult programs and student organizations who credit much of their success to their CareerTech experience,” Berkenbile said.
His skills have paid off in a variety of ways.
“I have been an after-dinner and motivational speaker at conventions in Las Vegas and across the nation for more than 20 years,” Orza said. “I lecture on cruise ships and for nearly 15 years during the 1980s, was the business and economics editor and news anchor on KOCO TV 5 in Oklahoma City. Recently, I returned to television news, providing KWTV TV 9 with business analysis and commentary.”
Orza believes in the CareerTech system and continues to give back to the program that helped launch his future successes – Marketing Education – and its affiliated student organization, DECA.
In the fall of 2006, while serving as interim dean at OCU Meinders Business School, Orza dedicated monies to be used to fund $396,000 worth of scholarships for the top three winners in each of 33 categories for Oklahoma DECA competitive event winners.
“DECA students are goal-oriented, team players, career-focused and in many cases college bound – or should be,” Orza said. “What better formula could there be for inviting them to pursue their dreams at the Meinders School of Business?
“The CareerTech name says it all – a ‘career,’ path or plan – with a method to get there. Whether it’s business, health, mechanical, agricultural or anything else, the work, training, team building and leadership provided by CareerTech are outstanding.” |
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Orza makes a presention to an MBA graduate at the fall commencement activities at the OCU program in Asia. |
To get a jump on the competitive job market, Orza advises young people to do many of the things he learned so many years ago in his high school CareerTech program.
“Get a job . . . any job . . . early,” Orza said. “Learn to work, be on time, and dress properly. Become a leader. Learn to take charge. Be a thoughtfuland cautious risk taker. Earn money. Save and invest money for the future. Try to work with people who are great at what they do. Being in their shadow will help you grow and develop. Learn to deal with failure, which comes with life. Those who can get back up after being knocked down, will succeed in life.”
“Never give up. Tomorrow is another day, and another chance for success.”
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