John Spittell

Professor and Chair of Business and Management, Executive-in-Residence

Professional Interests
After careers in commercial lending and distribution, John Spittell came to Knox shortly after the sale of his business interests, a regional beverage distributorship, United Distributors, Inc. where he was a co-owner.

During his career, Spittell found success as a commercial lender, but soon saw the challenge and excitement of running his own businesses. As an owner/manager, Spittell believes it's important to take a "holistic approach to management," by learning all he can about customers, key operations, and enabling employees to succeed. This managerial skill has served him well. Over his career he has successfully navigated several mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and partner buyouts.

Education
B.A., 1972, Ripon College
M.B.A., 1974, Northwestern University Kellogg Graduate School of Management

Teaching Interests
He combines his wide experience in the business world with a healthy dose of the liberal arts philosophy.
At Knox, he brings that philosophy and energy to his teaching. "For every topic in my classes, I have personal experience that brings the subject to life." To augment classes, Spittell uses a case study approach wherein students are introduced to the reality of decision making including incomplete information, time constraints, and conflicting goals.
Spittell has been able to leverage his relationships in the business world to bring true business leaders to his classroom. Examples include:

• Ron Rubin, owner of the Republic of Tea, lectured on entrepreneurialism
• Devin Long, A.C. Nielsen lectured on marketing research
• Lee Dolan, Chief Marketing Officer of Molson Coors, lectured on current practices in marketing
• Michael Burns, CEO of the Alaska Permanent Fund, lectured on investment strategies in the world of sovereign funds
• Kevin Willer, Head of Central Region Development for Google, lectured on corporate growth, strategy, and corporate culture

Spittell, who describes himself as in his "third career," sees his teaching as preparing and enabling students to be successful when they step off the college campus. "Business changes and evolves every day," Spittell notes, "Students need to acquire the proper skill sets required to meet the many and varied challenges they will face in life. A solid liberal arts education provides the best educational platform for any chosen course in life."

Contact
309-341-7309
jspittel@knox.edu