fall 2004 backup 0815 205pm - Austin Peay State University

fall 2005 9/19/05 11:02 AM Page 13
Jeff Stec Dr. Ronald Miller Dr. Carla Nester
For 23 years, from 1965-87, he advanced
up the ranks in store management. Beginning
with J C Penney Co., he started in sales. After
going through the company’s Management
Training Program, Ellis ultimately became an
area manager. He left JC Penney to become
area manager for Venture Stores and later was
district manager for Zayre Stores.
He ended his retail career with Target Stores.
As regional merchandiser for Target, he was
responsible for soft-lines and home merchandising
in 32 stores with $88 million in sales.
In 1987, he entered the consulting and liquidation
field. His first job was during the
Federated Stores breakup, during which he
supervised 10 stores and $44 million in sales
over a 12-week period for Nassi Bernstein
Inc. Over the next 15 years, he was involved
in nationwide liquidations of many major
stores, including Montgomery Ward and
Heilig-Meyers. In 2004, he retired from fulltime
liquidations to focus on consulting and
investments. In August 2001, he and his wife
started Austin Peay Express, an online company
that sold APSU memorabilia.
Whether on the basketball court or in his
far-reaching retail career, Ellis towered over
the competition, becoming a leader and a
teacher, in his own way, for those with whom
he worked.
In 1990, his contributions to APSU athletics
were recognized by his induction into the
APSU Athletic Hall of Fame. He is a member
of the Governors Club Marketing Committee,
which is working to encourage the city businesses
to show their pride in APSU. He continues
to raise money for the Dave Aaron
Scholarship Endowment and is a member of
the APSU Tower Club.
Ellis’ leadership skills have been revealed
repeatedly in his service on the Governors
Club Board of Directors, APSU Foundation
Board of Trustees and the APSU Capital
Campaign Steering Committee.
Ellis and his wife, Sallie, have four grown
children.
2005 Outstanding Young
Alumna Award
Lucy Ann Gossett (’92)
After three years of working shoulder-toshoulder
with the team, Lucy Ann Gossett is
just one of the guys.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in mass
communication from APSU, she worked two
years for Opryland USA, setting up and coordinating
meeting functions for the various
park directors, as well as assisting park
celebrities with events.
In 1994, she left Nashville for Tampa, Fla.,
where she had been hired by Brinker
International as a corporate trainer, responsible
for traveling to various locations to train
staff for Chili’s Grill & Bar.
It was in Tampa that her career path veered
into athletics. In 1996, she accepted a position
with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, working as
a press box staff member. Her duties included
writing employee guidelines for press box
operations and setting up their distribution to
the national and local media. She also ran the
stats for the coaches and the media, gaining
new and valuable skills.
She was promoted in 1998, becoming a
human resources administrator for the
Buccaneers and, again, expanding her knowledge
of behind-the-scenes operations with a
professional sports team. Part of her work
involved assisting the coaches and players
with planning community and charity
events—an aspect of the job that gave her an
opportunity to interact with the team.
As a result, she was hired as a coaching
assistant for the Indianapolis Colts in 2002.
Her duties include assisting the head coach
and the coaching staff with daily scripts, playbooks
and scouting reports, scheduling visiting
coaches for clinics, planning and scheduling
events for the football staff and working
with the Indianapolis Colts Women’s
Organization in planning community and
charity events.
Austin Peay/Fall 2005
2005 Outstanding Young
Alumnus Award
Jeff Stec (’94)
Originally from Chicago, Jeff Stec,
Charlotte, N.C., has been busy launching
high-quality organizations since graduating
from APSU.
He’s also been busy accepting awards for
his achievements. In 2005, Stec was chosen
to receive North Carolina’s Outstanding
Business Achievement Award. That same
year, he was named Entrepreneur of the Year.
This year, he was honored as the owner of
one of the Top 25 Fitness Chains in the
World.
Stec, a star on APSU’s football field, also
excelled in the classroom, earning two bachelor’s
degrees—in exercise science and in
business management. They provided a perfect
foundation for his entrepreneurial enterprises.
After graduation, he was director of membership
and sales for the corporate division of
Gold’s Gym, Clarksville. In 1995, he moved
to North Carolina to become the regional club
director for the Chapel Hill/Durham area—a
move that would pique another interest—
NASCAR racing.
In North Carolina, Stec moved up the ranks,
becoming a managing partner and regional
club director for a Gold’s Gym in Raleigh.
With great enthusiasm and a vision that
included building his own facility, Stec eyed
the Charlotte market as a possible location.
In 1999, he opened the first Peak Fitness
Center in Charlotte. The business has grown
rapidly in six years. He now owns 15 Peak
Fitness Centers in North Carolina and South
Carolina and has plans to launch a national
franchise in the near future.
As if the rapid expansion of Peak Fitness
Centers weren’t enough, Stec decided to enter
the world of NASCAR racing, the No. 1 sport
in America today.
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