Lunch and Learn with Larry Mazza

As the Chief Executive Officer and President of MVB financial corp., Larry Mazza visited Fairmont State University and provided students with valuable entrepreneurial advice on February 7, 2019.

In an interview, Larry Mazza provided his professional opinion of how to build a desirable resume. When questioned about the expectations of future applicants, Mazza stated, “We do look at grades,” and, “we will look for internships.” They also look for extracurricular activities and leadership involvement.

According to Mazza, unique entrepreneurial involvement such as the start of a new club at the university can boost your resume. Mazza would like to remind future applicants that the interview is extremely important and the references that one gains are extremely important. Students should be sure to focus on gaining support, confidence and articulation.

Given that MVB Bank is local, Professor James B. Davis traveled to Morgantown, W.Va. and asked one of the area presidents, Herman DeProspero, “if it would be possible, sometime in the future to bring their CEO on campus.” Professor Davis, says he and his colleagues try to as much as possible to bring in local success stories like Mr. Mazza and MVB Bank. This is to show the students that there is business here and there is opportunity here and these opportunities have turned into success stories for many people.

During his presentation, Mazza not only described the large goals of MVB as a corporation, but also the ways in which they keep healthy relationships with their clients. Toward the end of his presentation Mazza reminded the audience that 85% of business is relationship based. To build and keep those relationships he suggests establishing love, trust and commitment. His reminder was important because we often focus too closely on what technology can offer in profit, thus forgetting to give the love, trust and commitment clients deserve.

Many students were curious about how technology has changed banking. Luckily without prior questioning, Mazza put emphasis on the growth of the company by addressing their blue ocean approach to today’s expanding technological market. Since technology has had an impact on the corporation, Mazza suggests taking some classes in coding. These courses are free and can be found online through MOOC. Lastly Mazza would like students to remember to work hard, learn a lot and have fun.

Photo by: Fairmont State University