Name: Alexander Ronzino
Year: Senior
Major: Finance
Hometown: Windemere, Florida
Relationship Status: In a relationship
Her Campus (HC): How did you first come up with the idea for PowerHour?
Alexander Ronzino (AR): PowerHour started at the end of spring ’14. I had been bartending at Potbelly’s for awhile and noticed Tuesdays had consistently been our slowest day. After management tried a few ideas to try to increase attendance, I thought it might be fun to give it a shot. So I teamed up with Merrick Stoller, another bartender at Pots, and we decided to start up a promotion company. In the beginning we didn’t really take it seriously – we saw it more as something to do on the side, make a little extra cash and bartend a few more nights a week. After hiring some promoters, DJs and working with the venue and a bus company, we had our opening night – it was huge. We opened the first Tuesday of Summer C (the last six-week summer session at FSU) and we realized the potential of what we created was much larger than we had ever imagined. Weekly attendance was over 1,000 people and we were making enough money that we knew we should take it seriously. After Summer C we continued to grow PowerHour through the fall. In spring ’15 we expanded to promoting Tabu Fridays which was another night that had been historically slow. Again we saw the night take off and become a success.
Courtesy: Alexander Ronzino
PowerHour Tuesdays at Pots quickly saw a rise in popularity, as the event hosted an average weekly attendance of over 1,000 of FSU’s students. Even celebrities passing through such as Sammy and Thad from the popular TV series Blue Mountain State paid them a visit.
HC: Tell us about your summer internship out in Las Vegas, Nevada.
AR: Our Las Vegas internship was an incredible opportunity that I’ll never forget. It all started in fall ’14 when two reps from JusCollege, a collegiate travel and entertainment company based out of Las Vegas, came to Florida State trying to expand into the southeastern market. As Vice President of my fraternity, they contacted me and requested I meet with them to discuss our plans for formal. The meeting went well and I told them a little about PowerHour and what we do. We formed a partnership and we began assisting their expansion to the Florida State campus utilizing our promoters and connections. In December ’14 I got the chance to fly out to Las Vegas and meet with the CEO and the whole JusCollege team. Instantly I saw a strong connection with the leadership there and their vision for their company. At the time I was still heavily involved in PowerHour and left Vegas not really knowing what the future held. During early spring ’15 the CEO, Andrew, paid PowerHour a visit and I got the chance to show him what I’d been working on and the business I built. Eventually both Merrick and I were invited to come to Las Vegas in the summer to get a chance to work with the JusCollege team and really learn about their company and vision.
Courtesy: Alexander Ronzino
Before running companies, flying across the country and expanding JusCollege to the southeast, Alexander served as VP of Sigma Phi Epsilon where he excelled in philanthropic endeavors on the chapter’s behalf, raising over 120K for various charities most notably for the Collegiate Veterans Association.
HC: What did your normal 9-5 day look like?
AR: Our 9-5 or 9-6 days in Vegas were the most exciting and fun work days you can imagine. JusCollege has adopted a new-age corporate mindset that allows them to be a strong, competitive and expansive company without forgetting the benefits of a comfortable and relaxed work environment. I was working closely with management on the best strategies for expanding into the new region of the U.S. and discussing ways to overcome hurdles all while being contrasted by ping pong matches with the CEO (who is questionably good). The tone of “work” over the summer matched exactly the philosophy I embraced at PowerHour. Work was serious, and if we do something, we need to make sure it’s the best, but always love what you’re doing and have a blast doing it. Taking that same mindset and applying to not a few thousand clients (like we were used to) but instead to a few hundred thousand was a transition that felt natural.
Courtesy: Alexander Ronzino
Working in Las Vegas and coming up with plans for market expansion wasn’t without its perks. Besides a busy 9-6, Alexander got the chance to drive exotic cars in his spare time.
HC: How have these incredible experiences changed your life?
AR: I very much consider the experience of the past two years to be a defining moment in my life and a big part of becoming the man I am today. Before JusCollege and PowerHour, I was just a bartender and student at Florida State. I didn’t come from money nor was I the valedictorian of my high school, but through my own determination I’ve managed to achieve great personal ambitions while having an amazing time doing it. This experience changed my life because it showed me that my personal happiness won’t be defined by the degree I get at FSU or the 9-5 entry level finance job that could be mine upon graduation. My happiness is going after the over-reaching dreams that waver between the lines of improbable and impractical – the dreams that are only possible when you’re willing to create the reality needed for your own success and view hard work as the foundation for everything. These experiences have helped shed some more light on who I am and furthered me along in my quest for personal development.
Courtesy: Alexander Ronzino
Alexander balances being a full-time student, having a promotion company, traveling and managing a successful company. When asked how he handles everything he simply replied, “Everything’s more fun when you do it in a suit.”