Alumni Highlights

High-Tech Company in Disguise

Mike LaBaw

Sound Telecom

President

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When the success of a company exceeds the goals of the owner, somebody is doing something right. For Sound Telecom, that person has been Mike LaBaw, Colorado State University College of Business graduate and president of the company headquartered in Seattle, Wash.

Sound Telecom provides call center services to a variety of companies – from a local pest-control company to Boeing. Businesses can employ the company’s answering services, inbound and outbound call services, and unified communications. LaBaw’s original vision was for the company he founded to be the largest answering service company in the Seattle area. Now that Sound Telecom has far surpassed that objective and provides services nationwide, he has his sights set on being the premiere supplier of these services in the nation.

LaBaw travelled a long road before establishing Sound Telecom in 1986. He grew up in Broomfield, Colo., and attended Broomfield High School. He graduated from CSU in 1974 with a degree in accounting. During his time in college, he sold books door-to-door for the Southwestern Company and discovered his love for marketing and sales.

He worked in a variety of fields after graduation. He was a CPA for Grant Thornton, where he was a member of the audit and tax staffs. He also worked for an agricultural processor and a beauty supply distributor and owned a restaurant in Moscow, Idaho. Through his many career ventures, LeBaw has learned the importance of patience. “I earned my master’s degree at the school of hard knocks,” says LaBaw.

But patience is not the only virtue LaBaw has accumulated in his career. LaBaw has learned how to differentiate his company from his competitors, which has allowed his business to grow tremendously. LaBaw discovered that a centralized location in Spokane, Wash., for his company’s call center provides an advantage over companies who decided to purchase other companies and roll them into large, decentralized businesses.

LaBaw also understands the importance of growth. Sound Telecom is looking to expand to new markets, and the company is currently setting up a sales office and bilingual call center in Westminster, Colo., near Denver. LaBaw is proud of the way his 25-year-old company conducts its business and believes the combination of a talented management team, well-trained customer-oriented agents, and state-of-the-art equipment allow it to deliver excellent services at affordable prices.

He describes Sound Telecom as a “high-tech company in disguise.” To provide only a few examples, his call centers are web-enabled, some of their platforms are Cloud-based, and the underlying technology for the operation is actually set up more like a data center rather than a call center. This setup allows for a more robust center, responding 24 hours a day to mission critical items. The center is located in Spokane for a variety of reasons, including the reliable electric grid and inexpensive electricity that the city provides.

Now an established and respected businessman, LaBaw wishes to pass along his knowledge to up-and-coming entrepreneurs. He hopes to have the opportunity to share what it takes to build a business and the importance of marketing. LaBaw also appreciates the opportunity to bring jobs to people – he says it has been and continues to be the primary focus of his career.

“Entrepreneurs make a ton of mistakes,” LaBaw advises. “If your vision is strong enough, you can survive and thrive.”

Goldman Sachs International

Jose Garcia

Investment Banking Division

City Fellowship Programme

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Jose Garcia is working under a one-year contract with Goldman Sachs International in the Investment Banking Division. He is the only Colorado State University alumnus in the program, and he works alongside graduates from Harvard, Oxford, and Wharton, as well as professionals from prestigious organizations such as McKinsey Consulting and Deloitte.

“As a finance major and as someone who had worked in investment banking,” says Garcia, “Goldman is the pinnacle and a dream-come-true.”

However, the road to such an esteemed position was not an easy one. Last year, thousands of applicants, including Garcia, applied for eight positions within Goldman Sachs through a program known as the City Fellowship Programme. This program helps place experienced finance professionals into various divisions within Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, but the competition is fierce.

After submitting a resume, letters of recommendation, transcripts, and an essay, Garcia was selected with approximately 30 other candidates to interview for the positions. Garcia was chosen as one of the top three applicants to interview with various vice presidents within Goldman Sachs. Garcia came out on top, and he was offered the job in London.

Garcia is the first Latino to be invited to work for the investment banking division through the City Fellowship Programme.

“I am representing my wife, my family, Latinos, CSU graduates, College of Business graduates…the list goes on and on,” Garcia says. “I am proud of where I am, and I want to present all these groups well to hopefully open doors for the next person.”

Garcia now works with some of the world’s largest construction companies, airline providers, rail companies, aerospace and defense contractors, and manufacturers from across the world. His performance this year will determine his placement in Goldman Sachs in the future.

The first member of his family to graduate high school, Garcia is proud to say that he struggled his first year in college. At one point, he wasn’t even sure college had been the right decision, but the inspiration of his professors – especially his Latino studies teachers – showed him that he could succeed. He is delighted that he was able to show resiliency and to excel beyond what he imagined by the time he graduated. He credits his inspirational professors, classmates, and fraternity brothers with helping him find great success during his time at Colorado State.

When he was still a finance undergraduate, Garcia left his father speechless after a presentation he gave for his Principles of Investments class. Seeing his son excel at a level that was a first for the Garcia family amazed Garcia’s father and brought him to tears. At a celebration for the newest Goldman Sachs employees, the vice president of investor relations, Dane Holmes, reminded the newest members of the team what an accomplishment it was to be selected. He told them that earning a position at Goldman Sachs is statistically more difficult than getting into Harvard, Stanford, or Wharton. It’s quite the testament to Garcia’s education at CSU for him to penetrate such a competitive company.

Garcia has given talks to finance classes at CSU to help students understand his career in banking, and he remains an advocate for the University. Garcia’s wife, Amy, will be joining him in London shortly and will be working in a consultative sales position for a large technology services company. The couple plans to explore more of Europe when they are reunited.