Students, Port of Subs each learn from campus store

When John Larsen, the founder of Reno's Port of Subs, started thinking about a partnership with the University of Nevada, Reno, he figured the sandwich-shop chain had something to teach business students.

It turns out they had something to teach Port of Subs, too.

The booming restaurant, which opened a year ago in the Joe Crowley Student Union, provides hands-on training to UNR business students.

"Students in two courses, one a traditional classroom course and the other a hands-on internship course, use the Port of Subs business venture to learn business management skills," says Sam Males, state director of the Nevada Small Business Development Center at the university.

The students who are working as interns at the restaurant share their hands-on experiences with the classroom students who, in turn, offer solutions to challenges the interns are facing.

And from that, Port of Subs is getting a fresh look at its business from students who don't have preconceived notions about what will work in the business, says President Mike Powell.

"Port of Subs has the opportunity to learn as well," says Powell.

Males says, for instance, student interns worked with the Port of Subs corporate team to find ways to reduce the time necessary to process customer orders.

The partnership has worked so well, in fact, that the program received top honors in an "Excellence in Partnership Development" competition sponsored by the University Economic Development Association. That's a national group that seeks to create ties between higher education and economic development partners.

It's been a winning deal, too, for Port of Subs.

The company owned store posted the highest opening-week sales of any of Port of Subs' 158 franchised and company-owned locations. Monthly sales are running double the initial projections.

Those sales volumes required the addition of a second full-service line within 30 days after the location opened, Powell says. That boosted the company's investment in the location by about 25 percent over what it puts into a typical location.

Another challenge, he says, has been staffing to meet the extreme fluctuations in customer volumes caused by the schedule of the academic year.

"Our staffing and training and needs vary widely depending on the time of the year," Powell says. "There are also a multitude of special events that are unique to a campus location." He says the store gears up to participate in as many special events as possible.

Larsen, who currently serves as chief executive officer of Port of Subs, has been a member of the advisory board of the Nevada Small Business Development Center since 1987 and spearheaded development of the partnership with the university classes. He's a 1972 graduate of UNR.

A portion of the profits generated by the sandwich shop are given to UNR to finance the two classes that study operation of the store.

They're taught by Bret Simmons, an assistant professor of managerial sciences, and James Sundali, an associate professor of managerial sciences.

"We couldn't have done this without John's generosity and his passion for trying to make university students better prepared for the business world," Males says.