WCU-Tradition: Small Business Leadership Award
Richard and Glenn Mueller received the 2023 Small Business Leadership Award during a luncheon Oct. 20 at the Great Southern Club in Gulfport. The annual event is co-hosted by WCU-Tradition Campus and the Gulf Coast Business Council.
The brothers were born and raised in Lakewood, Ohio, and relocated to the Mississippi Gulf Coast in 1981. That same year, they developed the franchise rights to expand Domino’s Pizza outlets in Mississippi and Louisiana under the company name RPM Pizza, which now operates more than 100 locations.
They are also the founders of TrainTastic, the largest model train museum in the world – fueled by a decades-long fascination with model trains that began when the brothers were children.
“The most important thing that a business owner can do is keep his business healthy, but as you become successful, it’s important to give back to the community,” Richard Mueller said.
Alesha Bonner received the 2023 Small Business Leadership Scholarship. A resident of Gulfport, Bonner is a senior at WCU-Tradition campus, pursuing a degree in business administration with a concentration in workforce training and a minor in psychology.
“William Carey University is proud to join with the Gulf Coast Business Council to host this event and thankful for the corporate sponsors who made it possible,” said WCU President Dr. Ben Burnett.
Our Tradition campus plays a major role in the success of the university – accounting for more than 20 percent of our total enrollment. Proceeds from today’s award luncheon will help us provide scholarships to many students in need of financial assistance, so they can complete their educational journey and answer God’s call in their life.
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker was keynote speaker for the event, talking about the future of the Magnolia State against a backdrop of huge cranes at the Port of Gulfport visible through the Great Southern Club’s panoramic windows. Wicker has served Mississippi in the U.S. Senate since 2007 and is the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.