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Coca-Cola Executives Visit Mississippi College School of Business


Coca-Cola finance leader Don Cheek

Coca-Cola leaders will tell the story of the world’s largest beverage company when they speak at Mississippi College’s School of Business on March 7.

Established in 1886 in Atlanta, Coca-Cola’s average daily servings reached nine people that year. Today, that number has climbed to 1.8 billion people daily. The company’s products are enjoyed by young and old alike in more than 200 countries around the globe.

Booked for the spring Executive Speaker Series on the Clinton campus that Thursday will be Mississippi College graduate Don Cheek, who first joined Coca-Cola 35 years ago. The program at Self Hall, home of the School of Business, begins at 11 a.m.

A former MC Choctaws football player from 1969 through 1973, Cheek serves as a finance director with the company’s global operations. The Atlanta native also has worked as the chief financial officer of Coca-Cola’s bottling operations in South Korea, Sweden, France and Louisiana.

Joining the MC alumnus for the program before hundreds of business students at the Ed Trehern Lecture Hall will be Phil Mooney, vice president of Heritage Communications of Coca-Cola. He’s directed the company’s Archives Department since 1977.

Mooney has appeared for media interviews on NBC’s “Today Show,” the History Channel, the Food Network, CNN and CNBC, among others. A graduate of Boston College, with a master’s in history from Syracuse University, he’s one of the experts on the company’s proud history since its early days in the South.

In 2013, Coca-Cola ranks as the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, juices and juice drinks, ready-to-drink teas and coffee. About 94 percent of the world’s population recognize Coca-Cola’s red and white logo, surveys say.

School of Business Dean Marcelo Eduardo is delighted to welcome the two prominent executives to the lecture series. The program is sponsored by the MC School of Business and M&F Bank.

“It’s such a great opportunity for our students to hear people speak that have pivotal positions with some of the biggest companies in the world like The Coca-Cola Company,” Eduardo said.