Eastern graduate Richard Arroyo opened his lecture with a reminder that nothing is for sure and nothing is forever.

“A year ago, the economy was booming, unemployent was low and the stock markets were up. Also, America felt secure. Now with the tragic events (Sept. 11 terrorist attacks), America is uncertain, and the economy is struggling,” he said.

However, he then immediately told the audience not to be disheartened.

“The U.S. is still the most powerful economic force,” Arroyo said.

Arroyo gave a lecture for aspiring business executives last night in Lumpkin Hall’s Roberson Auditorium.

He gave attendees an outline for success.

First, one should choose an industry, job or field that one has a passion for, in order to be satisfied and enriched. He said an individual who chooses a profession that he or she does not have a passion for will be hard to motivate, hard to reward, hard to promote and hard to keep.

In addition, understanding what businesses and industries seek is imperative, Arroyo relayed to the audience of about 40. Employers of businesses and industries look for people with evidence of enterprise and initiative, good attitudes and sensibilities to job approaches, and who have the determination to be a problem solver.

Team work is vital today because work is more mental than manual. Team players share a vision and commitment to get things done, he said. The team work idea is correlative to the determination to get the job done.

Arroyo offered more pointers before ending his lecture saying “Be thorough, proactive and precise; have honesty, integrity, and a sense of responsibilty, and leadership qualities are a plus.”

Arroyo’s credentials include employment with J Walter Thompson, Xerox, Philips, MTV, and Playboy Entertainment.