1. September 9, 2014
To Whom It May Concern,
My name is Brad Pearce, and I am Vanessa Viña's direct supervisor at The Sherwin-Williams
Company. This letter is to serve as my formal recommendation for her into the Robinson College of Business
Masters of Business program. Vanessa is one of thirty store managers that I manage in the Atlanta area. I have
worked closely with her and believe that my experiences with her more than qualify me to speak on her behalf.
During the time that I have had the pleasure of working with Vanessa I have witnessed firsthand that
she is a very intelligent, creative, and hardworking individual. She is not afraid of a challenge and is dedicated
to success. After only ten months as an assistant manager, and just over a year with the company overall,
Vanessa challenged herself to take on a significant amount more of responsibility as a store manager. Since
then, she has constantly looked for creative ways to manage her staff, expenses, and grow her business. Her
enthusiasm and passion for people has helped develop authentic relationships with customers which has thus
grown her business significantly. The numbers can attest to this hard work. Her store currently has a 69% sales
increase over 2013 with 45 new commercial accounts opened.
Another noteworthy thing to mention about Vanessa that exemplifies the type of student she is would
be that she received the highest score out of all her classmates on a final test in her Manager 1 training class.
She was also recently chosen as one of three managers to represent the Atlanta district in a very select
leadership training class called "Emerging Talent" held among the Southeastern Region. This course had
managers and sales representatives take a three-hour long assessment that analyzed various leadership traits.
Vanessa scored high in all areas.
Vanessa expressed her interest in your MBA program months ago, and I am pleased to know she is
pursuing it. I believe that these qualities which I have seen in her professional life are essential both to business
managers and business students. In addition, she is a quick learner and a great team player, which is important
in a business classroom. All of these traits combined make Vanessa an excellent candidate for your program,
and I hope that you will take great consideration in her application.
If you have any questions regarding Vanessa or this recommendation, please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Brad Pearce
The Sherwin-Williams Company
Atlanta District City Manager