Built on The Rock: Eric Cunningham, ’97
rocurement intelligence is the type of service that Eric Cunningham’s company provides, but to him it is a proving ground for resilient competitors and collaborative achievers.
“There’s a lot of synergies between sport and business,” said Cunningham, ’97, a Slippery Rock University graduate who earned his degree in sport management before entering the field of technology sales. “We don’t call it going to work every day. This is our sport. I treat this like I’m the general manager or the head coach and we all know what we have to do to prepare every day, to get better every day, to win every day. That’s the kind of culture that we have here.”
Dozens of the 200 employees at Green Cabbage are former college athletes, including Cunningham who played football at The Rock. But that’s not the only recipe to Green Cabbage’s success with ingredients sourced from SRU.
Cunningham credits the knowledge, network and social skills that he gained at The Rock to prepare him to lead an emerging international company.
“Some of my first phone calls every day are from people that I went to Slippery Rock with, and my last phone calls are people I went to Slippery Rock with,” Cunningham said. “I walked away with a lot of lifelong friendships, but a network, too. That helped me grow my business.”
Cunningham gives back to SRU as part of what he calls a “circle of life,” one where today’s alumni recognize they were once supported by others and feel a responsibility to pay that forward.
His story highlights how the University’s growth (its facilities, programs and opportunities) exists because generations of supporters chose to invest in students they would never meet. Now, he sees giving back not just as generosity, but as a shared obligation to ensure future students have the same opportunities he did.
“Slippery Rock gave me a lot, so I feel responsible to give it back,” Cunningham said. “Somebody was there to donate to help build these buildings, or (provide resources to start a) new track within the curriculum. I just think that if people are in that position, they should give back. Even a little bit helps a lot and it’s not always about money. There are other ways to give back.”
Making those daily phone calls and strengthening the SRU network while helping others win at the game of life is also part of giving back.
“At our company, we’ve people who went to Stanford, Wharton School of Business, Harvard and all these Ivy League schools,” Cunningham said. “I’m proud to say that I went to Slippery Rock University.”