Generous engineering alumnus supporting engineering students, expanding USC sales programming 

USC alumnus Darryl Frick, ’84 electrical engineering, wants engineering students to hone sales skills to make them more well-rounded executives in their future careers and industries.

Frick has committed $125,000 each to the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing and to the Darla Moore School of Business to support engineering student scholarships and sales-related student engagement activities.

“During my professional career, it became clear that having a solid fundamental technical and critical-thinking acumen was only part of a successful professional endeavor,” Frick says. “Having business and sales knowledge separated the good from the great. I realized early the business and sales part of the equation was extremely beneficial.”

The Darryl Frick Engineering and Computing Scholarship at the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing will provide crucial support for students seeking to develop business and sales expertise.

“We are deeply grateful for Frick’s generous gift, which will significantly enhance our efforts to integrate sales training into our curricula,” says Hossein Haj-Hariri, dean of the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing. “Sales skills are essential for engineers and computer scientists, enabling them to effectively communicate the value of their innovations, collaborate with broad teams and participate in strategic discussions. This gift will enable and inspire our students to excel in both technical and business environments, preparing them to become well-rounded professionals.”

Frick’s scholarship will be awarded to engineering and computing students who enroll in business and sales courses. These recipients will be known as “Darryl Frick Scholars” and will exemplify the passion, curiosity and commitment that define Frick’s professional and personal pursuits.

"Engineering graduates that acquire business knowledge are skilled in communication and collaboration,” says Melissa Moss, senior associate dean for academic affairs for the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing. “They are equipped with a broad perspective for innovation and adaptable to various roles within their organization, enabling them to excel in their chosen discipline."

Along with the engineering support, the Darryl Frick Technical Sales Enhancement Fund at the Moore School will use Frick’s generous gift to expand and enrich its offerings for students pursuing technical sales education.

The Darryl Frick Technical Sales Enhancement Fund will support immediate investments in key areas, including:

• Experiential learning: facilitating on-site visits to regional and local companies involved in technical sales, as well as sponsoring sales engineering competitions with competing universities.
• Executive speaker series: providing students with opportunities to develop real-world networking skills through direct interaction with engineering and technical executive leaders.
• Industry readiness and career building: equipping the Sales Lab with cutting-edge technology, licenses, certificates and sales management programs.
• Carolina Technical Sales Institute: corporate-sponsored, student-led organization which facilitates engaging meetings, sales competitions, role-playing exercises and face-to-face networking events, creating a strong network of technical sales students and professionals.

“We are excited to see the impact the USC Center for Sales Success will have at the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing,” says Beth L. Renninger, executive director of the Moore School’s Center for Sales Success and a marketing lecturer. “It’s no secret that sales engineers begin their careers at a higher salary point than traditional sales roles. Market realities reflect it’s the right time to equip engineers with tools and best practices to make them successful right out of the gate.”

Like Renninger, Craig Westbrook, director of the Center for Sales Success and a marketing lecturer, has seen the need in industry for engineering personnel to be trained in sales.

“Having worked extensively in automotive research and development and manufacturing and later, sales and marketing, I have experienced firsthand the mismatch between creative engineering processes and the commercial marketplace those engineering products and services are sold into,” Westbrook said. “I am thrilled to drive this initiative at the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing based on the successful program at the Darla Moore School of Business.”

Regarding this relationship, Frick has experienced in his career the importance of equipping engineering and computing students with essential skills like sales to advance economic development agendas and to meet the needs of an array of industries.

As an engineer, Frick began his career in HVAC sales at Johnson Controls. This laid the foundation for a long and successful tenure at Hoffman & Hoffman, where he excelled in selling and consulting on applied mechanical equipment collaborating closely with engineers, architects and contractors across the Midlands and beyond.

Beyond HVAC sales, Darryl has demonstrated his entrepreneurial spirit and business acumen in the beer industry as the co-founder of Steel Hands Brewing. Under his leadership, the brewery has expanded to three thriving locations: Cayce, South Carolina; the Vista District in Columbia, South Carolina; and Greensboro, North Carolina.

Along with Frick’s gift and the sales partnership, the Darla Moore School of Business and the College of Engineering and Computing also created in 2024 a joint pathway to the One-Year MBA or Master of Science in Business Analytics degree for undergraduate College of Engineering and Computing seniors. 

Beyond the undergraduate pathway to the One-Year MBA and MSBA programs, the Moore School and the College of Engineering and Computing announced an agreement to allow students to access courses offered by either school as approved by their graduate program.