PBD Worldwide News

2018 James E. Dockter Scholarship Winners Announced

PBD Worldwide is proud to announce the recipients of the 2018 annual James E. Dockter Scholarship, Kayla Morris, Axel Gutierrez, Jonathan Zaeh, Jennifer Sergent, Brandon Zindorf and Stu Bachan. 

The James E. Dockter Scholarship program was established in 2008 to help finance higher education for children of PBD employees. Children of PBD employees, with a minimum of three years of service, are eligible to submit an application for the scholarship. The $1,000 scholarship may be used for any year of undergraduate study at an accredited four-year college or university. The recipients are selected by Scott Dockter, CEO/President, and the Scholarship Committee based on academic achievement, leadership and participation in school and community activities, honors, work experience, statement of educational career goals and recommendations. 

Kayla Morris is the daughter of Amanda Morris, a member of PBD’s IT team. Kayla is pursuing a nursing degree at the University of North Georgia and an active member of the Minority Science Student Association (MSSA). An organization that focuses on helping minorities through their journey into the medical field and giving students an opportunity to network with professionals. “This organization has opened my eyes to a vast network of professionals, all with the same goal- helping and aiding those in need” said Kayla.

Axel Gutierrez is the son of Angie Munoz, a member of PBD’s Duluth Distribution team. Axel attends Gwinnett College in pursuit of becoming a filmmaker. At the young age of 14, Axel had a passion for filmmaking and was driven to study his passion for cinema in college. “I do understand that studying film is rather unorthodox, but now more than ever, the cinematographic industry is living in the next revolution of cinema. Many believe that film is just a medium for entertaining the masses, but I believe it could be so much more; it can inspire and inform, as well as question our own beliefs” said Axel.

Jonathan Zaeh is the son of Brion Zaeh, PBD’s Senior Vice President of Client Relations. Jonathan currently attends University of North Georgia with a passion for Real Estate. Jonathan’s grandmother was the reason he chose Real Estate in the first place. “She taught me almost everything I know about the industry. In my life experiences so far, no single person has impacted my field of study quite like my grandmother has” said Jonathan. His goal in the next year is to transfer to the University of Texas to finish his degree in Real Estate.

Jennifer Sergent is the daughter of Steve Sergent, a member of PBD’s Accounting team. Jennifer is currently a sophomore at Georgia Southern University, pursuing a degree in Biology. Jennifer grew up playing competitive soccer while working part time at an aerosol manufacturing plant in high school. She graduated high school with honors and received the golden AP award for the Biology Exam. “I am excited to continue expanding my knowledge in biological sciences, even though I am not sure the specific job I want to pursue yet. I want to explore my options to ensure I find something I enjoy, which would involve being able to help others as well as the environment and the occupying organisms” said Jennifer.

Brandon Zindorf is the son of Don Zindorf, a member of PBD’s Client Services team. Brandon attends Gwinnett College and is pursuing a degree in Enterprise Systems. Brandon grew up having a passion for computers and how they operated, which led him to taking various information technology courses his first year at college. “I was able to introduce myself to some of the applications involved with enterprise systems from working at PBD Worldwide. Oracle is the database I used in the warehouse. Though it was a very small in the spectrum of Enterprise Systems, it gave me a feel for how inventory management works” said Brandon.

Stu Bachan is the son of Maricela Bachan, a member of PBD’s Client Services team. Stu took a slight detour after realizing that Engineering was not for him. “After many restless nights and long days, I decided to accept defeat as a learning opportunity, and switch majors from the engineering school to the business school. My biggest achievement was accepting the change and turning those negative thoughts into motivation to do better and to find happiness” said Stu. As of today, Stu is one year away from graduating with a degree in Marketing and a minor in Communications.