If you ask John Pinion ’94 what one piece of advice he’d give to current Southwestern students, without hesitation he would say, “Branch Out!”

Pinion says he learned this life philosophy while attending Southwestern. Pinion, an Austin native, chose to attend Southwestern because “the academics were stronger at SU than any school I could have attended. The faculty was concerned about getting the most out of you.” In addition the academic rigor, Pinion appreciated the opportunity to develop one-on-one relationships with his professors. He is specifically grateful for his interaction with Kathleen Juhl, an associate professor of theatre. “Dr. Juhl pushed me to attack the hardest thing for me - speaking naturally in spite of being hearing impaired.”

Pinion received a double major in political science and communications. He chose these disciplines because they emphasized writing and speaking. Both degrees required strong analytical thinking which prepared him for law school and business school. Pinion received his J.D. from the University of Texas and a master’s degree from Thunderbird, the Garvin School of International Management.

Today he is the managing partner of Pinion and Associates, a global supplier of office and home furnishings. His business takes him all over the world, but most frequently to China. Pinion says that working with people from different cultures, backgrounds and belief systems can be wild and chaotic. He credits his ability to be adaptable with his experiences as a campus leader. Pinion held executive office positions with the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and Student Foundation. “Being president of the Pikes helped me become who I am today. At Southwestern, there were a lot of intelligent and strong personalities, all of whom were capable of being leaders themselves. The successes and failures of my presidency really taught me how to interact with people.”

As Pinion looks to the future he hopes to create and develop his own brand-name of furniture products. “I learned important lessons about business values and ethics at Southwestern. As the president of Student Foundation, I had the opportunity to work with the administration frequently. I was always treated with respect and as an equal and I felt that my ideas and suggestions were valued. I try to run my business this way today.”