A Global Perspective

Jesus Urmeneta ’11 

Thanks to God and his intrepid parents, Jesus Urmeneta’s sense of family and community service knows no boundaries. A native Honduran, the 2011 School of Business graduate spent his youth traveling to the American South following a geographical connection his father formed during his tenure at Louisiana State University. 

This helped Urmeneta develop a global perspective which led him to an early desire to work in international business. His brothers attended college in Mobile, and the University of Mobile’s strong business curriculum, paired with Urmeneta’s strong faith, made the decision an easy one. 

Thanks to the faculty and his classmates, he didn’t have to contend with the customary homesickness that often accompanies international students. 

“It was very easy to adapt at the University of Mobile,” Urmeneta said. “Since my first day, everyone was nice to me and tried to help me.” 

It didn’t hurt matters that he was an impressive tennis player. Once he joined the tennis team under the tutelage of Coach Uwe Tittl, things got even better for the future Honduran national champion. As his skills grew, so did Urmeneta’s connection to God. 

“The experience made me a stronger man with a stronger faith,” he said. “I don’t think you can be successful without a strong faith in Him.” 

After graduation, he earned his MBA in just one year before returning to Honduras to work in the coffee industry for Ecom Agroindustrial Group. Urmeneta splits his time between the finance and trade divisions at Ecom, and has found a sense of purpose visiting the coffee farmers in the country’s interior, to understand how best to serve each family. 

“I’m blessed to be involved in business, but still fearful of God,” he said. “In life, and business, you have to give good things to everybody so that good things can come to you.”