Shawn Newell

2017 SLCC Distinguished Alumni

Shawn Newell is the vice president of business development at Industrial Supply Company. His motto is “Education is a path to success.” Employed by Industrial Supply Company for more than 20 years, Newell views his connection to customers as essential to understanding their needs. He received his Associate of Science degree in Marketing Management from Salt Lake Community College, a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology from the University of Utah and a Master of Management degree from the University of Phoenix. Newell said he liked the intimacy of small class sizes at SLCC and credits marketing professor Curtis Youngman with having an impact in his life. “It is humbling to be recognized by an educational institution, knowing how when I was young, I struggled with school,” he says. “I had to learn, at a young age, that my future depended on my willingness to put forth the effort to create what I want through the educational process.”

He approaches his leadership role in sales with the same competitive spirit that drove him to succeed in football at the University of Utah. In 1984, he tried out to play with the Chicago Bears, but injuries prevented Newell from pursuing NFL dreams. Newell is the current Vice President of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Salt Lake Chapter and a Program Advisory Committee member of SLCC’s Business Marketing department. He is also a certified sports conditioning specialist and certified strength coach. Newell serves as a commission member for the Governor’s Martin Luther King Jr. Human Rights Commission. He recently started a scholarship for SLCC marketing students.