Accounting Alumnus Pays Tribute to Professors Who Helped Him Succeed

With a $100,000 gift to the new building fund for the Patterson School of Accountancy, Gibert hopes to pay tribute to the professors and school that shaped him.

The gift will name a corridor in the building that leads to the dean's office in honor of Gibert. The 110,000-square-foot building is planned for the corner of University Avenue and Grove Loop.

"Accounting was the best foundation for a business career, and the faculty really cared about the students, not only just teaching the technical aspects of accounting and business but about our careers overall," said Gibert, a Jackson native.

After graduating in 1980, Gibert joined Arthur Andersen, which was then one of the "Big Eight" accounting firms. However, despite his educational background, he always had an interest in technology. And in the '80s, one particular technology was emerging as opportunistic: personal computers.

Gibert and a business partner launched Venture Technologies in 1986 to sell PCs and software to small and mid-sized businesses.

"Some of those clients also included accounting firms," Gibert said. "Back then, those types of businesses were precluded from participating in technology that was available.

"Because we understood accounting and technology, we were able to blend those skill sets to deliver solutions to that market."

By 2009, long after the birth of the internet and the Y2K bubble, Gibert felt that the industry "was fragmented and in desperate need of consolidation," so he and his founding partner decided to seek capital from Wall Street. They sold the company a decade later.

"Going to Wall Street and the investment community and pitching our business plan of growth through strategic acquisitions … it helped that we had accounting backgrounds," Gibert recalled. "It seemed like it gave investors greater confidence."

Gibert credits his professional success to his time at Ole Miss and the support and encouragement he received from professors, such as Gene Peery and Jimmy Davis, as "the underpinnings and bedrocks of the entire School of Accountancy."

"Anybody who was serious about their major and wanted to succeed listened to what those professors had to say," Gibert added. "They weren't just great teachers in the classroom but great mentors."

Peery even helped Gibert get his first job. Following the graduate's interview with Arthur Andersen, Peery had Gibert come by his office and called the company directly, asking for feedback.

"(Peery) asked the main partner what he thought of my interview and told them that they needed to have me," Gibert said. "He hung up with them and said to me, 'I think you're in.'"

Along with his academic success, one of Gibert's fondest Ole Miss memories is meeting his wife, Julie, during their first year; they have been married for more than four decades.

In recent years, he has spoken to students in the accountancy school, which is ranked No. 8 in the nation.

"I believe it's the best higher-ed program in the state," Gibert said. "And that's a tribute to the leadership: the dean, the chairs, the faculty and the students."

Mark Wilder, the school's dean, expressed gratitude for Gibert's support.

"Gerard is an exceptional individual and has enjoyed an outstanding career," Wilder said. "We are fortunate that the Patterson School is an institution that is important to him.

"We are grateful for his generous gift, for being a role model for our students to follow, and for his belief in what we are doing in the Patterson School."

Gibert is host of the podcast "MidDays with Gerard Gibert," which airs statewide on SuperTalk Mississippi.

"I'm immensely grateful for the experience and guidance I received as a student," Gibert said. "I, along with thousands of others, would say the school was critical to getting our careers underway."

To make a gift to the accountancy school's building fund, contact Jason McCormick, executive director for development, at jason@olemiss.edu or 662-915-1757; or give online here.

Top: UM alumnus Gerard Gibert has made a $100,000 gift to the building fund for a new home for the Patterson School of Accountancy. The 110,000-square-foot building is slated to be built at the corner of University Avenue and Grove Loop, overlooking to Grove.