‘Best job I’ve ever had’
Oct 1, 2019
Alum Hoping to Create Xavier Empire Under Amazon Umbrella
Luke Berger still remembers the text that changed his life.
He was sitting in a marketing class at Xavier, when an acquaintance sent him a cryptic message.
How early do you get up in the morning? it read.
Luke, a marketing major from Avon, Ind., knew he could get up early if he had a reason. He was about to find out he had a whole new career.
Luke (’19, BBA, Marketing) is one of four current students or Xavier alumni working with alum Alex Burkhart as part of Prime Prospects LLC, an Amazon delivery service partner company that delivers Amazon packages throughout the Greater Cincinnati region.
It turns out Alex, 30, was sending the text, recruiting Luke to work with him. Alex (’11, BSBA, Marketing and Entrepreneurship) had already started and sold a successful business called Tixers back in 2016. Then, after stints at Everything But The House and Procter & Gamble, he was ready to be his own boss again. Last March he started Prime Prospects LLC.
Alex knew he and Luke couldn’t embark on the journey alone — and they wanted help from a Xavier alum. That’s when he was introduced to Sam Flamini (’19, BSBA, Marketing).
They’ve been grinding, launching the business with Amazon ever since.
“We operate in a very dynamic work environment — you’re not behind a desk and you’re in control of your own decision-making every day,” Alex says. “And here, we’re essentially the only direct, in-person connection people have to Amazon. The consumer experience is obviously very important to Amazon and our people are very important to us.”
Luke and Sam serve as Operations Co-Managers for Prime Prospects, while Cole Heflin (’20, BSBA Marketing) and Will Perry (’20, Marketing & Business Analytics) are basically interning for the company by driving and helping with other various tasks.
“It’s the best job I’ve ever had,” Cole says. “It keeps you busy, but you don’t get overwhelmed.”
Alex says he’s hired delivery drivers from all around the area, including students from Cincinnati, Miami, Wright State and Xavier. He wants to spread the word that this is a good gig when you’re trying to balance school and work.
“I would hire every Xavier student if I could,” he says. “We are trying to not only deliver packages for Amazon but unlock future leaders in the process through hard work and determination.”
Starting businesses is nothing new to Alex, who comes from a family of entrepreneurs. His father, as well as his aunt and uncles, started companies where he grew up in Mansfield, Ohio — but being an entrepreneur is not for everyone, he says. It’s something he feels he was destined to do, but also learned, while at Xavier.
“Xavier really taught me a lot in an experiential way,” he says. “And that’s the only way to do it. You can’t really learn about being an entrepreneur through a textbook. You learn by doing it, by talking to others who have done it, by interacting with them and seeing how and what they’ve done, and Xavier was great at doing that for me.”
He also says he’s not finished starting businesses.
“I really think it’s one of the hardest things to do in the business world,” Alex says. “You have to be willing to sacrifice even more than you think you will, and you have to get those around you to buy into the intensity of the startup process each and every day.”
Alex now serves on The Sedler Family Center for Experiential Learning in Business Board at Xavier, and has some advice for those thinking of coming to the University.
“There’s a close-knit community at Xavier,” he says. “The relationships there run strong and deep. It’s the perfect location — you’re three minutes away from downtown Cincinnati and all its internship opportunities. You will not be just another number.”
- By Ryan Clark, Sr. Digital Content Strategist, Xavier University
IMAGE CAPTION: (Top) Sam Flamini, Alex Burkhart , Luke Berger. (Bottom) Cole Heflin and Will Perry.