Philanthropy should empower people, not patronize them. And for wildly successful local businessman Allen Dykman, such giving is akin to planting a tree specifically intended for the enjoyment of others.

“Someone else should benefit from what you did,” said Dykman, who has owned and operated Dykman Electric in Boise since 1981.

In keeping with this philosophy, Dykman and his wife Dixie recently demonstrated their generosity with a significant financial donation to Boise State University’s College of Business and Economics Dykman Family Professional Sales Program.

“I can personally attest to the significant impact BSU has had on my life and business career,” said Dykman. “The education I received at BSU has contributed to who I am today.”

The new program will initially offer a certificate to all students across campus and then transition into a formal degree program for the robust department, which serves more than 4,000 undergraduates and more than 500 graduate students.

Frank Veltri, a lecturer and instructor who joined the department about three years ago, has been tasked with leading the new curriculum.

“Starting next year, there will be a certificate program on sale open to all on-campus students of all majors, and the courses we are designing will meet that requirement,” he said.

Nearly two years ago, Veltri founded the school’s first professional sales team and organized the first sales-focused career fair, which helped some BSU students find employment at Dykman Electric.

“Frank is one of the most passionate people I know and this will allow him to develop a curriculum and drive it forward,” Dykman said.

With a core curriculum focused on sales, Veltri believes the new program will help BSU compete with other schools in the West that already offer such courses. In addition to the Western States Sales Competition that Veltri has already won, which is considered one of the largest in the country and will now be held at BSU in the spring, a professional sales competition is also on the horizon.

“The College of Business is fully behind this sales program, our dean, the marketing department,” Veltri said. “Everyone is pushing for us to have, as Allen would say, a ‘world-class sales program.’

According to Dean Mark Bannister, BSU’s business and economics department has offered a single sales course for years, but the idea of ​​creating a new sales curriculum has been on the table for at least two to three years.

With the fall semester of 2026 set as the target date to begin the bachelor’s degree in sales program, Bannister remains confident that the new program will “fit well with the needs of Idaho’s business community.”

“We know there is a high demand in the industry for students with professional sales skills,” Bannister said. “As we assess the changing employment landscape of our graduates, it is truer than ever that a career in sales is rewarding, highly valued and stable.”

By working with representatives from major employers throughout the Treasure Valley, Bannister believes the department’s advisory board will play a large role in determining the best path for future business leaders.

“We are seeking their advice to get an overview of the demand and industry needs in the corporate sector,” he said. “That’s one of our touchstones when planning new academic programs like this professional sales program.”

And this is without losing or underestimating the valuable role that “human connection” still plays in the sales world, a quality necessary for success in all areas of the business landscape.

“The sales program will provide students with a solid foundation in business principles, including coursework on sales strategies, negotiation techniques and the intersection of sales and technology,” he said. “The courses focus on meeting practitioners from industry, high-quality role-playing games and simulations, and experience-based learning in practice.”

These are all facets of the sales world that are familiar to Dykman, who started his business in his garage.

“No one really likes cold calling or public speaking, but a program like this gives you the skills and practice to get better and understand how to make a case to sell a product,” Dykman said. “Anyone who works in sales learns to overcome resistance.”

It is well known that highly successful salespeople often rely on what is known as the “personal touch,” the ability to use stories rather than facts and figures to connect with customers in order to achieve the greatest impact and motivate people to take action .

A proven and successful method that Dyman knows quite well.

“We are all salespeople. If you don’t sell, you won’t get anywhere,” he said. “The first rule of business is to always take care of the customer first.”

With a degree in economics, the former BSU football player and graduate turned his hometown company into a multimillion-dollar company that now employs 150 people at 19 locations nationwide.

And after 43 years in the business world, Dykman clearly understands the importance of treating customers appropriately, no matter what field you’re in.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a lawyer, dentist or any other profession,” he said. “A professional sales deal significantly increases your chances of success.”

A key selling point, Veltri said, is something he emphasizes strongly to those who take his courses.

“For most of our business school graduates, probably over 50%, their first job will be in sales,” he said. “That’s true across the board. A major in exercise science can lead to a job in pharmaceutical sales or even medical devices.”

Bannister has led the business and economics department for the past seven years and has also been a few blocks away from the business world through his personal involvement in several entrepreneurial startups. A graduate of the University of Kansas, he received his Juris Doctorate in 1988 after completing a master’s degree in communications with a concentration in negotiation and dispute resolution.

“Whether it’s a family-owned business looking to expand into new markets or a legacy brand looking to increase profits, the business world needs sales professionals with business skills to tell stories and increase sales,” Bannister said.

Even with the advent of artificial intelligence and its flourishing presence and the impact it is having on the corporate sector, Bannister believes that there will always be plenty of room and significant need for old-fashioned human interaction in the eternal future. Competitive world of sales.

“Using AI will help identify potential customers and shape a seller’s message,” he said. “But some of the most important things in sales are the ability to listen, communicate effectively and respond to a customer’s needs. These are talents that require humans, and these human interactions will become increasingly important as AI develops.”

The kind of talents and requisite skills that Dykman, the “proverbial entrepreneur,” as Bannister calls him, has demonstrated throughout his career. “Allen is a great example of someone who started with a vision and had the dedication to execute it with a lot of hard work to build a successful company,” he said.

In fact, Dykman’s recent donation to BSU to improve its business program is one of many that he and Dixie, a graduate of the University of Idaho and an interior designer by trade, have made to both his alma mater and her and numerous other colleges across the state over the course of the year their life together.

“One of the wonderful things about him is that beyond his own success in the business world, Allen has always been a great supporter of higher education,” Bannister said.

The Dykman’s charitable donation will be used for a variety of purposes, including funding several initiatives to support student success. The funds will support two program leadership positions, an endowed professorship to lead curriculum development and program strategy, and other efforts to promote sales competitions, career fairs and networking events.

Some serious selling points for a man who admittedly prefers to stay “behind the scenes” in his work and in the way he gives back and serves his community.

When it comes to Dykman’s more than five-decade connection to BSU, however, there will never be a hard sell.

“The people I met, both students and faculty, have had a tremendous impact on my life,” he said. “I believe in Boise State. I believe it changes lives. I believe it provides an incredible education and opportunity to be successful in the future.”