Jenkin was stationed in Br?no, where he taught marketing strategies at Mendel University Business School. He began teaching his students to do case studies, a methodology quite familiar to the Hampden-Sydney economics student but unique to Czech universities. The students weren't receptive to the U.S.-based case sets, so Jenkin set out to write new ones based on local businesses (particularly challenging given the lack of recorded operating history in the Czech Republic). He recruited Lubos? Hanak, his star student, to help. Hanak could always crack the difficult case studies, and Jenkin took note of his talent.

After his tour of duty, Jenkin wanted to use the experience to help him and his Czech colleagues succeed in the private sector. He returned to Br?no, where he suggested to Hanak that they use the abstract business models from class and apply them to real-life situations. The two friends became partners and founded IS Group, a company that creates customized software for businesses. Jenkin returned to the United States, and Hanak stayed in Br?no to establish the company's laboratory.

Now, Jenkin runs the business side in Washington, D.C., and Hanak manages the software-programming center in Br?no. Although the company is small-ten developers, business analysts, and project managers-it has been profitable since its inception, boasting a unique and effective international operating environment. Although there are other Czech-American businesses, IS Group is different in that "everyone involved knows that what happens on this side of the water is as important as what happens on the other side," Jenkin said. "Having been a volunteer in the Czech Republic has had a huge impact on me and the way I approach business. IS Group is clearly the direct result of my Peace Corps experience."

Dan Jenkin '89 (left) returned to the Czech Republic after his term as a Peace Corpsvolunteer, in order to set up a business that will help build a viable free market economy there.

When the National Peace Corps Association, as part of the 40th anniversary celebrations in 2001, organized a symposium for returned volunteers, Jenkin helped to coordinate and sponsor the event. At the symposium, Jenkin also participated in a panel discussion about how experiences in the international public sector have affected careers in the private sector. When people talk of the positive influence of the Peace Corps, it's usually in reference to non-profit or governmental programs. But Jenkin exemplifies the impact a volunteer can have in the area of business development. "When Lubos? and I consider the values of our business, we think of the bridges being built between young Eastern European managers and programmers and the exciting markets of the US and Western Europe," Jenkin said. "We are very proud of the economic development that happens as a result of our paying programmers higher salaries and building better working environments. We provide a model for other labs in the Czech Republic. It's rewarding for Lubos? and me that we've built a profitable, sustainable business based on these values."

Update - As of 2004, Dan Jenkin '89 is chief information officer with CHF International in Silver Spring, Maryland, a humanitarian and development organization that helps low-income families and communities in 35 countries around the world work toward long-term economic improvement and stability by rebuilding economies, agriculture, infrastructure, and self-reliance.