Alumnus fired up by stint on The Apprentice
Aaron Altscher peddled bus tours in Hollywood, dished up bowls
of chicken at an L.A. fast food restaurant, and filled jars of honey
on an assembly line – all in hopes of landing a dream job as an 
apprentice for billionaire tycoon Donald Trump.
Instead, this Mary Washington alumnus endured the third degree from the flamboyant real estate mogul and heard Trump’s famous refrain: “You’re fired.”
Altscher ’03, MBA ’06, who was selected to appear in this season’s NBC reality TV show The Apprentice, has no regrets about getting the ax in front millions of television viewers.
“It wasn’t as profound as it seemed,” said Altscher, 25, who lives in Ellicott City, Md. “I’m a pretty low-key guy. I believe business decisions and emotional decisions should be kept separate.
Donald Trump likes to make emotional business decisions. In the business world, you ask objective questions and make decisions based on facts.”
Altscher treasures the experience, which he said has recast his
career. “First and foremost, I learned a lot about myself,” said Altsher,
who was one of 18 professionals competing in the show, based for
thefirst time in Los Angeles, instead of New York. “I worked with a
great network of people with diverse backgrounds, and I met with
Fortune 500 CEOs.”
And the Donald? “He’s a down-to-earth guy,” Altscher said. “His kids are extremely normal, especially Ivanka, who is very intelligent and well spoken.”
The competition pitted two teams of contestants in assignments that ranged from running a car wash to designing bathing suits. As one of the perks, the winning team stayed in Trump’s multi-million dollar mansion in Beverly Hills. Losers pitched a tent in the backyard. Altscher spent several weeks camping out before celebrating wins in the mansion.
"The tents weren’t as bad as they appeared,” he said. “We werecamping Trump-style. We had plenty of food, built a bonfire, and told stories. It was more fun camping. When people are comfortable, they don’t challenge themselves. We bonded over the camping experience.”
Altscher’s favorite challenge ultimately led to his demise on the show. The mission required the teams to harvest, bottle, and market Sue Bee Honey.
“We had eight of the smartest young professionals in the country in hairnets and gloves trying to run a production line,” said Altscher. “The bottle caps weren’t going on right and honey squirted all over the place. The folks at the bottling plant, who run the assembly line, kept cracking up at us. It was a lot of fun.”
Altscher is a natural contender. While at Mary Washington, he maintained a 3.6 grade point average and earned All-Conference, All-State, and All-Region NCAA baseball honors. He served as senior captain of the baseball team at Mary Washington and also toured internationally while competing on the USA International Baseball Team.
On the show, he relied heavily on the business skills that he polished at Mary Washington. His MBA concentration in project management helped him earn wins on two of three challenges while he served as project manager.
“In business strategy class, we talked a lot about businesses needing to adapt to current market trends,” Altscher said. “I felt extremely prepared for each task.”
And he held his own against Harvard graduates, an Olympian, and half a dozen attorneys.
“Mary Washington, with its liberal arts education, provides such a diverse background,” Altsher said. “I was exposed to classes that I wouldn’t have been able to take if I had gone to business school. The University’s across-the-curriculum courses proved very valuable.”
Before The Apprentice, Altscher worked for a Fortune 150 homebuilder and as a sales and marketing associate for a real estate developer selling high-end luxury homes.
With the “you’re fired” behind him, Altscher is stepping out on his own.
He’s writing a book on how to successfully bridge the gap between college and a career. He’s also teaming up with fellow Apprentice contender James Sun to launch a TV production company that provides business talk shows for the Internet.
“I got to act as adviser to Donald Trump. I led a wonderful team and enjoyed two wins. I put myself out there to take a risk,” Altscher said. “Those are the memories I’ll never forget.”
– Marty Morrison