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Grant Rathje Discovers Career that Combines Agribusiness and Marketing

Senior Grant Rathje discovered his passion for agribusiness and marketing after choosing to enroll in the College of Business Administration at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. His agribusiness major combined with a marketing minor led him to Elanco Animal Health for an internship and a fulltime position after graduation.
 
“When talking with the advisors at New Student Enrollment, I knew CBA was a natural fit for me. The professors and the staff at CBA impressed me which made my decision to come here easy,” Rathje said.
 
Growing up in Seward, Nebraska, he knew he wanted to find a way to blend business with the agricultural field. Rathje figured his best option would be to major in agribusiness with a marketing minor. He worked as a branding intern last summer at Elanco’s global headquarters in Greenfield, Indiana. Elanco provides products and services that improve the health and productivity of food animals including beef, dairy, swine and poultry.
 
“What makes this company unique is the value they place on caring about people. They offer health products to provide people with the food that they need and the bonds with their companion animals that keep them going. It is inspirational to work for a company with such a strong mission,” he said.
 
Elanco acquired Novartis, an animal health company, in January 2015 which doubled their size overnight. This created a need for a corporate brand refresh that would reflect the new company, products and innovative direction the company is moving in.
 
John Lechleiter CEO of Eli Lilly with Rathje
John Lechleiter CEO of Eli Lilly with Rathje
“As the branding intern it was my job to create an easy, one-stop-shop where employees can access all the marketing branding policies, templates and logos. I spent the entire three months doing this project, which allowed me to work with people in research and development, in marketing and human resources,” Rathje said.
 
At the end of his internship Rathje presented his work to Elanco’s management team which eventually led to a full-time employment offer after graduation.
 
“It was rewarding to see my work come to fruition at the end of my internship. They announced the brand refresh and rolled out some of the new marketing and branding tools I had produced on my last day which happened to be the global town hall meeting,” he said.
 
Rathje will graduate in May 2016. In June he will return to the Elanco Animal Health office headquarters to begin a fulltime position in their solutions development program. This allows new employees to work in several different areas until they identify the best fit for them within the company.
 
“My internship helped me find a career that combines my passion for agriculture with my passion for marketing. There are many opportunities in agribusiness that give value to your work and help people not only in your community but throughout the world,” he said.
Published: November 10, 2015