The Young Leaders in Supply Chain Management (YLSCM) student organization sponsored its annual panel discussion of opportunities and careers in supply chain management at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Business Administration on Tuesday, September 27. Nearly 200 students attended the event which concluded with a networking session.

Jared Mertz, senior supply chain management major and marketing minor from Omaha, Nebraska, and Jake Sievers, also a senior supply chain management and marketing minor from Omaha, coordinated the event. Sievers, vice president of YLSCM, explained the benefits of the panel.

“Students ask questions and listen to industry professionals talk about their jobs in ways you do not normally receive in the classroom,” said Sievers. “We added a small career fair networking component this year to let students connect on a personal level to follow-up on questions not asked of the panel.”

Dr. Scott Swenseth, associate professor of supply chain management and analytics and YLSCM advisor, believes the event is crucial to matching students with their best career track. He wants them to speak to as many professionals as possible while in college.

“Supply chain management offers a wide variety of job options,” said Swenseth. “Many students think about supply chain as managing an assembly line. However, they might be negotiating the purchase of components, planning audit events, directing shipments for a railroad or buying tomatoes for a large retailer. This event gives students a better idea of what people actually do on a day-to-day basis.”

The panel consisted of professionals from top Nebraska companies including Dave Wheeler, senior vice president of global supply chain and fleet management at Cintas; Ted Drummond, vice president of pricing and productivity at Crete Carrier Corporation; Kevin Forrest, recruitment manager at Union Pacific; Craig Stoffel, vice president of Werner Global Logistics at Werner Enterprises and Chuck Shepard, pharmaceutical and biological supply chain manager at Zoetis.

Mertz, president of YLSCM, encourages fellow students to attend organization meetings. He agreed with Swenseth’s focus on professional interaction as key to future success.

“Our organization travels to different manufacturing and distribution sites for tours, and offers support to link students to employers,” said Mertz. “The executive team plans what employers we should bring in, and we ask club members about their summer internships to bring in those companies as well.”

Facebook Photo Album of Panel Event
YLSCM on Facebook
YLSCM CBA Webpage Published: September 30, 2016