Students, Recruiters take part in Annual Industry Day

On Friday, Oct. 10, 2014, the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland held its annual Supply Chain Industry Day, a three-part networking event for students in the supply chain management major.

Industry Day hosted recruiters from many of the foremost companies within the supply chain field, including PepsiCo, DuPont USA, Danaher, Unilever, W.L. Gore, JB Hunt, Hilti, Avendra, Johnson & Johnson, Dominos, Target, JDA Software, PPG, Luxottica, The Home Depot, ABC Rental, CIA, McCormick, and Northrop Grumman.

Industry Day kicked off with the Supply Chain Management Society’s presentation of Alumna of the Year and Lifetime Achievement awards. Tian Tian Feng ‘11, recipient of the Alumna of the Year Award, currently works as the global supply manager at Apple.

In Feng’s speech, she stressed the importance of versatility in the workplace, explaining that businesses “are looking for thought leaders, creativity leaders and people leaders who can execute, drive and carry your team across the finish line.”

Mike Gardner, recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, is the chief development officer at Exel. With more than three decades of experience in the supply chain field, Gardner left the students with three pieces of advice that he considers most important:

1. Do something you’re passionate about.
2. Don’t be afraid to take risks.
3. Create a balance between your work life and personal life.

After the award presentations, Industry Day continued with a luncheon, during which students and recruiters talked in an informal setting.

Richard Pennoyer, a sophomore supply chain major enjoyed the relaxed setting. “These recruiters are basically our age, so it was nice to just sit down and be able to talk with them.”

Industry Day culminated with a career fair-style networking event in Van Munching Hall’s atrium, where students spent the remainder of the afternoon visiting the companies’ recruiting tables. Students and recruiters shared résumés, spoke about potential internship and post-graduate employment opportunities, and, in some cases, planned future interviews.

“I got a lot of insight that I wouldn’t have gotten from a regular career fair,” Katie Spiesman, a senior supply chain major, said. “It was really nice to develop a relationship with recruiters for when I apply to these companies down the road.”

- Christina Germano, Intern, Office of Marketing Communications