Global Supply Chain Management Students Earn Real-World Experience

EKU’s Global Supply Chain Management (GSCM) students are getting major real-world work experience interning at prestigious companies throughout the region. 

Since EKU's GSCM program launch in fall 2014, students have received over 40 internships with companies such as Hitachi Automotive, Bechtel, Domino’s, and Carhartt. Even more impressively, many of the students are offered fulltime jobs after completing their internships. 

Several recent GSCM graduates are actively recruiting students from their alma mater as a sign of confidence in the caliber of the overall program.

Below is a listing of some of the students working in GSCM internships over the course of the 2017-2018 academic year:

• Trevor L. Yates (Jr., Brandenburg) has interned with ABC Automotive in London multiple semesters and focuses in the area of supplier quality. ABC Automotive is a major manufacturer of HVAC ducts and cargo assemblies for Honda, Toyota, Ford, & GM.
• Teresa W. Smith (Sr., Lily) has interned with Hitachi Automotive in Berea multiple semesters and focuses in the area of production planning, inventory management, and supplier performance. Hitachi Automotive is a major Tier-1 supplier of braking and suspension systems for the automotive industry.
• Dalton T. Stanley (Sr., Pikeville) interned at Carhartt’s Global Supply Chain Headquarters in Irvine, Ky., for multiple semesters, and also did a summer 2017 internship at Domino’s Regional Headquarters in Erlanger, Ky., where he delivered major cost reductions exceeding $300,000. Dalton graduates in May and has already accepted a fulltime job with Carhartt as a Supply Chain Engineer.
• Nicholas J. Perri (Sr., Kenosha, Wisc.,) has interned with Reyes Fleet Management in Rosemont, Ill., for multiple semesters and has already accepted a fulltime job with Reyes upon graduating in May.  Nicholas’ internships have focused on using data analytics in driving continuous improvement in logistical cost modeling.
• Trevor S. Farnstrom (Jr., Richmond) interned with Bechtel Corporation in summer 2017 and has already accepted a second internship position with Bechtel for summer 2018. Trevor’s internships have focused on working with suppliers to ensure timely delivery of materials.
• Luke F. Leuthner (So., Taylor Mill) has recently accepted a summer 2018 internship with Enterprise Rental where he will be responsible for strategic placement of rental vehicles in the central Kentucky region.
• Cody M. Sedlatschek (Sr., Bardstown) has interned with Carhartt’s Global Supply Chain Headquarters in Irvine, Ky., for multiple semesters. Carhartt’s SCM internships are particularly beneficial as students are rotated through various functional areas including engineering, procurement, quality, and operations.
• Kevin Sawyer Ward (Jr., Georgetown) has already accepted a prestigious summer 2018 internship position at Domino’s Regional Headquarters in Erlanger, Ky., where he will be assigned a major project that culminates with a presentation to Domino’s senior corporate executives. Sawyer is a 2017 Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society recipient.

According to James Kirby Easterling, Executive-in-Residence for the GSCM program, “I am so pleased with the feedback I receive from companies during and after our students complete their internships. I consistently hear that our students make meaningful contributions in terms of driving cost reductions and improving operational efficiencies, as well as that our students are highly professional and have excellent work ethic. The employers really speak to the way we teach our SCM classes. We don’t just teach ‘content’, but we also teach ‘behaviors’ and the softer skills required by SCM professionals. I think the ultimate compliment of our program is when these prestigious employers offer our students full-time jobs upon graduating.”

EKU’s GSCM program is now one of the fastest growing programs on campus. As Easterling said, “We continue to look at ways to differentiate our SCM program so that our students are ready to enter into the workforce and make an immediate impact. We are constantly looking at ways to improve our curriculum, as well as ways to enable our students to network with SCM professionals. I am very grateful to the companies inside and outside our service region that are activey recruiting our students for both internships and fulltime jobs. I am also deeply appreciative of the SCM professionals that serve on our Global Supply Chain Management Advisory Council. I am also thankful for tremendous support from my colleagues within the School of Business and the Management, Marketing and International Business (MMIB) Department. Lots of people are responsible for the growth and success of this program.”       

EKU will host its 3rd annual Global Supply Chain Management Executive Speaker Series event on April 19th from 9:30-10:45 am in EKU's Business and Technology Center, Robert B. Rogow Auditorium (BTC 049). More details will be provided as soon as the event agenda is finalized. Past speakers include Tonya Jackson, Vice President of Supply Chain for Lexmark International, and Ben Robinson, Senior Account Executive with C.H. Robinson Logistics.

For more information on EKU’s Global Supply Chain Management program, contact James Kirby Easterling at James.Kirby.Easterling@eku.edu, or at 859-622-7893. Easterling joined EKU in 2014 after a 22-year career in industry with Hitachi, Lexmark, and Corning, is a 3-time EKU School of Business graduate, earned a Masters in Supply Chain from the Pennsylvania State University, and is now working to complete his doctorate at the University of Florida.

Published on February 15, 2018