Four students from the Anderson University College of Business were selected to represent the State of South Carolina at the CSCMP 2021 EDGE conference in Atlanta.
The students took part in the conference September 19 – 22 at the Georgia World Conference Center. Attending were Bryson Hawks, Daniel Vliet, Andrew Miller, and AU alumna Samantha Stec.
The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals provides opportunities for students to learn the specifics of their industry and areas of interest. CSCMP also provides educational and networking opportunities, including the EDGE conference, hiring and interviewing events and opportunities, mentorship programs, and programs to help students transition to becoming young professionals after they graduate.
According to Dr. Kimberly Whitehead, associate professor of quantitative management, the connections students make in organizations like CSCMP can launch their career and last a lifetime.
Hawks, a senior majoring in Financial Economics and minoring in Supply Chain Management, is thankful she got the chance to represent South Carolina and Anderson University at the conference. Hawks also serves as a senator in the Anderson University Student Government Association.
“I had the opportunity to meet other future leaders, as well as industry leaders from across the country. Volunteering at the conference broadened my ability to network with speakers throughout the week and allowed me to attend sessions to learn about the hot topics currently in supply chain. Being able to meet various companies and hear about their businesses helped me to narrow down the area of logistics I want to go into, as well as the trends those areas are currently facing as we are still dealing with supply chain disruptions,” Hawks said.
Since graduating from high school, Vliet knew he wanted to have a career involving people and logistics.
“I loved building connections with people, but I also loved math. My advisor explained to me that what I was explaining was supply chain in a nutshell. I’ve been hooked ever since,” Vliet said.
This was Vliet’s first large corporate event; It opened his eyes to the possibilities.
“I believe that my experience is something that I can take long into my career. Being able to have conversations with people that are in the day-to-day operations of global supply chain has more value than can be quantified. No one can put a price tag on this type of experience,” Vliet said.
Also, Drs. John Frazier and Kimberly Whitehead presented their research regarding healthcare logistics at the conference. The paper will be published in the proceedings of the conference and is titled: Healthcare Organizations and Parcel Carriers: Opening the Black Boxes of Healthcare Logistics.