The student chapter of ACU’s AMA (American Marketing Association) spent the Fall Break in Seattle, WA visiting some of the most renowned companies in the world. Marketing Professor, Jennifer Golden, Career Development Advisor, Samantha Matta, and Management Sciences Department Chair, Dr. Mark Phillips led the group of 19 students, learning about the behind the scenes operations and unique cultures of these successful companies. The companies the group visited included Starbucks, World Vision, Costco, Microsoft, Amazon, and the Seattle Mariners.
Judith Barajas, a junior Marketing major with a minor in International Studies, enjoyed touring the Starbucks headquarters. Starbucks highly values their employees, calling them “partners” and creating an environment where everyone feels significant and important. When looking for a future employer, Judith learned how important it is to find a company where you can be motivated and excel. She also realized the importance of teamwork in the marketplace and working together to achieve common goals. In the future, Judith is interested in working in product development and customer needs.
“God’s plan for us is what rules the course of our life, and we cannot plan for everything he has in store for us. So many of the people we talked to were doing things now they never planned for when they were our age but because they were able to follow God, they now are doing things they never thought possible,” says Judith Barajas.
Cheyenne Rawlings, a senior Marketing major from Houston, was impressed by the Microsoft corporate office. Because ACU students tend to be more familiar with Apple products, Cheyenne enjoyed learning about Microsoft’s culture and company goals. She says, “It was neat to experience big corporations because I have not had a lot of experience with companies at the corporate level. It is a much different environment!”
All of the companies presented different goals and various ways to run operations, but all companies had one thing in common: building a positive foundational culture for employees to feel motivated and succeed, reaching beyond the standard process to achieve lofty goals. This trip was an excellent opportunity for students to learn firsthand how teamwork and culture are the key ingredients for any company to succeed.