Bryce Glissmeyer, a senior majoring in marketing and entrepreneurship, attended the Business Career Conference hosted by BLinc., which allowed students to network with Utah business leaders through both keynote speakers and breakout sessions. Here are his impressions of the conference.

I jumped at the opportunity to attend the University of Utah’s Business Career Conference. The list of speakers, coming from a wide range of industries, was impressive. I am a Marketing and Entrepreneurship student who is actively seeking guidance and direction in the marketing field. I am on the road to graduating this May, so the conference came at the perfect time.

Mark Paul, the President of the Neurovascular Division at Stryker, was the first keynote speaker. Paul spoke on his top 10 philosophies in life and business. One of these was about personal/work life balance and how “no other success in life compensates for failure with your family.” It is reassuring to hear that some companies want the best for their employees and their families.

Burke Alder, vice president of marketing at Lendio, presented the first session I attended. One of the many things that I liked about his presentation was his emphasis on following your passions and using your talents, while at the same time getting paid. According to Alder, this combination will make you a marketing rockstar. He stressed the importance of discovering your talents through internships school clubs, and learning and applying marketing principles.

Jenni Holladay, director of strategic marketing and business development at The Summit Group, presented the second session. I liked hearing about how she transitioned from her first job to her current position and all of the experience she gained along the way. She talked about how “marketing is all about great storytelling” and explained the six pillars of good storytelling. Both Holladay and Alder strongly emphasized the importance of finding marketing mentors to answer questions and guide you in the early stages of your career.

Damond Watkins, the vice president of corporate relations at Melaleuca, was the third session speaker. He advised students to “find a company that you believe in and want to do good in.” He believes that the best employees are the ones that have a deep belief in what they do and feel like they are doing some good in the world.

Greg Miller, the chief executive officer of the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies, was the final keynote speaker. Miller spoke about the difference between managers and leaders. He explained that managers count value while leaders create value. He followed that up with the 10 qualities of a leader. The one I liked the most was to “inspire those around you to be better.” Miller referred to John Stockton and how he was able to inspire his teammates to improve through his knowledge of the game, humility and respect for those with whom he worked.

This business conference gave me a lot of valuable insight on various marketing professions and leadership qualities. I would encourage all business students to take advantage of future conferences and networking events through the David Eccles School of Business.