Chief Supply Chain Officer shares recipes for a successful career

The Operations & Supply Chain (OSC) major at the Eccles School hosted the Network with the Professionals event, an ongoing series that brings together industry experts, thought leaders, and innovators to discuss careers and give advice to Eccles School students.

Approximately 60 students gathered to hear from Jim Hardy, the Chief Supply Chain Officer at Traeger Pellet Grills and his team. Hardy’s team talked about how they saw the impact of their work every day on the growth of their company.

They went on to explain that a successful career in operations and supply chain takes creative problem-solving skills. The current news headlines about supply chain issues highlights the importance of supply chain management in minimizing supply chain shortages.

“I have worked in this field for 35 years, and I have not experienced supply chain issues like what I’ve seen in the past 24 months” said Hardy.

The good news is that companies are aggressively hiring operations and supply chain professionals, and the OSC major boasts a 100% employment rate. Positions are present in all aspects of business, providing opportunities to go anywhere and work for any company in the world. And if you are good at your job, you can be well compensated. In fact, because of the breadth and depth of the quality of training at the Eccles School, OSC majors can compete with peers from top business schools across the state and country for successful careers.

The guest panelists’ advice for a successful career in supply chain and operations is very similar to cooking on one of their grills: don’t be in a hurry, take the time to get the best education, stay curious, and do more with what you’ve been given.

This Network with the Professionals event series was created by Professor Sue Sundar, Director of the Operations and Supply Chain program, in order to give students an opportunity to meet and network with leading industry professionals. If it sounds like OSC would be a good fit for you, or if you want to learn more about the major, visit Eccles.Link/OSC.