Georgetown MBA Internship Diary: Stephen L.

It’s the FI-NAL COUNT-DOWN!

There are positives and negatives to getting most of your final presentation done a week and a half before you present.  Positives: You’re almost done and get to run through your presentation with as many people as you can.  Negatives: After every meeting, you second guess yourself on nearly everything and try not to have a heart-attack if/when someone asks a question you don’t have an answer to.  Still, I recommend this approach for anyone.  Get your work done with enough time left to have people rip it apart.

This has basically been my experience the past week, as I’ve opened my presentation up for as much constructive criticism as possible.  What this has resulted in is a final presentation that is roughly 40% different than what I had at the beginning of the week.  This would be fine and all, if not for the fact that my manager has not seen all these revisions and I’ve trusted her for the most direction thus far.  It will be telling to see what she thinks when I meet with her tomorrow morning. 

My presentation is Wednesday morning and will be 40 minutes in length.  10 minutes to briefly explain the background, objective, actions taken, insights and recommendations for 2 of my 3 projects, followed by 20 minutes for my last project.  Then I stand there and hope the President, VPs, and all other high-ranking managers do not go to town on me with rough questions.  It’s a lot of information to fit into a brief period of time, and it seems like everything is important, so I’ll have to manage what to present and what to keep in my back pocket in case I get questioned on something.

Wish me luck!

Crunch Time!

Less than 2 weeks from now, I will be making my final presentation in front of several senior leaders of Nestle’s Prepared Foods division, including the President and CEO.  In front of me lies three powerpoint decks that are the near-culmination of not merely my work, but the assistance and direction from over three dozen people in various cross-functional areas.  My manager, Julie, has been fantastic throughout this entire summer, pushing me to not simply settle for an analytical answer, but rather strive for a thorough recommendation that applies directly to the needs of both the Stouffer’s brand and our target consumer.  Beyond Julie, I’ve been fortunate to have the support of Stouffer’s Associate Marketing Managers Rob and Chris, both of whom have always been available for my constant barrage of questions.  I’ve had hours upon hours of conversations with employees in sales, marketing research, customer development, product development, and shopper marketing as I have sought to address the objectives of my three summer projects.  My work overall has lead me down numerous paths, allowed me to sample plates of food, and forced me to think in ways I’ve never imagined.  The next few days to come will be full of polishing and review… as well as continued anticipation as the big day draws near.

Never Underestimate the Heart of a Volunteer

Yes, that line is cheesy.  It’s also from the horrendous movie, Pearl Harbor, which makes it even more hilarious.  Then, why did I choose it to start off this post?  Answer: It was the only thing I could think of that has to do with volunteering, which is the topic of said post.

This past Friday was Nestlé intern volunteer day.  My fellow interns and I spent the morning volunteering at Fieldstone Farm Therapeutic Riding Center, near Chagrin Falls, OH.  Its mission is to treat students with a variety of disabilities through horseback riding.  We were given a variety of tasks, from painting to bailing hay to general cleanup of the grounds.  A few of us lucky individuals willingly volunteered (or in my case, unwillingly volunteered for by my fellow intern, Rachel) to get up close and personal with the horses by cleaning their stables.  Use your imagination as to what this entailed.  Despite the “new” experience, it was a rewarding experience knowing that we were able to assist Fieldstone Farm’s small staff to meet their demanding needs.

Ohhhh… We’re Halfway There…

 

I just had my midpoint review a few days ago so I figured I’d reflect on my last six weeks. 

• The work has exceeded my expectations.  My three projects are completely relevant to the current challenges and opportunities faced by Stouffer’s.  As such, it’s inspiring to know that my work could potentially impact the brand
• Everyone on my cross-functional team, whether they are in marketing, product development, sales, marketing research, or any other area, has been extremely welcoming and intelligent.  The success of a brand is driven by the collaboration of all cross-functional teams and Nestlé excels in this area.I continue to be amazed by the amount of experience and knowledge that is here at Nestlé.   People are passionate about the brands and it shows in their daily enthusiasm.
• Another key driver of success is understanding your consumer.  I have recognized that I am not the target consumer of some of Nestlé’s products, but as a marketing intern, it is paramount for me to understand the thought process, needs, and drivers of my target consumer.
• The metropolitan Cleveland area has been a pleasant surprise.  Although very different from DC and Seattle, it too has many different areas to explore, each with its own vibe and sites. 
• I’ve been eating a lot.  Numerous competitive product taste tests make for a tasty time at work.
• The intern program coordinators have put together great events that have allowed me and my fellow interns the opportunity to get to know Nestlé and also its senior leadership.

In summary, my summer to-date has been great!  On a more somber note however, this marks the first time in almost a decade that I have not been able to take an international trip by this time of the year.  Although I do wish I could have been able to take a trip to Singapore (P~) at some point this summer, it is a small price to pay for such an amazing and enriching summer experience.

Nestlé USA: Real People, Real Possibilities

This year Nestlé USA has 10 marketing interns in the Solon, OH location and 15 in Glendale, CA.

Each summer, Nestlé brings us all together for a summer marketing retreat.  The first day was dedicated to getting to know Nestlé as a company and its executives, whereas the second day was a purely social-driven, get-to-know-everyone day. 

Highlights from day 1:

• Me, being my usually mischievous self, taking pictures of all my fellow interns while they slept on the plane.
• Lunch with Nestlé USA Chairman and CEO, Brad Alford, and about 10 other company executives.  Not often an intern gets such a prolonged exposure to so many people that are driving the direction of a company.
• Hanging out with the Glendale interns over food, drinks, and bowling at Lucky Strike.

 

 Highlights from day 2:

• Going to the Universal Studios back lot to film a fake movie trailer.  Not often you get to wear a mullet wig and red long johns.
• Seeing tourists on the Universal Studios tour take pictures of us as we filmed.
• Food, drinks, and mechanical bull riding at the Saddle Ranch.  Yes, we are tourists.

 

Interesting to hear about all the other projects and brands that the Glendale interns were working on.  Definitely was a great event put on by Nestlé!

Come on Down to Cleveland-town!

The biggest question I usually get from friends is about my adjustment to life in Cleveland. Despite lacking the glamour of some other cities in the country, Cleveland and its suburbs have been pleasant thus far.  Having lived in two rather developed cities (DC and Seattle) for most of my life, I’ve made it a point to not compare Cleveland to other cities.  I have enjoyed visiting the various neighborhoods such as Tremont, Ohio City, West 6th, Covantry, and Cleveland Heights.  Additionally, I’ve been able to attend a few events from the annual rib festival to the grand opening of the Cleveland Art Museum’s new modern art wing.  Still need to visit some key sites such as the I.M. Pei designed Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but so far, a promising start to my first experience in the Midwest.

Meeting Madness!

It took about 30 seconds into my first day for me to realize how many meetings a brand manager has in a week.  My computer had barely booted up and I realized I was 5 min late (not my fault, longer than expected orientation) for a pre-scheduled informational meeting with my contact in Sales.  Looking ahead at my calendar, I was scheduled to meet with ten other cross-functional team members in the first week alone!  After the initial shock, I quickly got into the groove and took advantage of these opportunities to learn about each cross-functional team member’s role, their experiences with Nestlé, and how to best utilize their knowledge to accomplish my projects.

Although I don’t have a “typical” schedule, my day usually consists of some combination of the following:

• Reviewing emails and scheduling meetings

• Meetings with cross-functional team members

• Quantitative analysis

• Reviewing notes and market research reports

• Competitive tasting panels

On a side note, I think about food basically every minute of my day.  It happens when you’re working on the Stouffer’s ® brand for the world’s largest food company. 

In addition to my prior experience as a consultant, my first year at Georgetown MBA has given me a solid foundation for my internship, especially:

• Advanced Marketing Management (Homa)

• Marketing Management (Goodstein)

• The Marketing Innovation Residency

That’s all I have for now.  This Wednesday I’ll be headed to Nestlé USA’s headquarters in Glendale, CA for the annual marketing intern retreat.  Looking forward to seeing how my fellow Georgetown MSB student, Amy, is enjoying her marketing internship with Nestlé Prepared Foods, and getting the opportunity to meet Nestlé USA Chairman and CEO, Brad Alford.

Let's Fix Dinner!

I’m currently in my fourth week of a twelve-week marketing internship with Nestlé USA in Solon, OH, where I am working on the Stouffer’s ® brand.  I have been given three challenging, yet engaging projects for the summer, each of which with a different area of focus (analytical, creative, and strategic).  The people are brilliant and extremely welcoming, I'm having a great time with my fellow interns, and my projects are exciting and completely relevant to my brand's needs.  Needless to say, it’s been everything I’ve imagined and I’m excited about what lies ahead in the coming weeks. 

So how did I get here?  Like many of my peers, I knew exactly what I wanted to do when I arrived at Georgetown MBA.  Having worked as a consultant for the previous five years, I wanted to apply my diverse skill-set as a brand manager.  I reached out to several second years and alumni, all of whom enthusiastically helped me prepare for the recruiting process.  After weeks of preparation and interviews, I was fortunate to obtain internship offers from Kellogg’s at the National Black MBA conference and Nestlé at the National Society of Hispanic MBAs conference.  Although I was extremely impressed by Kellogg’s, I ultimately accepted the Nestlé offer based on my interest in prepared foods and the welcoming culture. 

My goals for the summer are:

• To immerse myself in the Nestlé culture and meet as many people in cross-functional areas as possible.

• To strengthen my creative and strategic abilities, and produce value-added projects.
• To have fun experiencing brand management and spending time with my fellow interns.

In my next entry, I’ll provide a sample of what my typical day is like and notable events from my first four weeks.