New Supply Chain Student Organization Brings Industry Opportunity to Campus

Supply chain students from the C. T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston were given the opportunity to meet with leaders in Houston’s supply chain industry at the inaugural Bauer Supply Chain Student Association (SCSA) career mixer in August.

The event, open to all classifications of supply chain students, welcomed 19 employers to campus as part of a pre-selection hiring process for internships and job offers. This event was just one week before the announcement that Bauer’s undergraduate program in supply chain has been ranked 14th in the nation by Gartner Inc., the world’s leading information technology research and advisory company.

“This was the first time the Bauer supply chain program has hosted one of these events,” Bauer SCSA president Ola Almadhaji said. “As students, we appreciate their support in helping us start down the right avenue to get job offers and internships.”

Houston industry leaders Lyondell Bassell, Shell, Chevron and Schlumberger, among others, spoke to students one on one, meeting potential candidates to fill their current openings.

“Our vision for the supply chain program is for us to be at the forefront of the industry,” Almadhaji said. “When someone says ‘Bauer’ we want them to immediately think of us as leaders in supply chain.”

Supply Chain is the second largest major within Bauer, so students who attended the event were hoping to get a call back for an interview or, in Almadhaji’s case, a dream offer.

“Two companies contacted me after the event, and I accepted an offer from Schlumberger as a sourcing intern,” Almadhaji said. “This wouldn’t have been possible without the curriculum and real-world applications I experienced as a student.”

Almadhaji credits the Bauer Supply Chain faculty with reforming the curriculum in such a way that students truly learn what a supply chain degree can afford them, including the addition of multiple opportunities to connect with industry throughout the year.

“The Bauer supply chain faculty and Bauer SCSA are trying to provide a better understanding of the multiple aspects of supply chain by bringing in a variety of industry to expose students to,” Almadhaji said. “With our curriculum, we have a lot more knowledge coming into our careers than the average supply chain student.”

While some students were seeking employment opportunities, Bauer SCSA Vice President David Hollyer — who is already employed as an operations analyst for global pipe coating company Bredero Shaw — worked a booth at the mixer in support of the budding partnership between Bauer Supply Chain Center and the Houston supply chain community.

“I was able to promote Bauer SCSA’s initiatives and to talk with many of the companies in attendance for their feedback,” Hollyer said. “Overall, they were impressed with the quality of students and the turnout. Considering this was our first event, they thought we exceeded expectations.”

According to Hollyer, numerous interview offers were extended to students, an indication that the local industry supports what Bauer’s supply chain program and the Bauer SCSA is trying to accomplish.

“When we started the student association, we wanted to see more students get jobs by affording them unique opportunities to convene with industry leaders early on in their time here at Bauer,” Hollyer said. “We are one more resource for supply chain students to gain career-specific knowledge while at the same time developing their soft skills, so that when they interview for a job, they are the complete package employers seek.”

Almadhaji and Hollyer are two of 10 officers who lead the 120-member Bauer SCSA, established earlier this year. They hope to continue having high turnout events allowing students to get a jump on a career where they can excel in exactly what areas they were hired for. They are also expanding their reach to volunteer projects in the greater Houston community.

“While we are helping students to promote themselves and develop professionally, really the only way we get there is by realizing it’s not about the business itself, it’s about the people involved,” Hollyer said. “Ultimately, you have to find a way to do good for society or else you’re missing the point.”

About SCSA

Bauer Supply Chain Student Association is a collaborative effort among Bauer students majoring in supply chain management, the Bauer Supply Chain Academic program and the Bauer Supply Chain Center. The mission of the Bauer Supply Chain Student Association is to enhance the professional development of its members and career opportunities across a broad range of supply chain industries including medical, technology, logistics, operation, procurement, etc. The Bauer Supply Chain Student Association is dedicated to excellence in fostering and disseminating knowledge pertinent to our members’ personal and professional development.