First-year Bryan School MBA students were treated to a behind-the-scenes tour of Wrangler’s Greensboro headquarters this fall. The tour was one of the school’s regular “Company Trek” events to local employers.
The day began in the Wrangler design lab where VP of Merchandising Jimmy Shafer and a member of the design team taught students about the various clothing lines. They explained how they incorporate their roots as a jean company for cowboys into their modern clothing lines. The designer also showed students the creative process for launching new products. The company takes into consideration new materials available, new processes to make the clothes, and, most importantly, the needs of the consumer. He brought this to life by sharing the ideas and consumer needs behind a new design for women’s rodeo jeans.
The second half of the visit consisted of a question and answer session with members of the Wrangler finance, merchandising, digital marketing, data analytics, and human resources departments – all of whom had earned their MBA. The speakers shared a description of their position, explained a typical day in their job, and described how their MBA helps them in their role. They stressed to students that classroom concepts and projects will prepare them for the types of assignments they will take on in the office. Hearing from employees across the company helped students see that an MBA degree can be applied to numerous fields and can lead to a variety of career opportunities after graduation.
The session wrapped up with Wrangler team giving their final words of advice to students – “Keep going!” They advised the tenacious group of students to continue working hard in class and reminded them that their efforts will be rewarded when they earn their degree.
Written by Nicole Natchus
