Last Monday, we hosted our 6th Annual Supply Chain Roundtable, the biggest recruiting event of the year centered around Supply Chain and Operations Management students and executives from companies across the industry.

The evening was filled with networking, meaningful conversations, and opportunities for our students to learn more about the many different career paths within Supply Chain and Operations!

Starting the Evening

The event started with a pre-networking session for our 6 corporate partners and 3 sponsors with our student organization leaders and faculty-nominated students. At 4pm all of the other companies and student attendees arrived, and we dove straight in by introducing Jenny Darroch, Dean of the Farmer School of Business, Professor of Marketing, and Mitchell. P Rales Chair in Business Leadership.

She shared a clear message with our students: important events, networking, and building solid relationships now will help you move through the business world later.

Learning from Miami Alumni

Assistant Director of the CSCE, Professor Tom Farnbacher, moderated the next segment of the evening, our Young Alumni Panel.

Four Miami alumni— Steven Baughman ’21, Emily McAtee ’24, Evan Crew ’22, and Connor Evan  ’19—who are now working in various Supply Chain roles were in the hot seat, answering questions previously submitted by our student attendees at registration.

Related content: FSB alumni return to inspire next generation at annual Supply Chain Roundtable

Senior Elena Hentz said, “I appreciated the questions for the young alumni—they've been in our seats only just a few years ago and I feel like those conversations were really relevant to me as I start to really think about post-grad life.”

Another student, freshman Mason Fisher, said, “I liked to hear their stories about different opportunities and their opinions on what to do so that way I can make sure I do things in college to succeed.”

A New Addition: Speed Networking

A big hit, and a first time at the Roundtable, was our “speed networking” session.

It was a full room, with 28 tables mixed with students and professionals for speed networking. The professionals rotated three times, so that students were exposed to as many different people and companies as possible.

Lauren Kuss said she felt like she got the chance to speak to recruiters more in-depth. Several executives mentioned later in the evening that the speed networking session was a great way to eliminate awkward first encounters.

Senior Luke Eakin mentioned, “This was a great switch from years past as it allowed us to almost be ‘forced’ to talk to recruiters and industry leaders. It also gave us the opportunity to ask more in-depth questions without filtering with an elevator pitch.”

If you missed speed networking at the Roundtable this year, don’t worry—we will definitely be doing it again!

Ending the Night with Opening Networking

At the end of the evening, we had open networking time, or as we heard it called, “Chaos Hour.”

Students were able to go back to the companies they met during speed networking to learn more, or they could meet any company they wanted. As loud as that part of the night may have been, it was clearly beneficial, as we have already heard from students who have received interviews and internships from connections made at our Roundtable.

Hearing Directly from Our Students

Overall, the event went so well! Not only did students and company executives network, but the Center was also able to display all the resources we have for our Supply Chain students!

We have been approached by several students saying this is their favorite event of the year, that it was so well organized, or that they talked to a new company that they are now very interested in.

We asked our student attendees for their testimonials of the event, and here are some of our favorites:

Senior Ben Jubach said, “This was an amazing opportunity for you to differentiate yourself from the pack as you normally do not get the opportunity to at events as large as career fair.”

Eakin highlighted how much more valuable this is than the standard Career fair and continues on to say, “because every participating company is specifically looking for Miami Supply Chain students. The students who attend are actively looking for career support and internships, and this event does a great job at facilitating just that. It offers fantastic practice for speaking with recruiters and consistently shows real results, with many students landing interviews and internships directly from the event. I can’t recommend this event enough to any Supply Chain major or minor looking to launch their either through an internship or full-time.

Senior Sydney Soler, previous DHL intern, said: “I believe the Supply Chain Roundtable is an extremely valuable experience for students at every grade level because it provides the opportunity to learn how broad the supply chain and operations industry is and explore the many career paths within the field. One of the aspects I have valued most is being able to have one-on-one conversations with industry professionals and recruiters. I attended my first Supply Chain Roundtable during my second year at Miami, and those conversations have continued to expand my understanding of the industry and introduce me to career opportunities I may not have otherwise considered. Being able to speak directly with professionals about their careers, experiences, companies, internships, and full-time opportunities makes the event much more meaningful than simply learning about these careers in a classroom. I would highly recommend the Roundtable to students because it allows them to build connections, explore different career options, and gain valuable insight from professionals in the industry.”