Alumni Testimonials

Looking back on my education in the Schmidthorst College of Business, one word that comes to mind is exceptional. I found the classes and knowledge taught to be rewarding in every aspect, resulting to immediate success in my career upon graduation. While at BGSU, I studied Economics, a subject I was always fascinated with and fell in love with while completing the degree on campus. One of the greatest things with the Economics Department is the professors. They truly understand the merging of lectures and real-world examples to review while learning different topics in the economics subject. I thoroughly enjoyed viewing ongoing current events through the lens of lecture material in this degree.

Since graduating, I feel I use the knowledge learned from my degree every day in my career. I feel BGSU prepared me for what I would face once entering the job market, allowing me to hit the ground running and have success in various roles so far. I currently sit as the Vice President of Business Intelligence and Analytics for The Sak based in New York City. My career has blossomed in the Business Intelligence space, solely due to the foundations of the economics curriculum that allowed me to build on all the unique classes in the business field. My favorite course throughout my journey at BGSU was Econometrics. The core principles taught in this class set me up to understand and implement various analytical methods within companies. The degree earned at BGSU will set you up with all the tools needed to have a successful career in any path you follow. I am proud to be a part of such a great institution and call myself a falcon.

- Eric Peck

My education from Bowling Green State University has allowed me to begin a successful and fulfilling career at Ford Motor Company. As an Economics and Supply Chain Management major I was able to acquire two internships and a full-time position, shortly after graduating, as a Buyer within Purchasing at Ford. As a new buyer I have been given the opportunity to participate in their college rotational program and obtain a full breadth of the various facets of the automotive industry. This focus on the fundamentals has led to my participation in helping the Ford team launch the new and innovate aluminum Super Duty and Raptor. It is an exciting time to be at Ford because of all the new technologies coming to the market and it can be attributed to my academic journey at BGSU. 

One of my most influential classes was my Econometrics course instructed by Dr. Mary Ellen Benedict. This class embodied the spirt of BGSU whose focus was on critical thinking, collaboration and driving for results. Within the course I was able to build a strong foundational understanding of statistics that I was able to use across classes and utilize in the work environment today.  Additionally, Dr. Benedict helped stoke my curiosity and desire for continued learning. As a professor her teachings and spirt have been carried over into my career understand the data and obtain results. Overall, I am proud to be a Falcon alumnus and the Schmidthorst College Business and its numerous faculty have shaped my career and the person I am today! 

- Clayton Stewart

My experiences as both an undergraduate and graduate student in the Schmidthorst College of Business and Department of Economics prepared me well for my role as a Commercial Analyst in the tire industry. Studying Economics at BGSU helped me develop the critical thinking skills I use each day when making recommendations to management regarding the financial implications of attracting new customers, developing new products, or utilizing new business strategies. In its simplest form, studying economics helped me develop a mindset focused on the principles of opportunity cost, scarcity of resources, and optimization, as well as an emphasis on unintended consequences and the power of incentives.

Classes such as Econometrics enhanced my ability to apply economic theory within the context of data analysis. For me, this has resulted in the development of a foundation for understanding how to investigate the relationship amongst a multitude of variables, and then going a step further to establish which of those are directly or indirectly contributing to the outcomes that we are observing. Another benefit of majoring in Economics was that the program is extremely compatible with the pursuit of a minor, which I took advantage of by complementing my degree with a minor in Applied Statistics.

In my current role, I am responsible for the commercial analysis that supports the commercial truck and winter tire segments, as well as analysis that supports the OE (Original Equipment) sales channel. My role provides me with an opportunity to critically evaluate existing business, such as by creating tools to assess the strength of product or customer mix, as well as prospective business opportunities. In addition, because of the nature of my role, not only do I work closely with those in Finance, but also with the Marketing and Sales functions. In my past role, I was heavily involved in developing and administering the variable incentive plan for our company’s sales force.

- Greg Cornish