10 Within 10 Recognition

Major: Sport Management, Sport Administration

Job: Distribution unit director for Meijer, in charge of the largest dry grocery automated storage and retrieval system in the country.

Current city: Haslett

Hometown: Haslett

What is your favorite memory of CMU? My entire experience at Central taught me first and foremost what it's like to be part of something bigger than yourself. The spirit of the university and Mount Pleasant community proudly stretches across the entire globe. The nine years I worked within the men's basketball program profoundly impacted my mindset regarding what it takes to be successful in the professional environments a CMU graduate is bound to relentlessly pursue.

What has been your coolest moment since graduation? I was chosen to give the closing plenary address during the 2017 United States Business Leadership Network's annual conference. The USBLN — now known as Disability:IN – is a leading business partner for disability inclusion. The presentation I gave highlighted the work we've done at Meijer hiring people with disabilities within our distribution operations. It was an incredible honor to share with business executives from companies around the world that disability inclusion enhances the culture within an organization. The need to hire top talent is there, and these individuals have the skillset to fill that need. It's simply good business.

What are you proudest of? How I've been able to leverage the experience and knowledge that I gained from CMU into a successful business career. It's inspiring to recognize that I'm only two generations removed from grandparents who traveled from Texas to the state of Michigan during the summer months to pick strawberries as migrant workers. How empowering it must be for them to have their grandson be the director of one of the highest volume grocery distribution centers in the country. Their sacrifices, along with the opportunity at CMU, allowed me to change the course of our family tree.

What advice would you give to new graduates? Understand there are only two things we can control in our lives – our attitude and our effort. Regardless of the circumstances, we're going to encounter both professionally and personally, the attitude we choose to have in the reaction to our circumstances is completely within our control. Giving effort may look and feel differently depending on the level of standards one has for themselves. However, there is a stark difference between giving effort and giving a champion effort – this, again, is completely within our control. Go attack each day with a relentless attitude and a champion effort.

What has your work life taught you? Strive to be the boss you wish you had. Everyone involved in an organization has a role to play, a platform of influence. The most important thing we can do is develop our teams. If our focus is on developing people to become the best version of themselves from a leadership standpoint, we will have done our job. Be mindful that every day is an interview, and you're selling yourself every day. Eliminate the gap between your intentions and your actions.

What about CMU helped you succeed? The people of CMU are what makes it special. There are too many people who helped support me during my years at CMU for me to list. From professors to coaches, from staff members to former student-athletes, CMU is and always will be an institution where students can safely grow into transformational leaders and professionals. The people of CMU have always invested their time into the next generation of alumni.