Nebraska Supply Chain Club Engages With The Supply Chain Community

Supply Chain Management majors attended the STAFDA 43rd Annual Convention and Trade Show in Fall 2019.
Supply Chain Management majors attended the STAFDA 43rd Annual Convention and Trade Show in Fall 2019.

Although the spring semester was cut short, the Nebraska Supply Chain Club accomplished a lot in the 2019-2020 academic year. With bi-weekly meetings featuring a different guest speaker each time, two supply chain panels and a trip to Nashville, the students stretched their strengths and engaged with supply chain community members across the country.

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Column from the Club President, Guilber Sorto

Being the Club President has been a challenging and exciting experience so far. This past fall semester, we had the fantastic opportunity to travel to Nashville, Tennessee, where some members attended the Specialty Tools & Fasteners Distributors Association’s (STAFDA) 43rd Annual Convention and Trade Show. We networked with professionals and other students and gained knowledge of the supply chain industry through presentations given by various speakers and executives. We also learned about the construction tools industry and supply chain opportunities available. Those who attended partnered with a mentor and had the chance to interview for numerous job and internship openings. On top of that, we held bi-weekly meetings, with different guest speakers each time, and hosted our semi-annual Supply Chain Panel.

In the spring semester, we added a whole new executive team. I was in charge of the Spring Supply Chain Panel. With the help of Dr. Scott Swenseth and Professor Clyde Davis’ extra credit opportunity for students in his class, we had significant attendance at the panel discussion. We have held three meetings so far in 2020, with the President of the APICS Great Plains Chapter, Adam Schroeder, speaking at our last one. We also successfully reconnected the Midwest chapter with the student chapter at UNL. Before things changed due to COVID-19, I was in the process of organizing a student-led business field trip to Denver, Colorado. I had four tours scheduled in the metro area with logistics enterprises, a manufacturing company and a warehouse firm. Although we were excited about the trip, we had to cancel to ensure the safety of our members.

Overall, I had the fantastic pleasure of serving our club by organizing events and recruiting more members. I have faith that in the fall of 2020, we will gain even more members and see high attendance at our events as students wish to reconnect after the quarantine.

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2019 Club Officers:
Connor O'Meara - President
Scott Olson - Vice President
Miranda McWatters - Treasurer
Carolyn Fraher - Social Media Chair
Ryan Blum - PR Chair/Secretary

2020 Club Officers:
Guilber Sorto - President
Dillion Dugan - Vice President/Treasurer
Alec Kratky - PR Chair/Secretary
Jarrett Klein - Social Media Chair/Recruitment

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From Left to Right in the Photo: Senior Supply Chain Management majors Connor O'Meara, from Northville, Michigan; Carolyn Fraher, from Oakland, Nebraska; Miranda McWatters, from Rockford, Michigan; Guilber Sorto, from Grand Island, Nebraska; Abyn Yacob, from Wheaton, Illinois; Ryan Blum, from Ames, Iowa; Coy Ludwig, from Mukwonago, Wisconsin; and Dillon Dugan, from Elkhorn, Nebraska, attended the STAFDA Annual Convention and Trade Show in Nashville, Tennessee.