Episode Transcript
00:00 Carley Greenhaw: With FedEx Freight, they work on an agile and a lean process. And knowing the concept of what those two things were really helped when I got there, so I knew how the company performed and how they worked. That was really good to understand, I didn't have to learn that.
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00:30 Kara Patterson: We're here today with senior Carley Greenhaw, she is an Honors College senior, graduating in spring 2020. We're here at the alumni house and we're talking to her about her previous internship at FedEx Freight. And I understand that you had this internship for quite a while, two summers, is that correct?
00:52 Carley Greenhaw: That's correct. I had... I went through two 10-week programs this summer after my sophomore year and the summer after my junior year.
01:01 Kara Patterson: Awesome. Can you tell me a little bit about the internship program, and what you worked on and kind of the structure?
01:06 Carley Greenhaw: Yeah, for sure. So like I said, they are 10 weeks long and they're program project based. So when you get there, you get assigned a project that your manager thinks could help the company and help you develop. And the first summer I developed a physical project for my team and it actually ended up in some of the trucks that run on the roads, every day.
01:31 Kara Patterson: Oh, that's awesome.
01:32 Carley Greenhaw: Yeah, and I got to come back and see that the next summer, which was really awesome. But I worked on a different team my second summer and got exposed to a different part of the business, and that was more of a day to day job. They got to... Because of all of my experience, they let me handle things that other interns weren't getting to do, and I was involved in the strategic planning and getting to talk about all those sorts of awesome things that were gonna happen in the department and in the company in the next five years.
02:00 Kara Patterson: Oh, that's awesome. So did the internship last the entire summer?
02:04 Carley Greenhaw: Yeah, I started almost immediately after I got out of school and it lasted until the first week of August, and in that first week of August, our last day was actually presenting to executives and the CEO, our projects that we had worked on.
02:19 Kara Patterson: Awesome, so was that a cool experience, or a little intense or both?
02:24 Carley Greenhaw: Both, both. And [chuckle] they're in small rooms, so they broke us up and so I got to see everyone's face, and everyone...
02:29 Kara Patterson: So you were like this close to the CEO?
02:31 Carley Greenhaw: Yeah, we were really close and I was like, "Oh man, I hope I don't mess up."
02:35 Kara Patterson: Awesome. Well, I'm sure you did great. So could you tell me if there's anything, maybe from your classes, that helped you in your internship experience?
02:45 Carley Greenhaw: Yeah, for sure. With FedEx Freight, they work on an agile and a lean process and knowing the concept of what those two things were really helped when I got there, so I knew how the company performed and how they worked. That was really good to understand, I didn't have to learn that.
03:03 Kara Patterson: I know that you're working on a really cool honors thesis project and that it's somewhat inspired by your experiences you've had in industry with your internships. Can you tell me a little bit about that and what you're working on?
03:15 Carley Greenhaw: Yes, I'm actually developing, or researching more, a tool or a combination of tools to help rural carriers for their day-to-day last mile distribution.
03:29 Kara Patterson: You are a WISE officer. Can you tell me a little bit about what WISE is and what your role in that organization is?
03:37 Carley Greenhaw: WISE is women impacting supply chain excellence. We're a group that invites anyone, no matter if your supply chain or a woman or a man, just supporting other women in the business industry and getting to meet industry professionals. And we got to go to all sorts of developmental talks and we actually held a symposium here this fall, and it was really successful. We invited other colleges and other supply chain programs to send their women to here, and it was really great. And I am currently the director of website management for WISE and so I've been working really closely with our sponsor, Stephanie Thomas, developing the kind of website that we want for WISE.
04:20 Kara Patterson: Can you tell me why you chose supply chain as a major?
04:24 Carley Greenhaw: Yeah, my dad is actually involved in the supply chain industry, and coming into college, I didn't really know what he did, and didn't care to know what he did, I just knew that he worked in transportation. And in my Intro to Supply Chain class, they were getting into the deeper things of supply chain and how it's basically a big problem solving campaign all the time, no matter what sector you're working on with supply chain, and how it's involved in every aspect of business and in life. And that's what really got me interested and I started asking questions to my dad about what he did and why things were the way they were, and it really interested me, and I decided to pick it up and run with it.
05:07 Kara Patterson: Awesome. It sounds like you're a very curious person by nature then, which is good. That will help you be successful. So what were your favorite supply chain classes that you've taken?
05:16 Carley Greenhaw: Well, I have two. [chuckle]
05:19 Kara Patterson: Okay, great!
05:20 Carley Greenhaw: So because I really liked transportation, transportation and distribution was really good because I was just a nerd for that kind of stuff. I really liked the information. And because I had already been at FedEx, I knew the trucking industry, so I already had some kind of knowledge on that subject. And then this semester I'm taking the process improvement course and it's really interesting because we've just got to figure it out ourselves. Like we have a problem and we get to figure out what... How we can solve it, how we can help, and it's been really awesome to do it on our own decisions and figure it out.
05:54 Kara Patterson: Awesome. So you said you're a transportation nerd, so are you trucks or trains?
06:00 Carley Greenhaw: Trucks.
06:01 Kara Patterson: Okay.
06:02 Carley Greenhaw: Yup. [chuckle] Well, either, actually.
06:03 Kara Patterson: Either/or?
06:04 Carley Greenhaw: Yeah. [chuckle]
06:05 Kara Patterson: Awesome. So looking back, you're a senior, so you've been here quite a while and had some awesome experiences with internships and different classes. Is there any advice you'd give yourself as an incoming freshman or another freshman?
06:19 Carley Greenhaw: Oh yeah, I feel like I got on the... I was late, but I really wasn't. If I had been more willing to challenge myself and do things that were different and not worry about what other people were doing, or what my friends were doing or going by myself to things, that would have really helped me get in early and quicker. And I started doing that and it has really improved my experience and I've got to learn and experience things that I never would have if I wouldn't have taken those chances.
06:48 Kara Patterson: Awesome. Well, I definitely feel like you're very set up for success in your future, based on the kind of challenges you've taken upon yourself, like with the internships and your thesis and becoming a WISE officer. All that. So I can't wait to see what you do after you graduation, Carley.
07:08 Carley Greenhaw: Thank you.
07:08 Kara Patterson: Yeah, thanks for talking with us today.
07:10 Carley Greenhaw: Thank you.
