Student Road Diaries

2007 Pacific Northwest Trek

1/2/07	Students arrived in Seattle
1/3/07	Company visits: Hitachi Consulting and Boeing Other Events: Prospective Student Meet and Greet
1/4/07	Company visits: Real Networks, Expedia, and Microsoft Tours: Office of the Future – Microsoft Site Other Events: Cornell Entrepreneurship Network Event (CEN) Event.
1/5/07	Company visits: Amazon, Inc. and Starbucks
1/6 - 1/7/07	Group travel to Portland
1/8/07	Company visit: Nautilus, Inc.
1/9/07	Company visit: Nike, Inc.

Day 1 (Wednesday, January 3rd, 2007)
The group started the trek with a visit to Hitachi Consulting, located in the heart of downtown Seattle. With windows overlooking Puget Sound, members of Hitachi consulting were able to show us a great view of the Olympic mountains across the Bay, right at the moment that we were lucky enough to catch a break in the winter clouds. That afternoon we traveled to Boeing in Renton, WA, to see the production facility of the company's 737 airplanes. Two members of Boeing's commercial marketing department walked us through the marketing thoughts behind their new 787 plane model, the 'Dreamliner.' After this presentation, the PNW trek group was treated to an hour long tour of the facilities, exposing us to Boeing's state of the art operations. To finish off the day, the group rallied to meet about a dozen prospective Johnson School students at a local restaurant/microbrewery. We discussed the pros (no con's of course) of the Johnson School to our new friends, and did our best to represent the different immersions, electives, and ideas that interest each of us in our studies.

Day 2 (Thursday, January 4th, 2007)
Our second day in Seattle was the most taxing day of the trek. We managed to visit three companies, take a tour of Microsoft's 'office of the future,' and attend a Cornell alumni event, all in one 16 hour day.

We started off our day at Real Networks in downtown Seattle, where company representatives explained the exciting foreign markets, products, and acquisitions that the company is pursuing. This company visit was followed by a stop at Expedia, where the trek met with several members of the company's HR and finance divisions. The se company representatives spent some time explaining the challenges of working with the major airlines of the world, and how they plan on strengthening their competitive presence in the tourism market.

In the afternoon, the group arrived early at Microsoft, where our company contacts were nice enough to arrange for our group to tour their 'Office of the Future' exhibit. We were able to have a hands-on experience with new conference call technology, an all-in-one personal office communications system, and other software that Microsoft envisions as the core of future business offices. After this tour, the group was able to meet with a dozen Cornell alumni currently employed by Microsoft. This gave the group a great opportunity to learn more about Microsoft in both small group, and one on one atmospheres.

To end the day, the PNW group attended the Cornell Entrepreneurship Network event, organized by the Cornell alumni office. The Dean of the engineering department of the University discussed new building changes on campus, and a panel of alumni spoke of their different work/life experiences. A great dinner, a couple of drinks, and a room full of Cornell alumni also made for a great social event, and some of us were able to make some new friends and business contacts.

Day 3 (Friday, January 5th, 2007)
We started off our Friday with an early-morning visit to Amazon, Inc. The HR department of Amazon really impressed us by bringing in a surprise speaker, the Vice President in charge of their new endless.com shoe website. After a great presentation, the group was able to spend time with other Amazon employees to learn a little more about the culture and career opportunities at Amazon.

After Amazon, the trek headed back downtown to visit the corporate office of Starbucks. An old Sears building, Starbucks has created an amazing work atmosphere: large open stairwells in the center of the building, comfortable lounge furniture in nearly every corner, and comforting paintings/decorations on all of the walls. Two Starbucks Johnson alumni introduced the group to representatives from the company's HR department, corporate social responsibility department, and to a member of their marketing team who is working on hot food additions to Starbucks restaurants.

Day 4 and 5 (January 6th and 7th, 2007)
About half of the group left Seattle for home or school, and the other half continued on to Portland, Oregon by car. We spent the weekend walking the city, visiting Portland's famous independent bookstores, and eating at different local restaurants and pubs. It was a weekend well spent, and a great time for the group to relax and enjoy a bit of the Northwest.

Day 6 and 7 (Monday/Tuesday, January 8th and 9th, 2007)
The first company that the trek visiting while in Portland was Nautilus Inc., which is actually located in Vancouver, Washington, right over the state border and about a 30 minute drive from Portland. The company gave us a tour of their on-site athletic facilities, and an opportunity to try some of their new exercise machines. They were also able to use us as a sounding board for a presentation that their marketing team had created, one in which they show different methods of promoting their brands to different customer segments.

That night, the group met with several Portland alumni at a local microbrewery, where we were able to learn more about the locale, their experiences and jobs, and their overall feelings about life in Portland. Oh, and that was the night that Ohio State lost to Florida. Good times.

On the last day of our trek, the group traveled from Portland to Beaverton, where Nike has its corporate headquarters. We were able to join Gonzaga University as part of Nike's 'Adrenaline Tour' of their campus, a program where they recruit from different schools from around the country. After touring Nike's amazing facilities, both athletic and historic, we had the opportunity to listen to a panel composed of Nike employees that represented several different divisions within the firm. Before we left for home, Nike graciously let us shop at their corporate store? letting us take advantage of their corporate discounts of course. Needless to say, the five of us that visited the store have been wearing our new Nike gear ever since.

By Shane Kelley (MBA '08)