By Kaitlin Kelly, KC SmartPort Intern, University of Kansas
As I wrap up my summer internship with KC SmartPort, it is difficult to put into words all that I have learned from this amazing organization. I can only anticipate how this summer’s experience will apply to my class work this fall. I’m heading back to the University of Kansas for my senior year to finish up my studies in Business Marketing with a concentration in Supply Chain Management. My experiences this summer further confirm my desire to pursue a career in Supply Chain. I first became interested in supply chain when I took an intro to supply chain course. This course sparked an interest to join the supply chain management club and to participate in a study abroad program in Panama. I am so thankful for the opportunities and the valuable information gained from theses combined experiences.
At KC SmartPort, I had the opportunity to utilize both my marketing and supply chain management education. I was tasked with many different projects which helped me learn an incredible amount. This included communicating through social media platforms, sending out supply chain updates to KC SmartPort’s stakeholders, creating and designing website content, and taking the lead for cold storage and real estate projects, just to name a few. For my culminating summer project, I researched information for the annual Transportation Outlook 2020, forecasting the market for the four different modes of transportation at the global, national and regional levels.
Additionally, I have learned so much about all the opportunities Kansas City has to offer. I have come to love this city and the logistics hub it is – thank you KC SmartPort!
Professionally, it’s hard to appreciate all that I have learned, but what I’ve learned I know can’t be taught in a classroom. I would have never guessed how much time, effort and detail goes into things like - client meetings, investor lunches and writing a site visit itinerary.
Chris, Elli and Mary were so helpful in providing first hand experiences of KC SmartPort’s purpose. I am so grateful for this opportunity. I was able to learn how the business world functions as well as grow my network and relationships.