Matt Gordon
- Vice President Inbound Logistics
- AB InBev
School Information
School: St. Louis University
College Major: Business
Years at College Works: 2007
Career Information
Working For: AB InBev
Title: Vice President Inbound Logistics
Industry: Food and Beverages
Brief Description of Duties / Responsibilities:
Lead implementation of a new Inbound Logistics division within North America Zone. >$650MM Budget inclusive of both 3rd party & verticalized operations for inbound flows of raw brewing materials & packaging materials, as well as reverse logistics (dunnage + kegs) management.
What Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?Landing my promotion at AB-InBev and becoming a Senior Manager at age 27.
College Works Career Impact
In one sentence, what has CW meant to you?
Without my College Works Painting internship experience, I would not be as effective an individual nor would I have already progressed as far in my career. The internship provided the foundation for many of the most valuable skill sets I have today and also served as a wake-up call for how the real world operates.
How did your CW experience impact your career? Immediately after graduation? Now?
There is no direct impact I can draw with College Works Painting, but the skills I developed during the internship have helped me from the minute I moved on and continue to help me every day.
What was the greatest lesson you learned from your CW experience?
How to have difficult conversations. This is a skill I continue to work on, but the first difficult conversations I ever had were during my College Works Painting experience. It gave me an awareness into how becoming good at that can be an extremely powerful tool, and it’s something that I found to be very neglected in undergrad.
Advice
What advice do you have for potential CW participants? Current CW participants?
For potential College Works Painting participants, my advice is you need to do the program and to take it seriously. If you do it will be the most impactful and meaningful educational experience you’ll get before going into the real working world. For current College Works Painting participants, keep pushing yourself and try to embrace the parts of the job that are the most difficult. Forcing yourself to manage with difficult clients, employees, or situations is the part of the job that will benefit you most in the long run. The more you do, the more experiences you’ll have and the more prepared you’ll be to lead in the future.
What’s your best advice for someone interested in entering your career field?
Keep challenging yourself and stepping outside your comfort zone. It’s critical to keep your learning curve high at all times. I also believe College Works Painting is an excellent way to practice being comfortable in unclear or difficult situations.
What’s your favorite memory from CW?
Dodge ball on trampolines was awesome.
Last words of wisdom?
I am lazy and do not like filling out surveys, but felt so strongly about what I’ve gained from this program that I filled it out anyways. College Works Painting is great.