By Kelliann Blazek
With complimentary string cheese samples in hand, Brian Gunnell stood outside the Collegiate Career Expo to entice hungry collegiate FFA members.
The 2009 National FFA Collegiate Career Expo took place on Oct. 24 and featured 34 companies and organizations, ready to provide collegiate FFA members with employment opportunities.
Gunnell is the Director of Leadership & Organizational Development at Schreiber Foods Inc., a $4 billion cheese and dairy manufacturing company based in Green Bay, Wis. The leadership and work ethic FFA members possess are qualities Gunnell looks for in potential employees.
“I’ve been to a lot of college career fairs across the country and the caliber of the folks we visited with here today would rival some of the best that we’ve seen at colleges,” Gunnell said.
Schreiber Foods wasn’t the only company using food as advertisement. The Kraft Foods booth boasted Nabisco snacks ranging from Oreo Sippers to Newton’s Fruit Crisps.
Representatives from Kraft Foods have attended the National FFA Convention for more than 60 years. The company hands out newer products for FFA members to try and critique.
“Rather than just being here to shake hands, we’re giving them something with Kraft on it,”
Gleason said.
The man at the front of organization efforts of the expo was Marty Tatman, the National FFA Collegiate Program Education Specialist.
“This is the best way we can connect our college students with different companies and
organizations that are looking for interns, employees, or just to network with college students,”
Tatman.
Tatman said 107 FFA members pre-registered for the expo. Students are encouraged to bring resumes to present to potential employers. This year the expo moved to Lucas Oil Stadium in an effort to attract collegiate FFA members that attended the Saturday morning session.
Mike Rogalsky, the National FFA Collegiate Career Success Ambassador, travels the country to educate collegiate FFA members about networking and career advancement opportunities.
Rogalsky is a junior at the University of Florida and served as a Florida FFA state officer in 2006.
“The ultimate goal is to get the students to have some one-on-one time with the folks that are actually going to be doing the hiring at these companies,” Rogalsky said.
And that’s just what Emily Ries, a senior at Michigan State University, was looking for. Ries is a past Michigan FFA state officer and attended the Collegiate Career Expo this year for the second time to search for a full-time job.
Ries said the expo is a unique opportunity for students to network with many companies that acknowledge and appreciate the reputation of FFA members.
“When these employers see the blue and gold jackets, they know it’s someone they can place their confidence in,” Ries said.
Convention-Goers Hear Great American Country at Career Show
By Andrew Walker
One of the biggest attractions at the national FFA convention each year is the National FFA Agricultural Career Show. Those traveling through the career show this year may have come into contact with the Great American Country booth, which offered a resting place from the bustling crowds at the Indiana Convention Center.
Great American Country (GAC) is a television station that brings country music and country music videos into homes all across the nation. According to the GAC website, the network is available in more than 46 million homes.
This being their first time at national convention, GAC brought a number of aspiring country singers to perform for students at the career show. Their booth, aptly dubbed the GAC Acoustic Green Room, featured a stage with yellow beanbag chairs surrounding it. Among those artists slated to perform were the Lonestarlets, Lane Turner, Katie Armiger, Mallary Hope and past Florida FFA member Easton Corbin.
Corbin is originally from Trenton, Fla., where he was introduced to country music as a child.
Taking guitar lessons as a teen, he looked forward to the day when he could make it big. After finding contacts in Nashville, Corbin was able to start making his way in the industry. In August of 2009, he released A Little More Country Than That, which is working its way up the country charts.
A “meet and greet” was held with Corbin after his short performance, as was the case for all of the artists that performed. Members had the opportunity to meet with each artist and get a picture and autograph.
Katelyn Clawson, an FFA member from West Central FFA Chapter in Indiana, remarked on the comfort and congeniality of the GAC booth.
“It’s nice. It brings everyone together,” she said.
Great American Country feels that it is important to have a presence at the national FFA convention.
Carol Crawford, director of marketing for GAC, said, “Country is a part of who they [FFA members] are. They are such a great audience to connect with.”
The booth was a surefire way to gather students who wanted to hear a few country songs and relax for a few minutes before moving on. But some students did not just happen upon the booth, but intentionally came to hear certain artists.
Taylor Sneed and her cousin Drew Sneed both came to see Corbin perform.
“He shot a music video on my uncle’s farm,” Taylor said. “They called my uncle and asked if they could shoot the video on his farm. When they did shoot it they stayed all night long and I was able to watch.”
Although the artists at the booth were not able to stay for a long period of time, GAC passed out free music downloads from various Nashville artists for students to continue the fun at home.