Zachary "Zach" Cain, alum of the One Year MBA program at the University of Kentucky's Gatton College of Business and Economics, is the Senior Marketing Analyst of Market Intelligence at UPS in Atlanta, GA which is their headquarters for this global leader in logistics. Zach actually started as a Package Handler during his senior year at Cairn University where he was finishing up his Bachelor's of Science degree in Theology. Within 3 weeks of working at UPS, Zach was quickly identified as a high performer and was recommended for a promotion, however Zach knew he still needed to obtain additional skills in order to grow long term.
"I knew that I needed to obtain different skills in graduate school and felt that an MBA would be a good investment," says Zach. "The One Year MBA program at Gatton was very attractive because of the accelerated pace, price and overall value."
The One Year MBA program at Gatton is positioned for both business and non-business majors. Students will also obtain valuable soft skills in areas of critical thinking, negotiations, presentations, communications and problem-solving along with a unique, built-in internship experience called Project Connect. Participating in Project Connect happens simultaneously with your coursework, providing you with a unique internship opportunity to apply what you are learning with real-time projects. Zach was paired with Belcan, which is a global supplier of engineering, technical recruiting, and IT services to customers in the aerospace and industrial sectors; and LeanCor which is a supply chain partner that specializes in lean principles.
"It was great applying what you learned in class and seeing how it can apply to a real business problem who have real stakeholders which require real results," says Zach. "Project Connect challenged our group in working with different perspectives, communication and messaging styles on the team. We had to be comfortable with change."
With Belcan, Zach's team was tasked to determine the company's internal perceptions relating to the effect that the company divisions had on their parent company regarding brand power. With LeanCor, the project was to investigate the relationship between lead time and transportation costs, which ultimately resulted in a process improvement plan that would save around $200,000 annually.
Since graduating from the UK MBA in 2013, Zach has been promoted several times with positions such as Revenue Management Reporting Specialist, Marketing Analyst, Marketing Strategy Analyst and his current position as Senior Marketing Analyst of Market Intelligence.
"What I learned in the MBA program, along with hard work, has definitely helped me advance at UPS," says Zach. "For those considering an MBA, be specific about what you want to achieve. Make sure to talk to people along with industry leaders. Be intentional about what you want to learn and how you want to use those skills professionally."
United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) is a global leader in logistics, offering a broad range of solutions including the transportation of packages and freight, the facilitation of international trade, and the deployment of advanced technology to manage the world of business more efficiently. Headquartered in Atlanta, UPS serves more than 220 countries and territories worldwide.
