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On Wednesday, January 25, the Macy’s West corporate office opened its doors to a small group of students from the Retail Management Institute. Fifteen students toured the San Francisco headquarters and met with a group of Macy’s executives. The students were introduced to an associate buyer for men’s tailored clothing, a merchandise manager for Macys.com, and a marketing coordinator. A merchandise team manager from the San Francisco store was also brought in to allow students a view of the store-side of Macy’s.
During the two-hour meeting, the executives spoke about their roles in the company and discussed their previous positions. The group also advised students on possible career paths relating to their majors. Melanie West Flum, the merchandise manager for Macys.com, discussed the addition of the Web site to the Macy’s culture. Her coworker, Christine Brooks, a recent Santa Clara alumna, talked about her role at the new Macys.com headquarters and the possibilities for students interested in working in Internet-based retailing. Chris Hoffman, the marketing and sales coordinator, has been with Macy’s for 25 years and has held many positions with the company. Speaking with Hoffman allowed the students a view of the possibilities to advance within Macy’s and the many career paths available. The students also met with Chris Moreno, an associate buyer for men’s tailored clothing. Moreno came to Macy’s with the acquisition of Robinsons-May in 2006. He discussed the buying processes and a typical day for an executive in his position. Finally, students met with Laura Herbert, the Housewares and Luggage merchandise team manager at the Macy’s San Francisco store. Herbert talked about the challenges of supervising a team and her role in the design element of the store. Speaking with Herbert gave the students a picture of the management side of Macy’s.
As the afternoon progressed, the executives returned to work and the students spent time with Eleni Kanelos, the senior manager of college relations. Kanelos has visited Santa Clara twice this quarter to attend career fairs and has recruited several Santa Clara alumni for both internship and full-time positions.
Last year, students from the Retail Management Institute visited Cost Plus World Market on a similar tour. Both companies offer summer internships. Lizzie Brueggeman, the corporate liaison for the institute, organized the tour.
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RMI Newsletter
