Patrick Brown

How did you first hear about Rize, and why did you decide to take a Rize Course?

Patrick is a student-athlete basketball player majoring in supply chain management. He's taken Forecasting and Logistics, Sourcing and Operations, and is currently in Supply Chain Capstone and Supply Chain Management Technologies.

He originally came to college planning to study certified financial planning, but discovered the Supply Chain major in a meeting with his advisor, who recommended it based on how well it aligned with his interests. After reviewing the program materials and talking through it with his advisor, Patrick made the switch and has loved it since: "My professor did a great job slowly introducing the whole concept of supply chain and slowly learning the basics.”

How did you apply your Rize skills outside of the classroom?

Patrick created his own internship opportunity at a local commercial gym in his hometown that was expanding. He'd attended the gym in high school, became close with the owner, and knew they were opening a new location.

"I reached out to him. I was like, 'Hey, I'm looking forward to an internship in the summer and I know you guys are opening up a new gym next year. Would it be possible for me to get on board and help you guys?' ... I kind of basically created the internship on my own."

Ordering equipment and managing delays: Patrick was in charge of ordering all new equipment for the gym. When dumbbells from a different supplier got delayed, he immediately reached out to the vendor for an updated timeline and informed his boss. "I feel like the course prepared me to be prepared for delays... not getting frustrated about it because you know these things happen."

Forecasting and logistics planning: He used skills from his Forecasting and Logistics course, along with concepts from Sourcing and Operations like supplier lead time analysis and risk management. "I was prepared for certain things being delayed... These really helped me anticipate problems early before they caused huge delays."

Backup planning: He maintained multiple backup plans and backup vendors to ensure delays didn't significantly affect the supply chain. "I feel like the skills from Forecasting and Logistics, with having multiple backup plans, multiple backup vendors, and also the supplier lead times, just knowing when your product is gonna be delivered."

Professional communication: He conducted phone calls with vendors and managed tracking forms, receipts, and emails. His boss "was surprised how much I knew already... just how realistic the real-world phone calls, emails, tracking forms, receipts was to my Rize classes."

How did this experience impact your career trajectory?

The experience gave Patrick clarity on what he enjoys about supply chain management. He was surprised by how much human interaction the field involves: "I thought it was just filling out spreadsheets, tracking forms, emails, but it's a lot of phone calls, human interaction. As a student-athlete I just love working as a team, just achieving a goal together, coordinating with another human just feels much better than doing it on your own.”

The realistic nature of the coursework helped to validate his education. "This is the first time where I've applied my schoolwork to a real job and seeing how truly related it is to my coursework. I almost did the same assignment during the summer that I've done in school... All the technical terms that I was using on the phone with the vendors, my boss would listen in, and he was just surprised how much I knew already."

What's next for you?

Patrick wants to continue working with small businesses and helping them expand. “I felt really satisfied at the end of the summer, seeing how grateful the owner was with all the help I gave because he knew nothing about the specifics of the supply chain. It just means that much more helping out a local or kind-hearted business because they appreciate it so much more than probably the bigger corporations."