Dallas Exhibition

BYU-Idaho offers exhibitions to various cities in the country. This past week I was able to go to Dallas, TX and visit various companies.


Tuesday evening we left for icy Jackson Hole, WY

Wednesday at 5:30am we were out of the hotels and on our way to the airport. We were very tired and hungry and the journey had just begun.


At the airport there is this arch of deer antlers. My thought, "only in Jackson Hole."
 

 

















With a full flight, we finally landed in Dallas more tired and hungry and right from the we went to our first company, Expeditors International. As a marketer, I wasn't too ecstatic about this because this was a company focused on supply chain management. 

Next we arrived to Game Stop headquarters. This was somewhat awkward. The employees we visited with didn't seem like they had showered in a few days nor was it a professional meeting. Nothing about the meeting was professional and the conversations were way out there. I now know I will never apply for a position at Game Stop. 

Thank Goodness It's Friday's. I say that because that appointment was by far my favourite. We spoke to the CMO of Friday's and their major marketing guys. I felt like I was a chairman of a board and they were pitching their great ideas to us. One of the cool things they mentioned is that after dining you can pay for your bill from your iPhone or Android App which I thought was cool.  I loved their way of branding and the whole culture in the workplace. It was a place I actually wouldn't mind working for. It was a great way to end off the day.


Needless to say, it was a very long day and we didn't get to eat until much later at night.


Thursday morning we were up and ready to go to our first advertising agency, Peterson Ray. Is this a place I would work? No. Did I learn about advertising agency? No. Did I learn how to become a little more successful? Absolutely yes! His steps of progression were great and very insightful.


Commerica Bank was up next. Never heard of it and figured it was a small company that does small work on the side. No, it was nothing like that. It was the largest building I have ever been in.

As you can see I was very wrong. This is a HUGE bank. Not a bank like JP Morgan, Wells Fargo or Bank of America. They don't deal with regular consumers like you and I. It seemed like an amazing place to work but it was all full of finance stuff which isn't really my cup of tea.


Bell Helicopter was the company I was most excited for. It turned out to be nothing but logistics. Super boring to me. There was no life in that company. I loved aviation and I wanted to see the choppers and talk about them. I could careless how many days it takes a part to arrive in Dallas. 

Like some companies I have visited thus far, Dickies was a great visit but not a place I would work. The company didn't suit me. I wasn't passionate about their work which would make me working for them tough. As you can see on the left, we were given some caps which was awesome. Who doesn't like free stuff, right? I picked up this bright orange cap because I think it's like my personality, loud and playful.



A couple years ago I knew this guy, Brad Mayne on a personal level when I was living in Dallas, TX. Little did I know that he so happened to be the President & CEO of the American Airlines Center - home of the Dallas Mavericks (NBA) and Dallas Stars (NHL). When he found out that I was coming to Dallas with some of my colleagues, he offered each of us a free game ticket to the Dallas Stars hockey game against the San Jose Sharks. Before the game, we got to sit down with him and have an informal discussion about event planning so forth and so on. There after he booked us box seats to watch the game. It was a great night!

Friday, Southwest Airlines. All the students came together to Lovefield and enjoyed a tour and discussion of the Southwest headquarters. It was very fascinating. As a company, they really focused on having good times in the headquarters and creating a culture of family love. Their walls were covered with pictures of games and activities they have had over the years. One other thing I enjoyed was the display of all the uniforms Southwest stewardess had worn over the decades.
As TOP STORY, they mentioned to us that they are planning on going international. That's right, their 737's will be taking service to cities in Mexico and other places.


Chili's was the last place we went to. This place looked fun and a colourful environment. We met with president of Chili's, Wyman Roberts. Him and I were able to have a good conversation and talked informally. The conference room was actually the first and original Chili's. They took everything that was from that place and placed it inside the headquarters which I thought was very cool. Below is just a picture I took, a HUGE Chili's sign. After the meeting, Roberts and I were able to talk about his visit to South Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and his adventures there. A great guy!








The trip was long but wouldn't take anything back. Though I did miss my wife dearly, I loved every minute of it because I learned so much invaluable lessons about careers and being successful. Afterall, I did talk to higher management and "C" level people. A great experience and one for the books. I wish I could write more but I know you readers would be bored to death haha.

It was time to board the plane and fly back home and while on the airplane, the pilot made an announcement of the PA, "Welcome BYU students!" I thought that was a nice touch.