Spencer Broughten
“I wasn't sure what kind of career I would pursue after business school, but…I knew that I wanted that career to begin at a Twin Cities company.”
My story
I had spent two years as a jack-of-all-trades within US Bank’s Wholesale Mortgage Operations department, claiming roles that ranged from client contact for digital file issues to the “voice of the department” during beta testing of new mortgage imaging software. But by 2012, my one-man department resembled more of a dead end than an endless opportunity. I took the operations and people management skills developed in this role, combined them with the communications prowess and analytical eye I honed previously as a sports journalist, and have used my time at Carlson to become an insights professional who gets dirty in data to tell stories about brands and customers.
Why Carlson?
I am probably unique in the realm of business school aspirants, as I only ever applied to Carlson. I wasn’t sure what kind of career I would pursue after business school, but as a born-and-bred Minnesotan who is intimately familiar with what makes our piece of the prairie special, I knew that I wanted that career to begin at a Twin Cities company. Carlson’s connections to the local business community are unparalleled, and the Enterprise structure and numerous networking opportunities have allowed me to get to know and work with professionals from a wide spectrum of industries—a network that will continue to grow as I enter the ranks of these professionals in a few short months.
A Day with Spencer - Thursday, September 18th
| 7:00 - 8:00 a.m. | Wake up and drive from my home in Falcon Heights to the U of M’s St. Paul campus. I take a 20-minute ride on the Campus Connector bus to Carlson on the West Bank. |
| 8:00 - 9:30 a.m. | Sit in on a Brand Matters presentation by Maureen Bausch, EVP of Business Development at the Mall of America. She speaks about the recent brand refresh and redesign that has taken place at the world’s most visited mall. |
| 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. | Brand Enterprise group meeting; I go over some preliminary results of a cluster analysis that may help our group identify and build profiles for customers that our client should target. |
| 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | The Finance Club hosts a talk from the former Chairman and CEO of a major wealth management group. Time to broaden those horizons! |
| 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. | Strategic Marketing class, taught by Dave Hopkins, Director of Carlson Brand Enterprise. Today’s topic: Matching value propositions to the needs of your target consumers. |
| 3:30 - 4:00 p.m. | Quick meet-up with Michele, a career coach at the Graduate Business Career Center to go over job search strategy for the coming recruiting season. |
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4:30 - 6:30 p.m. |
Head home and run some “t-tests” to determine what results from our cluster analysis can be reported to the client as statistically significant. |
| 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. | Make some dinner once my wife gets home and catch up on the new episodes of “Bob’s Burgers” and “New Girl.” |
| 9:00 - 11:00 p.m. | Prep results and some early findings to report on tomorrow morning’s Enterprise client call. |