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Home > News > Mike Pietila - On-Campus Management with ARAMARK |
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| Mike Pietila - On-Campus Management with ARAMARK |
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| Mike Pietila |
Student worker Mike Pietila, a junior at Concordia University Ann Arbor (CUAA), has received a unique internship opportunity before his professional semester. Thanks to ARAMARK Food Services, he is able to work as the Cafeteria Student Manager on CUAA's campus and obtain real business experience that will help him in his future career.
According to Mike, “I basically make sure everything goes smoothly throughout dinner. I am also there to support each and every worker and student. I prepare food if we run out at dinner. I help set up for dinner and clean up after close. I help out in the office every other day filing as well as doing other random tasks. I usually help out with catering events whether it's setting up, tearing down afterward, or helping throughout the event.”
Because of all of these responsibilities, Mike admits that he has seen real life applications of what he learns in the classroom: “A lot of the concepts I've studied in my business classes actually do exist. I have experienced everything: whether it's accounting or Sarbanes-Oxley audits. I get actual experience as a manager. I have had to make quick decisions and solve problems like I will have to do in my future.”
After graduating from CUAA, Mike plans to apply his experience with Aramark to start his own business: “Eventually I want to own and manage a small business. I've also wanted to be an entrepreneur and one day, I plan to give it a try.”
Chandi Vigenski, director of food services for ARAMARK at CUAA, praised Mike and his efforts, "Mike has an entrepreneurial spirit; right now, on his own, he’s looking into the feasibility of an on-campus coffee shop. He is a HAAB Business School student and you can always tell the difference. HAAB School students are more engaged, they are there to learn, because they can apply lessons that they have learned in the classroom immediately. Management majors, are there to figure out their own management styles, what works for them, what doesn’t. They learn how to work with people, how to manage, coach and counsel, how to supervise, all of those things." Vigenski continued, "Mike’s always got a new idea. It goes with his entrepreneurial spirit. He comes in a couple times a week and he’ll say, ‘I have this idea.’ He’s very forward-thinking; he’s always got a new idea about something."
Mike also serves on the Food Service Committee in the student government. ARAMARK now meets monthly with the Student Senate. Hundreds of comment cards have come in, and recently the comments have been very positive. ARAMARK also established a Facebook fan page, which helps deliver information to students. They have also begun sending out e-mails and posting more information around campus. Other connections on campus have included teaming up with Rachael Quinlan ('11) to do Recyclemania together. Vigenski noted simply, "Thanks to our student managers, communication has been a lot stronger between ARAMARK and the students."
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The ARMARK / CUAA Opportunity
The ARAMARK
recruiting vision reads:
"When it comes to on-campus dining services, facilities services, conference services and stadium concessions, ARAMARK is the real head of the class. Serving approximately 600 colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada, we strive to provide the most professional service options with warm hospitality for our students, faculty and administrators. As part of our commitment, we are determined to build and develop the best team of professionals in the industry — people who aren't afraid of spearheading change, who know how to lead and who appreciate endless opportunity."
As Vigenski went on to explain, "We are striving to connect with Concordia students interested in an on-campus job that can lead directly into a career. Students can learn a lot of different aspects about the business through the 10-week internship. That’s how I started, so I have a huge commitment to helping student manager development. Whatever they are willing and able to learn, I will teach them."
"We strive to empower our student managers," Vigenski continued, "From rising food cost implications to Sarbanes Oxley - our student can experience it all. One of our other student managers, Amber Novinski ('10), has been running the NEST (the campus snack bar) by herself for a couple years. She recruits employees, interviews them, develops schedules, orders food, keeps up with pricing and inventory, counsels employees and does her own training. She does everything. And that’s what we are training the students to do – give them a little piece of it and let them run with it."
Student managers get to learn the culture of ARAMARK while remaining full-time students at Concordia. They get to meet with regional managers and visit other ARAMARK accounts in the area. Each student manager position comes with job expectations, a student manager handbook, and an internship layout. "The experience is truly hands-on," Vigenski stated, "Our student managers survey fellow students, and based on feedback, they can look into new product offerings, research price margins and take full owernship of new opportunities. They are our eyes and ears on campus, when we’re not here. For us not having to work a million hours a week, that’s helps us. They put out fires at night, they close, clean and lock up."
Vigenski concluded by saying, "I feel very strongly about recruiting students and getting them engaged because that's how I started with ARAMARK. Everyone has to start somewhere. A lot of places will not hire you unless you’ve had experience. Being able to do this while you’re still in college is huge."
Every spring ARAMARK holds a “Student manager event”. Student managers that are high-potential for becoming a manager after graduation are brought to a location like Chicago, where the company leads seminars on dressing the part, resumes, interviews, and then interviews are conducted on the second day. Student managers interview with two to three people: an HR manager, a front-line manager, a district manager. It's those interviews that eventually lead to a job.
Within the past few years, two student managers have gone onto to work with the ARAMARK company after graduation.
To learn more about ARAMARK and its College Relations efforts, visit: http://www.aramarkcollegerelations.com/.
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About Concordia:
Concordia University Ann Arbor is a private, Christian liberal arts institution of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Concordia offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in an environment focused on the individual student. Concordia is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA) and by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). Concordia’s Family Life Program is approved by the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR). The athletics program has helped Concordia receive the recognition of a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Champions of Character institution. Concordia is located at 4090 Geddes Road in Ann Arbor, MI. For more information, visit: www.cuaa.edu |
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