I didn’t know it was possible to find like-minded people in the business world. So when I was deciding whether or not to pursue an MBA, I was overjoyed to learn about Net Impact and its emphasis on business that promotes the greater good.
Throughout the last two years in Net Impact, by hearing from industry speakers and participating in career workshops, I’ve gained a new perspective on how a career that relates to sustainability might look.
We are fortunate at the Scheller College of Business because we have the Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business, which has resources and dedicated sustainability-focused MBA courses. Last spring, I took a course called Business Strategies for Sustainability, which provided a nice overview of traditional business areas and how sustainability issues relate to each.
Now, as VP of networking for the Georgia Tech MBA Net Impact chapter, I’m excited to connect fellow students with industry professionals who work in different areas related to sustainability.
To kick off the school year, I organized a company visit to the Coca-Cola headquarters in Atlanta, just down the street from our campus. One of my goals for networking is to utilize the Georgia Tech MBA network — so we can see what alumni who were in our shoes not too long ago have achieved.
I’d recently heard about some of Coca-Cola’s sustainability initiatives in the Business Strategies for Sustainability course. Projects related to empowering women entrepreneurs and water stewardship piqued my interest, and I knew they would for our chapter members as well. A Georgia Tech MBA alumna works in global sustainability marketing at Coca-Cola, so she was the perfect contact to help make the visit happen.
First, we heard from the team about the work they are doing to make an environmental and social impact. For instance, EKOCENTER is a social enterprise that provides clean drinking water, basic goods, and power to communities in six different countries. Many of these centers, which serve as a catalyst for community growth, are operated by women as part of Coca-Cola’s 5by20 initiative — a commitment to enable the economic empowerment of five million women entrepreneurs by 2020.
Following the presentation, we toured the facility, including a visit to Robert W. Woodruff’s office; he was president of The Coca-Cola Company from 1923 to 1954 and retained his office through retirement, and it is exactly as he left it in 1985. Another interesting feature along the tour was a flip-disk wall made from recycled PET that only requires the energy of about one light bulb.
The visit was a hit with our chapter members! So many of them have told me how valuable the experience was. This year, I’m excited to organize more visits like this so our chapter can be exposed to different facets of sustainability. And I’m excited to continue to learn and explore both practical and impactful ways to make a difference through business.
Are you interested to visit the world headquaters for Coca-Cola? You will have the opportunity to take a tour and tastings this October 26-28 at the 2017 Net Impact Conference in Atlanta, GA. The opening party for the 2017 Net Impact Conference will even be taking place at the World of Coca-Cola on October 26!
