by Willy Franzen on September 28, 2009
We’ve already taken a look at Kiva, a San Francisco based microfinance non-profit, but today we’re going to take a look at Kiva Systems, a Woburn, MA based logistics and robotics company. They were ranked #6 on the Inc. 5000 this year by growing from $204,000 in revenue in 2005 to $21.4 million in revenue in 2008. That’s 10,399.0%, which is just insane. Their growth is coming from the online shopping revolution, even though they’re not an e-commerce company. This is due to the fact that their automated order fulfillment systems are huge efficiency boosters for warehouse operations. It’s hard to imagine how a Kiva Mobile Fulfillment System works, but once you see the video below, you’ll totally get it—and you will be amazed.
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Tagged as:
customer service,
engineering,
entry-level jobs,
logistics,
manufacturing,
Massachusetts,
robotics,
software development,
supply chain
by Willy Franzen on September 9, 2009
It’s funny how well respected brands that have been around forever will get swept up in a fad. Some, like Abercrombie & Fitch, will make it part of a new identity, while others like Burberry will enjoy the popularity but maintain their core image. Burberry is a British company that has been making quality garments since 1856, but they became especially trendy in the early 2000s, if I remember correctly. While most brands are recognized for their logo or a specific product, Burberry is known for their plaid. In fact, unless you’re a tartan freak, “Burberry Check” is probably the only plaid that you recognize by name. Over their 150 years Burberry has moved more towards luxury goods than outdoor garments, which is best evidenced by their new ad campaigns with Emma Watson of Harry Potter fame.
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Tagged as:
account management,
analyst,
apparel,
Arizona,
California,
fashion,
Illinois,
logistics,
Massachusetts,
merchandising,
New York,
retaild,
sales,
supply chain,
United Kingdom
by Willy Franzen on February 26, 2009
At least 3 days a week I walk out of my apartment building and I smell chocolate. That may sound strange, but I live less than a mile from a chocolate factory. On days when the wind is blowing right from the West and they’re churning out chocolate, I don’t need to eat dessert – the delicious smell is enough. It’s especially enjoyable when it’s snowing out, and I’m sure that it won’t be nearly as nice on a 90 degree Summer day. It’s a pretty cool perk that I didn’t know that I was getting when I moved into this building. I’m hoping that you can get the same perk when you take a job with The Hershey Company. I don’t know if their corporate offices are near their factories, but even if they aren’t, you’ll still be surrounded by chocolate if you work for them. Hershey’s obviously doesn’t need an introduction, but you may not know that some of their other big brands are Reese’s, KitKat, Kisses, Jolly Rancher, and Ice Breakers. Oh, and in case you didn’t know, they’re located in… Hershey, PA.
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Tagged as:
engineering,
entry-level jobs,
food,
Pennsylvania,
supply chain
by Willy Franzen on December 25, 2008
Somehow the Coca-Cola brand has been indelibly tied to the image of Santa Claus. In fact, there’s even an urban legend that the modern image of Santa Claus was created by The Coca-Cola Company. It’s not true, but the fact that many people believe it to be true speaks volumes about Coca-Cola’s branding prowess (dating all the way back to the 1930s). We considered a lot of Christmas themed companies to feature today, but we keep coming back to the image of St. Nick sipping on a glass bottle of Coke. Let’s see how you can find a job with Coke.
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Tagged as:
administrative,
analyst,
Arkansas,
Belgium,
California,
entry-level jobs,
food,
France,
Georgia,
international,
marketing,
Maryland,
project management,
supply chain,
Texas
by Willy Franzen on October 3, 2008
Let’s be honest – the closest that you’ve ever come to a Rolls-Royce was when you were watching MTV Cribs and saw one in a rapper/athlete/actor’s garage. I’ve seen some college students with some really nice cars, but never a Rolls. With that said, you can finally get close to Rolls-Royce through the college recruiting process. In fact, your lack of familiarity with Rolls-Royce automobiles won’t even matter, because Rolls-Royce plc (the company that we’re talking about today) doesn’t even make cars anymore. That business was sold to BMW in 1998. Rolls-Royce focuses on four global markets – Civil Aerospace, Defense Aerospace, Marine, and Energy – and two vital teams – Services and Research & Development. Although that may not be consistent with the brand image that you’ve associated with Rolls-Royce for a long time, you’re going to have to get used to it – especially if Rolls-Royce sounds like a company that you’d want to work for.
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Tagged as:
aerospace,
customer service,
defense,
engineering,
entry-level jobs,
finance,
Germany,
human resources,
leadership development,
project management,
supply chain,
United Kingdom
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