Representatives from Coca-Cola Company recently held a showcase with students of the Richards College of Business at the University of West Georgia. In the showcase, they described the characteristics they look for in potential future colleagues at the Fortune 500 company.

Our Coca-Cola Leaders

The representatives from Coca-Cola leading the showcase were key account manager for the East region, Tommy Brown, and senior national sales executive for the Coca-Cola Company, Cassie Foery. Foery also serves as the senior marketing manager for college-channel marketing, making her presence at this event even more special.

Foery, a 30-year veteran of the company, has done everything from selling fountain dispensers on the streets of Los Angeles to managing Coca-Cola relationships with big-name companies like the Walt Disney Company. Brown began his career with Coke in the late 70s and currently manages production and distribution of products across the southeast.

The University of West Georgia’s Perspective

Dr. Faye McIntyre, the dean of the Richards College of Business and Sewell Chair of Private Enterprise at UWG, had this to say about the opportunity: “We are always so excited to offer our students the opportunity to hear from business leaders who have tremendous backgrounds like Cassie and Tommy, and our students being able to interact with them one-on-one is a great example of what we do here in the Richards College of Business.” She expressed that the program wants students to do more than just sit in a classroom—the Richards College of Business actively seeks out chances for students to “engage with the business community and have meaningful conversations with people in relevant fields.”

Foery shared McIntyre’s sentiment about the event. She and the rest of Coca-Cola Company place a huge importance on finding and fostering young talent, which is why they make it a priority to meet with college students like those of UWG. Jonny Denny, a senior student studying business administration and marketing, expressed his gratitude that such a “large and prestigious” company would hold an event like the showcase, especially as he nears graduation.

A Mutually Beneficial Relationship

While UWG students surely benefitted from the information Coca-Cola came to share, the students were not the only ones learning at this event. Coke was able to gather new insights about how college students consume their branding by speaking face-to-face with students on campus. “As we look to the next generation of consumers, we want to figure out how best we can adapt to their needs and desires,” said Foery.

Atlanta Coca-Cola Bottling Company, headquarters for the East Region of Coca-Cola UNITED, serves almost all of the state of Georgia within Coca-Cola UNITED’s footprint.