Student Highlight: Cory McClellan
Hometown: Blackfoot, ID
Languages: English, Spanish
Semester: 4th
Favorite Course: Entrepreneurship and Poverty in Peru
Since August 2013, Cory works at American Express as the assistant to the Vice President and General Manager of World Service, Victor Ingalls. In this role, Cory provides strategic, analytical, and project management in support of new business development and operations enablement for over 2000 employees. Prior to working at American Express, he served as a Captain in the United States Air Force’s Nuclear Weapons Center at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Here, he oversaw the operations of a 200 member maintenance team, with responsibility for national strategic assets valued at $15 Billion.
Cory graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Utah in 2009, and is currently working towards a MS in International Affairs and Global Enterprise. Some of his favorite courses have been International Law, Linear Algebra, and Entrepreneurship and Poverty in Peru. During this last course, taught by Dr. Jay Barney, he spent eight days consulting small businesses in Cusco, Peru. His cost/benefit analysis resulted in the eventual crowdfunding of the investment needed for a machine to grind primary ingredients into guinea pig food. This machine optimized the expense and quality of the food needed to support the operations of an agricultural co-op comprised of 320 women-owned businesses.
Outside of work and school, Cory enjoys traveling, scuba diving, and spending time with his family and friends. As a hobby, he maintains a 30 gallon salt water aquarium with several dozen species of fish, invertebrates, and coral. Additionally he is a pilot, and enjoys flying to nearby destinations.
Whether you are just beginning the MIAGE program or have been graduated for many years,
there is something to be learned from Cory McClellan’s summer internship experience
about how you can apply your MIAGE skills in real life business situations.
This summer, Cory helped head up a project moving many of the Canadian American Express
centers and support teams to reside under the management of Victor Ingalls, Cory’s
direct leader; Cory, who is graduating this month, works as a strategy assistant to
Ingalls and was extensively involved in helping make this move an incredible success.
Below, are highlights on how Cory was able to stand out by applying his knowledge
and skills from specific MIAGE classes to this project:
International Law (LAW 7910): “ . . . my course in international law was crucial to help decipher and
understand the nuanced Canadian law surrounding regulations and requirements for French
servicing. Using my knowledge of treaty law, I was able to ascertain that American
Express would need to comply with Quebec’s laws mandating that all goods and services
be in French. These laws also state that service in French must match the quality
and availability of English servicing. Because we offer 24 hour English service, however,
we had to also offer 24 hour French.”
Methods in Geographic Information Systems (GEOG 6140): “Extensive research was required to know where to look for French-Canadian
speakers in the US. An important issue that we had to take into consideration was
the fact that Parisian French is significantly different from Québecois French, to
the point that Canadian French speakers are put off by receiving service in Parisian
French . . . I was able to create detailed maps and visuals highlighting the exact
areas in the US to market the French servicing job posting. Using these maps, I was
able to estimate the average geographic incentive multiplier that would be used to
determine base pay for the newly hired service representatives. This allowed me to
accurately assess the cost vs benefit of hiring the representatives in the virtual
US environment or in the brick-and-mortar Toronto environment.”
International Monetary Policy (ECON 6510): “I was able to understand the variables that cause exchange rates to
fluctuate, and also to identify and offer solutions to the scenario at hand, such
as looking into exchange rate futures to hedge against volatility. After accounting
for the currency conversion rate, it was determined that hiring the representatives
would cost less in Canada due to the strength of the US dollar relative to the Canadian
dollar. The gap was so big the benefit of exiting the Canadian labor market could
not be justified.”
International Management (MGT 6970): “I did some analysis between the US and Canadian working cultures using
the Hofstede model . . . I found that for all intents and purposes, the working cultures
were identical, which would ultimately make the transition more logistical than cultural
. . . In the class taught by Prof. Lee Boam on international management, we learned
that the best market with which to experiment or expand first is that which is closest
to home. In the case of American Express, this advice has been proven correct . .
. As we began to transfer knowledge and expertise to the Canadian market, their success
in value generation rose accordingly.”
As Cory has demonstrated in his summer internship, MIAGE classes can help students
meet the demands of a highly competitive and fast-paced international marketplace.
We thank Cory for sharing his experience and wish him continued success as he progresses
forward as a great asset to American Express.