Career Path of a Director of Product Development and Retail Strategy at DYNACRAFT BSC INC
Rick's career path was significantly shaped by a high school interest in international business and Mandarin Chinese, leading to supply chain management studies at Arizona State and a pivotal summer internship at DYNACRAFT BSC INC after Rick reached out to the managing director, ultimately landing a role overseeing product development and quality control in China for a year, after which Rick "continue[d] to be the main conduit" between DYNACRAFT BSC INC and its Asia operations, marking career progression to the current role as a Director.
Supply Chain Management, International Business, Product Development, Quality Control, Retail Strategy
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
DeCarli
Director, Product Development and Retail Strategy
DYNACRAFT BSC INC
Arizona State University (ASU) - W. P. Carey
Industrial, Supply Chain Management
Apparel, Beauty, Retail & Fashion
Business Strategy
Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. Studied Mandarin Chinese in high school and college, which opened doors to international business opportunities.
2. Interned with the company during junior year of college, which ultimately led to current role.
3. Spent a year in China working on product development and quality control, gaining invaluable experience in international operations.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Please include any internships or jobs you had before your current role.
In high school, I began studying Mandarin Chinese. I was interested in international business broadly and thought it might be a good way to get involved.
Later in high school, I met the managing director of my current company. My sister was playing on one of his sports teams, and we met by coincidence. I picked his brain about working in international business and got some pointers. This influenced me to pursue a business degree at Arizona State.
In college, I studied supply chain management and continued my Mandarin studies. This set the stage for my career path. A few years later, during my junior year, I reached out to the same contact and secured a summer internship with his company.
During college, I also served as treasurer for an on-campus organization and completed several internships. The internship that most significantly shaped my career was the one that ultimately led to my current position.
After graduating, I contacted the company again. I mentioned my continued education, my Chinese studies, and asked if they needed anyone for their China operations. They offered to make a call and find out.
Ultimately, they sent me to China for about a year to live on-site at their production facilities. I split my time between several production facilities and offices, from Hong Kong up through [unclear]. I stayed at each location for two weeks at a time, working my way through the process.
Though I didn't have a formal job title, I essentially worked as a product manager. My responsibilities included overseeing new product development and quality control. I repeated this cycle along the coast and then back up for about a year.
After that year, I returned to the US. Our corporate headquarters were relocating from Napa, California, to Savannah, Georgia. We were involved in imports, and the Port of Savannah was rapidly expanding, leading to the development of a new distribution center and corporate office. This move placed me on the East Coast, where I have mostly remained.
In my current role, I continue to be the primary link between the US and the Asian side of our business. This involves frequent trips to Asia and other travel related to the retail space. That's a brief overview of how my career progressed to its current point.