Inspired by his father, Carlos Valles moved from Mexico to the United States to study at the BYU Marriott School of Business and launch his career. Now working as a brand manager for The Hershey Company, the marketing alum is fueled by his passion for business and influential experiences at BYU Marriott.
As a child, Valles was inspired by watching his father start and manage a successful business. His father showed dedication to his business and continued to work hard despite challenges that came. “I thought often about my future career, studying management, working with other people, and running a successful business, like my father did,” recalls Valles.
Valles considered his options for schooling and felt drawn to BYU because he and his family were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “I felt that BYU and BYU Marriott offered quality education for my interest in business. BYU shared the values that I align with and offered a positive environment influenced by the church that I wanted to be a part of,” says Valles. During his introductory business classes at BYU Marriott, he decided to study marketing—an area, which he felt was the perfect intersection between numbers and people allowed him to use both his analytical and creative sides.
In 2011, Valles graduated from BYU Marriott becoming a first-generation college graduate. He first worked for Walgreens and later for food manufacturing company Kraft Foods. Though he developed his interest in consumer-packaged goods (CPG) companies through these jobs, his duties primarily involved retail sales instead of marketing. “My heart was still in marketing and I wanted to have that experience,” says Valles. “I decided to go back to school and receive my MBA at BYU Marriott, because I knew many of the marketing jobs at CPG companies required an MBA.”
The positive experiences he had at BYU Marriott with students and faculty as an undergraduate student made returning for MBA an easy choice for Valles. In the few years he spent in the workforce prior to returning to school, Valles continuously applied concepts that he learned and experiences he had at BYU Marriott in his daily work. “BYU Marriott offered a special environment, where I learned business fundamentals and had wonderful experiences with professors and classes that truly inspired me.”.
BYU Marriott’s focus on collaboration between students and mentorship from the school’s faculty enhanced Valles’ skillset and experiences in his career. “As a student at BYU Marriott, I was put on a team in my first year, and I had to learn how to work effectively together with my teammates. I couldn't do everything myself; I needed to trust others, help my teammates, and rely on each other's strengths. This type of teamwork definitely has helped me in my career as a brand manager.”
Valles’ education helped him receive several job offers from companies he aspired to work for. In June 2015, he completed an internship at Campbell Soup Company, where he learned more about the CPG industry and gained valuable experience in brand management. Near the end of his MBA in 2016, Valles received a full-time job offer with The Hershey Company, one of the top companies on his list. He accepted the offer and moved to Hershey, Pennsylvania, where he and his family currently reside.
“One of my favorite things about my career at Hershey is that there are so many different opportunities to build your career within marketing,” says Valles. In the five years that Valles has worked at Hershey, he has developed his skillset, received new and different experiences in marketing, and continued to follow in the footsteps of his father by helping a business succeed. “I have loved my time at Hershey, and I look forward to continuing to have experiences that allow me to progress in my career in marketing and work diligently towards my goals like my father did.”
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Writer: Emily Atwood
Valles' story was also highlighted in BYU Marriott's 2021 Annual Report.
