When global supply chain management (GSCM) alumnus Jeremy Romrell began his internship at Boeing in the summer of 2017, he had no idea he would become a driving force in connecting the company to the BYU Marriott School of Business.
Romrell returned to Boeing for a full-time position after graduating from the GSCM program at BYU Marriott. “The values at Boeing closely align with my values and BYU Marriott’s values—which is to say, there’s a big family first mentality,” Romrell says. “My job very rarely exceeds 40 hours a week, and that allows me to be home more often, which is really important to me. I love to be with my family: going to the zoo, spending time outside, and playing dress up.”
Romrell has also enjoyed the ways Boeing helps him grow professionally. “I’ve done five or six different jobs in my seven years at Boeing, and I’ve learned so many different things from those jobs,” he says.
When Romrell was still finding his way around Boeing, he took the time to evaluate the processes his first team followed. “I was able to standardize the way that our entire team operates, saving people about 20 percent of their time,” Romrell says. “I ended up winning a cash award at the company for that.”
That experience gave Romrell much more than an award. He says, “I learned that I can have a greater impact if I look outside of the box, and focus not only on what’s in front of me but also on opportunities to help and serve others in my work.”
As he widened his focus to helping others, Romrell developed a close working relationship with the director of his team, who is now the vice president of supply chain at Boeing. “She has been one of the biggest sponsors for recruiting and bringing in more BYU Marriott students since that point,” Romrell says. “That relationship has really paid dividends—not just for me, but for many, many BYU Marriott students who have been able to come to Boeing since then.”
Romrell and his coworkers have done more than help students get internships and positions. In 2023 Boeing sponsored the GSCM case competition at BYU Marriott. “We provided financial support and, more importantly, a case for students to evaluate and provide recommendations on,” he says.
The case for the competition focused on the company’s international supply chain presence in India, and Romrell worked with several leaders at Boeing to put it together. “Then we brought a bunch of those leaders and strategy analysts to campus to listen to the proposals, network with students, and continue to build the relationship between Boeing and BYU,” Romrell says. “It was really impactful, both for the students and for us.”
Although many BYU Marriott students may need Romrell’s connection to get a foot in the door at Boeing, they don’t need his help to stand out once they’ve arrived. “They just have a light about them—a drive and desire to learn and to grow and to get as much out of the experience as they can,” Romrell says. “I’ve had countless number of hiring managers, directors, and senior directors come to me and say, ‘How can we get more BYU students here? They’re phenomenal.’ Just being able to take part in that and bring back more and more students every year has been really fulfilling.”
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Written by Melissa Een
