Bryn Sieverts was always fascinated with the concept of business. As a young boy growing up in Bountiful, Utah, Sieverts set up a popsicle stand on a street corner in his neighborhood to earn some extra cash.
In high school, he participated in DECA competitions, which teach students about business and leadership. Sieverts, now a BYU Marriott School of Business alumnus in global supply chain management (GSCM), continues to use his passion for business and the valuable lessons he’s learned at BYU to help him in his career.
After graduating high school and serving a full-time, Portuguese-speaking mission in Atlanta, Sieverts began his undergrad at BYU in 2012. “I absolutely loved going to school at the university,” Sieverts says. “I enjoyed the thrill of learning new things, engaging in the social scene, and taking general classes along with business courses.”
While experiencing new things at BYU, Sieverts also discovered a major that fit his interests perfectly: global supply chain management. He was interested in an evolving career that would always give him something new to learn. He loved the mix of management principles, math, and service opportunities the field offered as well.
When Sieverts applied to the program and gained admission, he came in contact with exceptional professors and mentors who taught him many valuable lessons. “I learned how to effectively negotiate, value small teams and companies, and prioritize connecting everything I do to the company’s mission,” he says. “However, the most important lesson I learned was to be kind to those I work with.”
Sieverts was in his purchasing and supply chain management class one day when this lesson was highlighted. His professor brought in a box of cinnamon rolls from local bakery Shirley’s. That simple act of kindness taught Sieverts the importance of both his responsibilities as a future professional and, more importantly, caring for and building strong relationships with those he works with.
That idea of being kind and caring has stuck with Sieverts throughout his career, starting with his internship at Boeing his senior year at BYU. Following that internship, he was recruited to work at Sunrise Technologies, a supply chain consulting company in North Carolina, shortly after graduating in 2015.
Sieverts worked his way up at Sunrise, starting as a supply chain consultant before becoming project manager and, later, vice president of customer support services. He continues to build on the lessons he learned at BYU Marriott as he leads, trains, and strengthens relationships with others. He works with a tight-knit, efficient team that does consulting work for clients. He compares the finished result of their consulting to a beehive, Sieverts says. “All the bees are buzzing around, knowing exactly where to fly because there’s a system and process in place that you teach them. When the hive is humming and the bees are happy, things are sweet,” he explains.
Sieverts values and takes great joy in such collaborative teamwork. When he’s able to elevate the experiences of the employees he supervises by improving processes while being kind and caring, it reminds him of the lessons he learned during his time at BYU.
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Writer: Sophia Shafkalis
