Two years ago, Isaac Briganti had no idea what to major in.
Now, thanks to the global supply chain management (GSCM) program at the BYU Marriott School of Business, Briganti has impressive internship experience under his belt and a job waiting for him at global industrial company Grainger.
Before settling on GSCM, Briganti, a native of Bluffdale, Utah, planned to work in the business world but felt unsure about where. “I wanted a career where I could build meaningful relationships,” he says. While taking MSB 180: Business Career Lecture Series, a presentation from Simon Greathead, a GSCM professor, inspired Briganti to take a closer look at supply chain.
“I learned that the GSCM program strongly emphasizes a family culture,” he says. Having close connections is extremely important to Briganti, and this tipped the scale for him in favor of supply chain. “Professor Greathead also mentioned that people in supply chain are the ones who actually spend the money in a business,” says Briganti, quipping that this also influenced his decision to pursue the major.
Strong connections not only run deep in the program, Briganti explains, but also in the entire industry. “Relationships are key in supply chain,” he says. “Together, collaboration creates something more than just one person could create alone.”
Significant world events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict have brought supply chain issues to the headlines. An otherwise seamless and unseen world, the supply chain can have powerful consequences on daily life when disrupted. “The supply chain affects us much more deeply than you think,” Briganti says. “It ensures that the core functions of businesses run, which keeps everything going in our lives.”
While interning for Grainger’s inventory team during summer 2022, Briganti experienced firsthand the power of relationships and problem-solving in supply chain. Grainger has more than 1.5 billion products in inventory, and a sizable portion was stuck in Canada because of border issues. “I headed the project to bring that inventory to the United States,” Briganti says.
As part of that process, Briganti reached out to more than 70 people in the company to establish relationships, learn about the problem, and work toward a solution. “For the supply chain to work successfully, strong connections need to be built between everyone involved in the distribution network,” he says.
In the end, Briganti crafted a creative and effective remedy for the situation. The current inventory transfer process would have taken more than six months, but Briganti worked on a new process that optimized the effort to last just a few weeks instead. In addition to the shorter timeline, the improved system displayed updated inventory levels, filtered the excess, and analyzed the company’s inventory needs in the United States. Through the more efficient process, the company will ideally save more than $1 million in annual costs. Executives at Grainger acknowledged Briganti’s contributions to the company and offered him a full-time position, which he will start in July 2023.
“I’m excited to build my skills in different aspects of supply chain, especially by improving my leadership abilities,” Briganti says. “In the future, I want to be become an industry leader by making the world a better place through efficiency, namely through expanding the capabilities of businesses to provide higher quality and less costly services to consumers.”
BYU Marriott has helped Briganti find a career path where he can apply his desire to serve others. “One of my core values is helping people, especially those who suffer disproportionately,” he says. “BYU Marriott has helped me channel my desire to do good into something actionable.”
Accordingly, Briganti also credits BYU Marriott with giving him a strong foundation and bright prospects. “BYU helped me find my place and trajectory,” he says. “I never imagined entering my senior year with an amazing full-time job already lined up.”
Nonetheless, Briganti notes that his experience is not rare at BYU Marriott. “The GSCM major has set me up wonderfully for my career,” he says. “But this is a program that helps every member find success and vision.”
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Writer: Jaden McQuivey
