Nike Campus Trek

Nike recruiters selected sixty students from MBA programs at Columbia, USC, Virginia, Georgetown, Michigan, Texas, and the University of Oregon to attend their annual campus trek visit last Wednesday. It was a great experience for all of us, and a unique opportunity to connect with employees and recruiters in our specific fields of interest.

8:30 a.m. – We started the morning off right with a light continental breakfast and networking with other MBAs from around the country. Most were interested in marketing, though a fair number were focusing on finance, merchandising, or strategic planning.

9 a.m.— Individually, three executive speakers gave us lessons on Nike culture, history, human resources and retail forecasts.

Nelson Farris, Director of Corporate Education, spoke on the history of Nike, highlighting the accomplishments of Phil Knight, Bill Bowerman, Jeff Johnson, Steve Prefontaine, Michael Jordan, and Carolyn Davidson.

David Ayre, VP of Global Human Resources, talked about Nike culture, goals, and talent opportunities within the company. Particularly of interest was his spiel on developing at least 30 people within the company who could be VPs for any position. How do you succeed at Nike? Be smart. “But if you think you’re the smartest person in the room, you probably aren’t.”

Louis Jordan, CFO of Global Retail, gave us an inside look at some of the goals and revenues of Nike that clearly weren’t meant to be shared outside the room. He did impart some great Nike maxims, like “Remember the Man,” “Be a Sponge,” and “Nike is a Company.”

10:30 a.m.— A panel of Nike MBAs were perhaps the highlight of the trip, talking about the 2-year rotational program, how they found their way to Nike, and how others should proceed if Nike is their dream. Julian Duncan from Global Brand Marketing stole the show, with an impressive background in football, Madden NFL parties, DJing and a lot of humor.

11:30 a.m. — Lunch, not surprisingly, was my favorite part of the trip. I sat next to Jen Jacobs, a nice lady in Brand Marketing, and a bunch of good-natured Texas folks who wanted to know more about the Warsaw program. The lasagna: excellent.

12:15 p.m. — The pouring rain didn’t stop us from enjoying a tour of the Nike campus. What a place! I’m more of a fan of inner-Portland than the suburbs, but you can’t beat the spectacular college-campus feel of the Beaverton location. A blue-line MAX stop nearby is icing on the cake.