UVA Darden School of Business Students Visit Hilldrup
We were excited to welcome these First Year MBA students for a tour of Hilldrup’s warehouse facilities and operations!
It’s always a pleasure to welcome guests to our Corporate Headquarters, and on September 12 we hosted one of the largest groups of up-and-coming leaders to date: 40 First Year students from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business!
The visiting students came to learn specifically about how what they’re learning in the classroom directly relates to real-world operations. From the logistics of warehouse receiving and delivery to international operations, we were excited to show our friends from the Darden School of Business how we do business at Hilldrup!
The students were greeted and introduced to Hilldrup leadership, including Charlie McDaniel, Sr. Director, Logistics Services, and who is a year Second Year in the Darden Executive MBA program; John Seal, Senior Vice President, Operations; and Jimmy Murray, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. We began our tour with a look inside one of our tractor trailers and introducing the students to Jose Espinal, an award-winning Hilldrup Van Operator. The students had the opportunity to ask questions about what a day in the life of a Van Operator entails and how we prepare our fleet in order to serve our customers best.
In addition, we provided a tour of our warehouse facilities, including our Storage in Transit (SIT) warehouse to showcase our climate-controlled storage capabilities, as well as our International warehouse for the students to see the inbound and outbound procedures for shipping containers, air freight, and other modes of transport. . Eileen Williams, Vice President of International, explained how our worldwide network of partners works together to support our global clients and was available to answer questions about international cargo, operations and warehousing.
Finally, the students returned back to our Center for Employee Training and Development to hear from Hilldrup President & CEO, Charles W. McDaniel. Charles spoke of the impact that the moving, logistics and transportation industry has on business and the world overall – with goods that everyone relies on arriving via a truck and driver – and that coming to Hilldrup is truly seeing where much of this work gets done.
Hosting these full time MBA students was inspiring, and we’re thankful for their engagement. Thank you all for coming to see us – we look forward to welcoming future classes too!
Charlie McDaniel, Sr. Director, Logistics Services, welcomed the Darden School of Business students to Hilldrup with an introduction of our company and the day’s tour schedule at our Center for Employee Training and Development.
John Seal, Senior Vice President of Operations (left) introduces Jose Espinal, Hilldrup’s 2021 Van Operator of the Year, to the students. Each were given an up-close look at our fleet and the opportunity to ask questions about our fleet and the responsibilities of being a Van Operator.
The Darden School of Business students stand inside of Hilldrup’s International Warehouse where custom crating, packing and warehousing is handled.
Charles W. McDaniel, Hilldrup President and CEO, shares his appreciation for and career advice to the business students at the conclusion of their tour and visit. It was a pleasure to welcome these future leaders and share more about our organization and operations with them!
