05 Dec 2024
When it comes to your career journey, you never know where one opportunity may lead you. That is especially true for Marketing Coordinator, Michael Kinard, who started out as an Arrive Barista and is now a Marketing Coordinator on the Marketing team! This week we sat down with Michael to learn more about his journey from St. Edward’s University to Arrive Logistics and his advice for soon-to-be college graduates.
Where did you go to school and what did you study?
I went to St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas and I graduated with a degree in Business Administration after majoring in Digital Media Management. I graduated in May of 2020, right when the COVID-19 pandemic started. I was in a business fraternity called Delta Sigma Pi during college. It was more of a professional fraternity than a social fraternity. Most days we would go see professional seminars or do volunteer work.
How did you first hear about Arrive?
I actually first heard about Arrive in 2019 from a recruiter who messaged me on LinkedIn looking for a Barista in the coffee shop that Arrive has on campus. I had some experience and I thought the company sounded like a fun place to work, so I took the job. That later led me to an internship in Marketing here. Shortly after, I accepted a full-time position as Marketing Coordinator.
How did you become interested in working in marketing?
Marketing to me encompasses so many aspects of a business and it is such a vital part of the success of any company. Originally, I was mainly interested in social media but later found myself more focused on a different side of marketing. It involves a lot of the things that I like in working for a company. It has a little bit of design, some writing, and people skills are a must. I find that the most interesting.
What’s your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part of the job is definitely the change that marketing goes through. It feels like the world is moving so fast and marketing is constantly changing and evolving with it to meet the new demands or technology that’s coming out every day. That’s always fun and always keeps me on my toes.
What keeps you at Arrive?
The culture is definitely one of the biggest reasons I stay at Arrive. I’ve never met so many hardworking and fun people. It really makes the day so much easier when you’re working with your friends. I also feel like Arrive is growing so much and I want to be here when it reaches that level of success, to where it’s beyond all its competitors. I want to say that I was here in the beginning and I was a part of the growth. I was here when this place was in a much smaller building and now it is in two giant warehouses not far from downtown Austin. Who knows where the next five years will be.
Have any advice for soon-to-be college grads?
My advice would be to not worry if you can’t find a job right out of college, most people don’t. Just think of where you want your future self to be and make tiny steps to work toward that goal. You’re not going to get the perfect job immediately, you might have to take a longer back road, but you’ll get there.
If you could go back in time and tell your college self one thing, what would it be?
I would definitely tell myself to put myself out there more and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Sometimes societal, family and other outside factors can put a lot of pressure on someone. It’s important to take a step back and look at where you are and where you want to be and go from there. There’s no need to put so much pressure on yourself.
For someone about to start a career in the logistics industry, what would you tell them?
Learn the lingo. Sometimes I have a hard time understanding what people are talking about or what the reps would need from marketing because I don’t always understand the verbiage. I feel like if I had more knowledge about the industry early on, it would have helped me out.
Describe Arrive in 3 hashtags!
#Ambitious
#Inspiring
#Growing
