May 24, 2017
JEAR Logistics, a growing third-party logistics company based in Charleston, has been partnering with the Darla Moore School of Business since October of 2014 to bring experiential sales knowledge to students while also getting direct access to top sales scholars.
When the partnership began, the JEAR Logistics Annual Scholarship Fund was established. This fund was set up to award an annual scholarship to a marketing student.
This year, the Moore School is set to launch its Center for Sales Success, which will serve to enhance the sales track at the Moore School with input from those in the industry and recruit companies to hire Moore School sales-focused students after they graduate.
Because JEAR Logistics was already invested in the Moore School, their representatives were able to get a head start on partnering with the center. In January, the company committed to partnering with the new center and amended the annual scholarship to be awarded to marketing students with a preference to those in the sales track.
Sallie Williams (B.A., ’02), the human resources manager for JEAR Logistics, believes that such partnerships are “mutually beneficial” for the companies and schools involved.
“Students get the benefit of hearing about real-world experiences,” she said, “and then we get access to top entry-level talent through that partnership.”
While the company does partner with other schools in the state, she said they can sense a positive difference in Moore School students.
“Moore School students are definitely more polished and more prepared when we visit for job fairs and the like,” she said.
In the last three years, JEAR Logistics has hired 14 full-time workers and one intern from USC. They have also hired two students from this May’s graduating class and one summer intern.
Beth Renninger, director of the Center for Sales Success, admires JEAR Logistics’ mission to provide better customer service while providing recent graduates with a clear career path.
“JEAR Logistics’ creativity and agility make them an ideal partner for our new center,” she said.
By Madeleine Vath