Ringing the Bell: Ian Glasner '12 BSBA (Business Management)

Chicago native Ian Glasner was looking for a college experience with a major change of scenery from the Chicago landscape. “I was sold the instant I stepped on the UA campus,” he said. “I fell in love with the features.” Before to choosing his college, Glasner knew he wanted to study business. “I heard great things about Eller College,” he said. It’s reputation only made his decision to attend the University of Arizona easier. Following his passion for international business, Glasner paired his management major with a global business minor. “I wanted to set myself apart using international exposure,” he said. “And I hope to move into international sales in the future.”

Glasner traveled to Mexico with international programs director, Vannessa Kramer, and his BNAD 449 class during his Eller experience. “The trip opened my eyes to how foreign trade is done with Mexico,” he explained. The group visited a prestigious university, Tec de Monterrey in Hermosillo, to view an “entrepreneurship incubator” with projects by the students of Tec de Monterrey. They also gained insight from manufacturing plant executives in the industrial area of Nuevo Guaymas. “We had the opportunity to go with a small group to a manufacturing plant,” said Ian. “I went to a plant that made component parts for airplanes.”

He also traveled to Omaha, Nebraska, along with 19 other Eller students in March 2012 to meet Warren Buffett. “I never thought an opportunity like this would present itself,” he said. “Not only was I able to meet Warren Buffett, who was genuinely friendly and down to earth, but I was also surrounded by peers who were extremely intelligent.”

Glasner identified the development of communication skills gained during his Eller education as an essential part to being prepared for the professional world. “The transition was smooth moving to my next step,” he said. “Eller gives great preparation for communicating well in a good working environment.”

Currently he works for the Canadian Agricultural Nutrient Company, Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, which produces the three major nutrients—nitrogen, potash, and phosphates—that go into the fertilizers necessary to grow food. "Potash produces the nutrients responsible for growing half of the world’s food supply,” he said. To commemorate Potash’s 25th anniversary as a publicly traded company, it held a company-wide contest to ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange in October. Employees wrote about one of five videos depicting the company and how it has evolved. There were five winners chosen to represent the company including: an employee from each of the three nutrient sites, an employee from the Canada office, and an employee from the Chicago office. Glasner was the employee chosen from the Chicago office, “I received a call from an executive in Canada,” he said. “I couldn’t believe I was actually going to New York for this event, it was an incredible experience.”

Glasner attributes much of his current success to his time at Eller. He emphasized the importance of communication within a professional work environment, and recognized the opportunities Eller gives to master these skills. He depicted important advice for aspiring professionals saying, “Give attention to detail, small tasks are significant, and people will continue to trust you with bigger tasks if you complete the small ones well.”

Top photo: Ian Glasner is pictured fifth from the left at the PotashCorp listing on the New York Stock Exchange.