Seidman Alumni Board Spotlight - Ryan Slusarzyk
Professional Journey Quick Facts:
- I came to GVSU in the fall of 2003, as a first generation college student, and having little to no idea of what I wanted to do for my career, and naturally, like most people, I selected medicine.
- After a few classes, learning more about myself moving away from my comfort zone, I chose business as a path instead and started to flourish. I had three really promising internships during my time at GVSU, and then graduated in 2008, the basement of the economy. I was told I was of the 4% graduating that year that had a job in their degree field.
- Since I graduated, I have worked in hospitality, consumer packaged goods, professional sports and not medical device/technology. During my times with these companies, I have mostly focused on downstream and upstream marketing and sales, with some project management and leadership sprinkled in.
How has Seidman had a role in your journey?
My time at GVSU really taught me the value in gaining diverse experiences, and how to work with different people, that has allowed me to seamlessly move between organizations and into highly impactful roles.
When did you graduate?
BBA - 2008
MBA - 2020
Where are you from?
I am from Clio, MI, and moved to Grand Rapids to go to GVSU as an undergrad and have stayed in the area since.
What do you do for fun?
Spending time with my family, and specifically my wife and daughter. Volunteering on boards of area non-profits, and playing sports with family, friends and colleagues.
Ryan's Advice
"Learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Also, one thing, I wish I would have done, was move out of the Grand Rapids metro area, and migrate back. Diverse experiences really transform your way of thinking and provide more / increased value to your future employers."
Tell Us More...
What has been the most significant professional outcome that came as a result of your GVSU degree from Seidman College?
Most likely securing my first job out of college, and my current job. When I graduated in 2008, it was a turbulent time in the American economy, but I worked on networking, developing relationships in the career services offices, that assisted me in getting multiple different offers. For my current job, I was in an MBA finance class at Seidman, and we were doing a HBR case on Stryker, which led to me applying.
If you could learn one new professional skill, what would it be and why?
I would love to learn the enhanced ability of developing and understand financial modeling. This is an important aspect of the work I do, and having clearer understanding could lead to more effective decision making.
What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?
Slow down. Quite often we get caught up in the speed of life (work, personal, extracurriculars), and allowing your self to slow down and become methodical can allow you to make better choices and enjoy the process of doing so.
If you could pick any job, what would it be?
Serial entrepreneur. This takes a lot of capital, and large network with capital, however being able to be mobile and shift focus regularly while building businesses I believe could be incredibly rewarding.