Los Angeles
The Kellogg Alumni Club of Los Angeles (KACLA) has been very active in providing enriching and engaging programs and events for their alumni. In the fall, entrepreneur Jonathan Greenblatt '99 gave a talk on the importance of incorporating social responsibility and giving back into business models. Jonathan co-founded Ethos Water, which is now sold nationally in Starbucks. Proceeds from sales support efforts to provide clean water in Third World countries. KACLA also hosted Phil Marineau '70, former president of Quaker Oaks, Pepsi North America and Levi Strauss, who talked about globalization and its impact on business today. He sat at a table with about 35 KACLA alumni, and candidly discussed his time at Kellogg (which brought a few chuckles), how he oversaw the huge growth of Gatorade to national prominence, and subsequently managed the difficult financial and marketing turnaround of Levi Strauss. Our club also hosted about 20 Kellogg students as part of their annual media and entertainment trek to Los Angeles. In January, KACLA was honored to take part in the Kellogg Insight Live series, where Mohanbir Sawhney, McCormick Tribune Foundation Clinical Professor of Technology, spoke to about 110 attendees (alumni and other enthralled attendees). His thought-provoking and entertaining presentation focused on how the immediate impact that social media has on a brand or company has changed the climate of how we do business. He gave examples of the need for transparency as we operate in a Web 2.0 global economy and how social media has overtaken traditional avenues of advertising and promotion. KACLA is gearing up for their second annual career networking and symposium in June. The event will feature talks by experts on how to position yourself for new employment opportunities; discussions on the climate of the job market; and breakout sessions on career enhancement.
