Skip Petrzelka, Director of Export Operations, Shurfine International, Inc., Lake Forest MBA Class of 1992
If you don't see the similarity between a can of corn and a luxury import car, you might be surprised by who's running Shurfine International, Inc.'s export division. After a 20-year career in auto-motive sales and marketing, Skip Petrzelka, a graduate of LFGSM's Schaumburg Campus, is selling a different kind of product.
As the new Director of Export Operations for Shurfine International, Inc., Petrzelka draws on the experience he obtained in automotive sales and marketing, coupled with the skills developed through LFGSM's MBA program to enhance export business opportunities for Shurfine.
When Shurfine International, Inc., a Northlake-based food company restructured its divisions in 1995 to emphasize the company's export business, Petrzelka impressed Shurfine International, Inc.'s CEO with a plan to capitalize on foreign markets.
"The MBA program at LFGSM helped me develop the entrepreneurial skill required to manage this strategic business unit as a profit center for Shurfine International," Petrzelka said. "The School made it possible for me to comprehend large scale international business concepts which have a direct relation to our bottom line."
Currently, Petrzelka conducts business with wholesalers and retailers in more than 40 countries, including Canada, Mexico, Japan, Honduras, El Salvador, the Philippines, Kuwait and the U.A.E.
An ambitious salesman, Petrzelka spends approximately half of his time meeting with clients around the world. "My lifestyle is different than it was before," he said. "But, it's a welcome change of pace."
Back