Brandon Fredricksen carried his giant poster board carefully as he stepped onto the escalator taking him up to the Great Lakes Ballroom. He was nervous and excited to be surrounded by business people from all over the Twin Ports area. It was spring, and the group was attending the Regional Economic Indicators Forum at the DECC. Six students had worked on the research project with Fredricksen, but he was the only one available to represent the research on the day of the conference. “There were probably around 200 people,” Fredricksen says.
Fredricksen’s project was about supply chain disturbances and how companies can adjust them, especially in cases such as the COVID-19 pandemic. His research covered the “three main supply chain disturbances: firm-related disturbances, network-related disturbances, and location-related disturbances.”
“One of the examples I used during the presentation was the earthquake and tsunami that happened in Japan in 2011.” Fredricksen looked at this location-related disturbance and how the disaster affected their unemployment rates and their production rates. He showed how “electronics and motor vehicles had a strong impact” because those were Japan’s most profitable areas.”
His research was well received by the group. “They asked a lot of questions,” he said. Fredricksen wants to thank his fellow researchers: Renee Boldus, Jonathan Hofmann, Esther Maier, Jacqueline Olander, and Alix Anderson. Unfortunately, none of his fellow students were able to attend the conference so Fredricksen represented the group. “It was a great experience."
Duluth was His Place
“It's kind of funny,” says Fredricksen. “UMD was the only college that I applied to. I just knew that this was my place. I love the outdoors, and everything that Duluth has to offer.”
Fredricksen has taken advantage of many opportunities. It started in Cottage Grove, where he grew up. At Park High School, Fredricksen played baseball. “I keep up with intramurals,” says Fredricksen. “I play softball, and I used to play football.” He also participated in the high school choir, which he continued into college. He’s now in his fourth year in choir. “It's a nice way for me to break away from those normal business classes.”
An Interest in Business
Since the summer he graduated from high school, Fredricksen has worked in a family business. He joined his uncle’s company, a branch of the Groutsmith Franchise. “It's a tile restoration and repair business,” Fredricksen says.
“I've always liked to work with my hands,” Fredricksen says. Groutsmith is a good fit. “It's like working on a big art project all day. I make creative decisions about how to lay the tile or the color choices for grout or caulking. I get to see the customers, and I get recognition for the work.”
He branched out within the business school. “I'm also majoring in entrepreneurship. I wanted to get a solid background in communicating with coworkers and customers in different situations,” says Fredricksen.
He’s got a future mapped out. His experiences at UMD add strength to his plan. You can hear the pride in his voice when Fredricksen says “I plan to continue to work with my uncle at Groutsmith. I want to help him grow the business.”
About the Management B.B.A and Entrepreneurship B.B.A
UMD student Eleanore Hunt, who is majoring in writing studies, helped write this story. Eleanore works with Cheryl Reitan in University Marketing and Public Relations.