{"id":1399,"date":"2015-08-09T11:10:42","date_gmt":"2015-08-09T16:10:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/mpress\/?p=1399"},"modified":"2017-02-15T12:15:31","modified_gmt":"2017-02-15T18:15:31","slug":"greg-schwartz-10-sweet-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/mpress\/greg-schwartz-10-sweet-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Greg Schwartz, \u201910: Sweet Success"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reading time: 2 minutes<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Greg Schwartz, \u201910, never expected that he would one day work on the corner of Chocolate and Cocoa Avenues near street lights shaped like chocolate Kisses.<\/p>\n

As an athlete playing baseball at Maryville and majoring in sport business management, he intended a career that spoke to his inner sports enthusiast. Sometimes life has other plans.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had great internships at Rawlings that showed me many facets of business, including marketing and brand management\u2014which was exciting,\u201d says Schwartz. Those key placements led him to graduate school.<\/p>\n

Schwartz also credits the guidance of his former professor, John Lewington, PhD, for the change in his career focus. \u201cHe brought his real-world experiences to the classroom and helped me find internships that changed my perspective,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

It is important to stay open and capitalize on opportunities that come along, Schwartz advises. \u201cMy career plan headed in a different direction and it\u2019s been a good thing,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

After earning an MBA in 2012, Greg worked for Save-A-Lot as a beverage buyer. Working with Coke and Pepsi, he learned about the analytic side of marketing. He landed a job at The Hershey Company in 2013, as an associate manager of the Kisses brand.<\/p>\n

\u201cHershey is a phenomenal company. It\u2019s amazing to work on a brand that everyone knows and loves,\u201d says Schwartz.<\/p>\n

He especially enjoys the variety in his job. \u201cOne day I might work on redesigning packaging or in-store displays,\u201d he says. \u201cAnother day, it\u2019s social media, a television commercial or developing a new flavor. Every day brings a new challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

The most challenging part of his work is the ever-changing market. \u201cIt\u2019s tough to keep up with consumer trends, social media and constantly changing technology,\u201d Schwartz says. \u201cConsumers have so many more touch points than in the past. We want to reach them at every facet and give them what they are looking for\u2014even when they don\u2019t know what they\u2019re looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schwartz is married to Tracey Schrock Schwartz, \u201909. They met as students at Maryville, during her undergraduate studies in the rehabilitation services program. Tracey is currently an academic advisor and adjunct professor at Harrisburg Area Community College. \u201cTracey has helped so many people in her career and always keeps me grounded in what\u2019s truly important,\u201d Schwartz says.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This story was originally published in the Spring 2015 edition of<\/em> Maryville Magazine.<\/p>\n

<\/i>Love<\/span>0<\/span><\/span><\/a> <\/i> <\/i>