MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – Former Starbucks CEO and Northern Michigan University alumni Howard Schultz spoke to a group of students, alumni, and faculty today in a fireside chat. The 1975 graduate was on campus as part of an external strategy meeting to assist NMU in its long-term strategic planning. The chat was moderated by University President Brock Tessman who took questions from students in attendance. Schultz talked about his success with Starbucks, and his business philosophies.
A common theme throughout the event was the changing face of business, and what it takes to succeed.
To succeed traditional marketing with advertising or billboards or PR is not going to work anymore. You have to find a different way. And then going back to Starbucks, there’s no better way to build a brand, and it sounds old-fashioned than word of mouth,” said Schultz.
Schultz came to NMU on a football scholarship, however, his playing days were cut short due to an injury. Upon graduating Schultz worked briefly for Xerox before landing at Starbucks as their Director of Operations and marketing, and then, of course as CEO. Starbucks has always been a company rooted in solid values, something he found at Northern.
I think it gave me something I did not have before I came, which was self-confidence, and lifelong friendships,” Schultz remembered. “And I think coming from New York really, I think Midwest values that stood with me for the rest of time.
Junior Emma Schmidt thought Schultz came off as genuine, relatable, and kind. So, what question would she ask him?
I guess I would ask him where his ideas come from. I think it’s easy for me to comprehend how you get jobs and how you go where you want to be, but how to be creative in that field, I think is something I don’t fully understand. So I’d love to know how he does that,” said Schmidt.
Schultz leaves behind a legacy that is so much more than coffee, a company of people who happen to sell coffee.
