Introduction: Tom Hamilton

To echo Ian's first post, I too will be blogging (and video blogging) as I embrace the growth and experience during my Tauber Project. As I stay in the Midwest, I will be working for General Mills in Minneapolis, MN. I'll also use this post to give you a little background about myself though in future posts, I will go a little more in depth about my project and experience.

Similar to Ian, I am a senior studying Industrial and Operations Engineering (IOE) at the University of Michigan and will be completing my Masters next Spring. I, too, am doing this through the Engineering Global Leadership Honors Program (EGL). My interest in the Tauber Institute (and EGL for that matter) arouse from the tremendous growth and experience that I witnessed in my older brother, David (IOE/IOE '08/'09). The program gave him the opportunity to work on a substantive project with top management, amazing modules that polished both technical and soft skills, and the chance to become a leader at the University. At the time I did not know of the powerful network and resources also offered through Tauber, but I do now and value them greatly. My interactions with the MBA/MSCM students over the last year have given me the chance to learn from their valuable experiences. This summer, my General Mills project will consist of myself (a masters student in engineering) and an MBA, Honore Louie. Together, Honore and I are eager to introduce General Mills to Tauber, as its their first time as a project sponsor. We are also excited to learn more about their operations while leaving a lasting impact on their snacks division.

Through my time at U-M, I have been quite active in groups, organizations, and IM Sports. Currently, I am the President of EGL and I have held numerous other roles within EGL in past semesters. A few accomplishments I am most proud of include: my facilitation and contribution to the launching of an internal leadership course (also known as "Topics in Leadership"), my participation on the 2010 Volunteer Abroad trip where 14 students (including Ian) built cook stoves in a Peruvian village, and the exclusive interactions I have had with industry representatives. Before EGL, I was an active member and team captain in Dance Marathon (a non-profit organization which raises funds and awareness for children in need of pediatric rehabilitation). I have also been involved in Alpha Pi Mu (The IOE Honors Society) and I am currently a peer advisor in the IOE department. I have also enjoyed playing 8 semesters of IM Broomball (racking up 4 championships to date) and in a recreational University hockey league. Like Ian, I serve on theTauber Student Advisory Board (SAB).

This completes my first post! As for next time, look forward to a potential video and update on my project and experience at General Mills. Please feel free to post any questions or comments as well!