Geff Garcia
Recent Alumni Uses International Experience in Position with Hawker-Beechcraft
Geff Garcia, a May 2008 graduate in professional pilot, works as a product marketing coordinator for Hawker Beechcraft. He is a liaison between international salesmen and the Hawker Beechcraft factory in United States. “My weeks fill up fast usually with customers who need assistance,” said Garcia. “I travel often, mostly in the United States-- Reno, Oshkosh, Ft. Lauderdale, Louisville, Little Rock. I pretty much go where the salesmen have customers in the United States.” Although his position is in marketing, Garcia still spends time in the pilot seat. Right now he is flying the Premier and the King Air. “I enjoy the opportunity to be around brand new airplanes on a daily basis,” said Garcia. “I also enjoy the interaction with international customers. It is interesting to hear how they have obtained their wealth. Most of them are not rocket scientists or computer wizards, but they have all found something that they do, and they do it well.” Other than the obvious aviation training, Garcia says that many of his general education classes have come in handy in his current position. “I never thought I would ever need tech writing, but I read from tech manuals and publications weekly. I never thought I would use some of the computer classes, but we conduct and track our business deals using many of the programs I learned at K-State at Salina” Some student club experiences have also been beneficial to Garcia, especially his experience with the Students in Free Enterprise club. “My connection and experience with SIFE is probably one of the most useful tools I have used in my new job. I have used some of the entrepreneurial ideas that SIFE taught me to exceed in my position.” Garcia sites his international trip with SIFE to Italy as one of the most useful experiences he had at K-State at Salina. “It was probably the best experience I use in my new job. International customers enjoy hearing my stories of trips to Europe. It is really a pretty good ice-breaker sometimes.”
Cultural knowledge was also an important lesson learned on the SIFE trip. “In Italy, we learned about differences in clothing, world views, and the environment. I use that information when I encounter people from the European culture. A good example was when our SIFE group was in Venice. We had lunch at an Indian place along the canal. I had never eaten Indian food, and neither had many of the other students. We ended up trying so many different types of food, and I found out what I liked and didn't like. In my first month with Hawker Beechcraft, I entertained two clients from India who had very strict dietary needs. They didn’t feel comfortable eating anything but Indian food. That one lunch in Venice made it easy to eat Indian food with confidence for a week!”
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