From Intern to Full-Time Career: Growing with Clark Associates

Chase Slenker started with Clark Associates in 2022 as an intern and later joined on full-time after graduating from Shippensburg University. He’s now part of our procurement team and is a crucial driver in growing our plant-based food category. Learn more about his journey with the company and advice for current students below!??

What roles have you had with Clark???

I started at Clark Associates in the spring of 2022 as a procurement intern on the perishables team. Coming from a financial processing position my previous summer, this role was much more my speed and aligned with my degree in Supply Chain Management and my personal interests. After my first summer at Clark, I continued as a remote part-time employee in procurement working about twenty-five to thirty hours a week while finishing my undergraduate degrees at Shippensburg University. That fall I accepted a full-time position as a Category Analyst continuing with the perishables team.??

For anyone familiar with Procurement, I’m not the best vendor analyst/manager, and placing PO’s, “resetting vendors,” and calculating inventory turns are not my forte, but I fell in love with the relationship building and the strategic “big picture” decision making that category management entails. Since going full-time, I’ve managed the plant-based foods (vegan) category, and starting in January I will officially be the Category Manager for plant-based foods alongside our Fresh Fruit & Vegetable categories. What I love the most about Clark is the ownership mentality given to employees to truly own the successes and failures of their respective categories. The culture at Clark is impressive, and the people I work with make work fun, inclusive, and purposeful. We do a lot of team bonding events and help celebrate each other’s achievements, and although I’m biased, I think I’m on one of the best teams in the company.??

What advice do you have for college students looking for their next role??

Throughout my internship experience, I was able to learn the ins and outs of procurement and was very fortunate to have a team, mentor, and supervisor who all challenged me, let me “get my hands dirty,” let me try out my own solutions to problems, and really empowered me to learn and grow within the department quickly. Outside of my internship experience, my involvement in my undergraduate degree in co-curricular and extra-curricular experiences helped me focus on the critical skills necessary to succeed and advance quickly in the workplace.??

Often, I’m asked what advice I can provide to undergraduate students looking to land their first internship or full-time position. Some of my top tips and advice that I share with prospective hires at career fairs are as follows:?

• Know what you want and align with that end goal- Someone who is passionate about something is substantially more appealing. Set your eyes on a particular position, company, or internship, and look over the qualifications and responsibilities. If you want to be in that capacity, start learning the skills, acquire the experiences, and build yourself into an ideal candidate.??

• Network- Networking isn’t just a formal thing. It’s the small interpersonal relationships you build every day both in-person and online. It takes time and work, but building connections and relationships will get you substantially further than a few lines on a resume. LinkedIn is your best friend and go to as many networking and career events as you can. You’d be surprised how many people know each other.???

• Work hard- Nothing speaks louder than hard work, determination, and resilience.??

• Ask and Advocate- If you’re in an internship position and are looking for full-time work, make that known. You are your own best advocate and if you don’t advocate for yourself and what you want or need, it’s going to be a lot harder for those to become a reality.??

• Get Involved- Your GPA only matters so much, and being super involved speaks louder than a few points higher on your GPA. Getting involved in college or even in your workplace will help teach soft skills and technical skills that will better prepare you for the workplace.??

• Submit a cover letter- When applying to positions, always write a personalized cover letter. Basic template letters are almost always thrown right in the garbage.??

How have you grown our perishable food category so far??

Over the past months I’ve worked to grow our plant-based and vegan offerings on WebstaurantStore – onboarding twenty plus new vendors and over 150 items in the past six months. I often remark to people that I truly love my job and that most days I’m excited to come to work. I’ve really enjoyed negotiating programs with our existing and new vendors and building out our category. The ownership mentality is astonishing, and I’ve become almost an “expert” within Consumables on plant-based alternatives and the foodservice market for alternative protein and dairy products. One of the highlights was an impromptu interview with vegconomist - the vegan business magazine , the leading business magazine on plant-based products (linked here).??

So far this year I’ve been to two expos: Plant Based World Expo North America in New York City and the Natural Products Expo East in Philadelphia. These conferences have allowed me to find new and innovative products, taste-test and try samples of products, and connect with business leaders from across the globe. In addition to the people I’ve met at expositions, the position has allowed me to connect with CEOs and executives from plant-based manufacturers across the globe including from Israel, Taiwan, Singapore, Canada, Mexico, and Spain. I have learned so much so far and I look forward to continuing to grow our perishables offerings to provide a one-stop shop solution for independent operators across the United States.??

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Could you speak about your experience in giving back and volunteering at Clark???

I graduated from Shippensburg University (SU) in May 2023 with a degree in accounting and a degree in supply chain management. In May of 2024, I will graduate with my master's in business administration. I’ve had the privilege to recruit for the Clark companies with our recruitment team at multiple SU career fairs and Clark-sponsored events on campus. Representing Clark as an alumnus at my alma mater is an amazing way for me to give back to the University I graduated with and has allowed me to leverage the faculty and staff connections at SU to help source the best talent for Clark. Plus, this has allowed me to help our recruitment teams better understand the academic intensity, extra-curricular offerings, and nearby business experiences that applicants have when applying to Clark.??

Outside of SU, Clark has allowed me to help support other organizations I care about. Through the Clark Charitable Foundation so far, I’ve received grants up to $3,000 for two organizations I volunteer with: The Boy Scouts of America and The Harbor in Shippensburg. The company values its employees immensely not just personally but also in their philanthropic giving.??

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What do you like to do for fun outside of work???

Outside of work, I spend a lot of time right now on my MBA sadly (although that’s almost done). I spend most of my free time with my friends, family, and partner. I love to spend time outdoors camping and hiking, and I love to travel, as well. My goal is to hit all seven continents by the time I’m thirty-five. So far, Brussels, Belgium has been my favorite destination. I also enjoy lifting and running, and you can usually catch me in the Clark gym in the early afternoons when I’m in the office in Lancaster. I’m a huge fan of high-quality coffee and dry red wine. I’m a social butterfly and love to meet new people so if you see me around campus, feel free to say hello! I would love to learn more about you.??