On the Road Again....
By Heather Conlan

If you take a look at SMS student Tony Kuruvilla’s passport, you might find it’s a little frayed around the edges. This marketing/logistics student has lived in India, Bahrain (a middle eastern Persian Gulf country located just east of Saudi Arabia), England, and then the U.S., only to leave again to study and work as an intern in France. Kuruvilla has been there, done that, loved every minute, and shows no signs of ending his traveling ways anytime soon.

Kuruvilla was born in Kerala, India, located on the coast of the Arabian Sea. After only two years of living there, he and his parents moved to Bahrain. During his 12-year stay in Bahrain, he “lived” the first Gulf War up close and personal-- an experience he will never forget. He recalls, “My family was issued gas masks for use in emergency situations during the war. I remember when the air raid sirens would go off [the signal to hide] all the kids would run outside to see what was going on and then the parents would scramble outside to gather their children.”

While growing up, Kuruvilla’s father worked as a sales executive for a publishing house in Bahrain and his mother was a Personal Nursing Officer at the Bahrain Defense Force of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Kuruvilla’s mom was the team leader of the “Disaster Team”, who assisted wounded Arab and American soldiers and civilians during the Gulf War.

When Kuruvilla was about 18 years old, he and his parents moved to London, England with plans to start up a computer business similar to the existing business in India which his uncle started. Shortly after this move, he decided to attend school in the United States. Since he already had an uncle living in Springfield, he chose to attend SMSU.

Kuruvilla came to SMS in 1999 where he immediately felt right at home. The marketing major reports, “The logistics program fits me very well and it exceeds my expectations.” The most valuable concept he’s learned is from logistics professor, Dr. John Kent which is, “Right product, right price, right place, and right time; these are all crucial to running a successful business.” Kuruvilla also recalls the biggest obstacle he’s dealt with while attending school in Missouri was, “being away from my parents for the first time.”

While attending SMS, the student didn’t let dust settle on his traveling bags. He participated in the study abroad program during the Fall semester 2002, spending his time in Rennes, France. There he not only attended classes but also participated in the Nokia Experience Internship program, traveling to Finland, Nokia’s headquarters, twice during the semester.

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While at Nokia, Kuruvilla helped in the design of third and fourth generation (3G and 4G) phones. He says of his Nokia experience, “I learned the importance of focusing on the customer, analyzing different parts of the world, and adapting to changing cultures.”

Something that has aided Kuruvilla in his travels is his language fluency. He is versed in seven different languages -- Malayalam, Hindi (Indian languages) English, and French, some Arabic, Swedish, and Finnish.

Kuruvilla graduates from SMSU Summer 2004 with his Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and a minor in Computer Information Systems. In addition, he gets more logistics experience as he works at Meeks Building Centers, a Springfield-based regional building materials chain, as a logistics and transportation intern. There he performs such functions as routing and scheduling of trucks, order entry, and shipping and receiving.

As for plans for the future, Kuruvilla entertains his options upon graduation from SMSU. He has interviewed with several big-name logistics companies like Leggett & Platt, FedEx, O&S Trucking, and Prime. He also considers getting an MBA in New York or London. Eventually, Kuruvilla plans to work with his parents in London with ultimate plans to start up his own business in the United States to carry on the family business tradition.

So with this hectic schedule, are Kuruvilla’s travel adventures over? “No, I would still like to see Sydney, Australia and Hong Kong, China [especially to witness the Chinese New Year celebration].”

And as for advice he would give to other logistics students at SMS who are unsure of their educational and career goals, Kuruvilla says, “Talk to your advisor about your career path and seriously think about how a CIS minor could benefit your career later in life to make you more marketable to potential employers. Doing what you love and being valuable to employers is the key.”

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