Heather Conlan-                                     This New Alum Finds Her Way. . .
By Sherry Cook

So often, we feature Marketing alum who have been out in the business world for a long time, those who have “been there, done that.” This time, however, we take another angle, visiting with a rather new alum—one just beginning to make her mark, quite successfully, in the work world. A December 2004 MBA graduate, and December 2002 Marketing Research grad, Heather Conlan talks candidly about the transition.

Growing up in Gainesville, Missouri, Missouri State was a natural educational choice since Conlan’s aunt was an alumnus. “The root of my ambition,” she says, “came from my parents though. They always encouraged me to achieve as much as I wanted in life as long as I was happy. They remained very positive toward education.”

Conlan always enjoyed organizing things and, while starting out as a General Business major, she later decided to switch to Marketing Research. That change of heart was in large part precipitated by Dr. Nancy Keith’s statistics class. “The way she taught statistics just made sense.  After hearing her lectures, I decided to shift my focus toward research.” 

Other Missouri State people were also impacting Conlan as well. “I got a job at the Meyer Library in the Government Documents department. By sheer stroke of luck, I was promoted to the position of student manager a few months later. I worked in Government Documents for four years and thoroughly enjoyed my time spent with the “library gang.” I was particularly influenced by Byron Stewart and Tammy Stewart. They are actually the reason why I decided to go for my Master’s degree. They always pressed me for my five and ten-year plan, which motivated me to really consider options that were right for me.”

College life consisted of more than classes and work, though, and Conlan recalls other memories fondly—from living in the dorms to joining the business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi. In addition she found time to volunteer—both with Junior Achievement and Big Brothers/Big Sisters. “I was a big sister to a girl named Kayla. She was such a sweetheart and I tried to support and encourage her when I could,” she says.

Later, as Conlan pursued her MBA, she would get to know other Missouri State folks quite well. As a Graduate Assistant for  Robin Luke, Linda Pettijohn, Diana Haytko and Sherry Cook, she created more memories. “There was never a dull moment. Between Homecomings, Marketing recruitment and COBA meetings, Dr. Luke taught me to be realistic and brave. Sherry Cook showed me how to be creative and think outside the box. Linda Pettijohn encouraged me to fight any doubt I had about the future. And Diana Haytko helped me realize that I just needed to take life as it comes and not worry about the small stuff.”

Missouri State University graduates Heather Conlan and Sara Hitzelberger spend time together at Sara's bridal shower.

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Missouri State University Marketing graduate Heather Conlan and husband Alex enjoy a cruise to Grand Cayman.

So what would lie ahead after graduation? In January 2005, Conlan moved across town from Missouri State’s Glass Hall to Bass Pro Shop's headquarters to work as the Internet Marketing and Performance Analyst. By April 2006 she was promoted to manage the on-site search operations. What this entails primarily is to “try to answer the burning questions all levels of management would like to know about their website: What needs to be fixed and what needs to be changed?” she explains. “I use a tool called Coremetrics which tracks the click activity of visitors that come to basspro.com. I can run reports that look at clickstreams from one page to another, analyze data across marketing channels and use benchmarking tools to see how we’re performing compared to other companies.”

Missouri State University Marketing graduate Heather Conlan and her dog Brodie enjoy a summer day.

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“Along the way,” she continues, “I’ve become accustomed to finding usability issues with our site and have learned the best practices of successful e-commerce sites. My director, David Seifert, is always pushing the envelope to keep us one step ahead of the competition, and my manager, Todd Jones, is always helping me explore new ways to look at data. One of the highlights of my job was the day everything just made sense.  The day when the light came on and I knew that analysis was not just looking at numbers, but understanding what the numbers meant and actually applying this to the website by making positive changes.”

Outside of work, Conlan enjoys spending time with husband Alex. They like to canoe, watch movies, and attend Kansas City Chiefs games. In their spare time they also enjoy projects at home. “Alex and I have been on a cruise to Grand Cayman and I highly recommend it!” she adds.

As for advice for current students? “My favorite quote is ‘you’re never prepared for what you expect.’ This has definitely helped me cope with college and work life. Honestly, I’m still not used to the ‘daily grind’ of the working world, but I’m slowing adjusting. The three keys to remaining grounded after college are to always be vigilant, persistent, and especially, patient, because the opportunities for a fulfilling career are as attainable as you make them.”

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