As global commerce major Carter Loesch travels to Berlin, Germany, for a study abroad experience in the fall of 2017, he leaves with a global internship already under his belt. Loesch interned with international export firm Cincinnati Crane and Hoist (CCH) in the summer of 2017, where he identified and pursued new international business development opportunities, completed accounting through the Quickbooks system, and represented the company at multiple industry conferences.
“I really dove into the work,” said Loesch. “I provided recommendations on production and efficiency practices on inventory management systems and crane case studies, and I started a relationship with our new crane partner in Mexico — we are now making site visits to expand our business worldwide. My meetings with Nucor Steel and Steel Dynamics resulted in contracting the building of three new cranes.”
Loesch obtained the internship as part of the semester-long Ohio Export Internship Program (OEIP) offered at The Ohio State University. He is the first Denison student ever to have been accepted into this competitive program. His global commerce major allowed him to succeed as one of only 38 students selected out of 200 applicants last year.
Ohio is surprisingly well-situated in the U.S. export market. Jim Tressel, president of Youngstown State University, a co-sponsor of OEIP noted, ”Ohio is in the top ten in the country for exporting; more than 16,000 companies in the state are exporting, and the OEIP can help Ohio break the top 5.”
“Carter was very interested in global markets, particularly the import/export business,” said Jane Palmer, Denison’s global commerce program administrator. “He was very excited to discover how many opportunities exist for engaging in international business without ever leaving Ohio.”
“I started a relationship with our new crane partner in Mexico — we are now making site visits to expand our business worldwide.”
During the program, Loesch studied export fundamentals and connected with the Cincinnati internship, where he applied what he learned in the classroom to workplace challenges.
“The class was very interesting and was amazing for preparing for my internship. In every class we would be put in certain situations/scenarios where we had to solve an export problem and use the materials we had learned in class,” said Loesch. “We took multiple field trips to inland ports to understand how Ohio, being centrally located, is a great location to move products due to the close proximity to the greatest markets throughout the United States.”
His global commerce coursework at Denison, combined with the export class at OSU, prepared him to hit the ground running at CCH. “Taking what I learned into my internship, I was able to find the most efficient and best places to find where taxes and added fees would be cheapest and gave us more opportunity to compete. We learned a lot about the cultural differences and how to focus on the competitive advantages of your company and adapt to the ways other countries do business.”
“The import/export business is an important part of the world economy,” said Loesch. “I’m really interested in global markets, especially those in Europe, which is why I chose to study abroad in Berlin this semester. It’s a real hub for business.”
Loesch also speaks Spanish and is open to working in a Spanish-speaking country in a few years, after graduation.
“I’m a people-centric person,” he said. “Business is ultimately about people connecting their interests. I’d like to be a financial advisor, managing global trade for a company.”
