McCombs Alumni Network News

McCombs’ Tracy Mueller recently spoke with Catherine Wright Flores about her experiences since gradutating. Catherine is currently the Director of Sales at Wholesale Markets World Energy and a member of the McCombs BBA/MPA Alumni Advisory Board. 

Can you talk about your student experience? Why did you choose McCombs?
I used to be a theater and English person, and I wanted to go to law school. But my parents encouraged me to consider business school, framing it as a diverse degree. I got my acceptance letter to UT and McCombs on Christmas Eve, and it was the best Christmas present ever! Business quickly became my passion, even though I hadn’t thought about it much before.

How did your educational experience change you?
I entered McCombs making a beeline for marketing, certain that my talents and abilities would only be served well as a marketing major. I ripped out the finance and accounting pages in the student handbook. But after my first finance class, I realized that’s what I loved to do, and so that became my focus. That alone proves that I entered a new way of thinking, because my previous interest in more mathematical-based topics was incredibly low.

Besides gaining knowledge, analytical skills, confidence in my abilities, and so many rich contacts, I came away with a deeper appreciation for applying basic principles for problem solving and finding broader solutions for individuals as well as organizations. My world opened up far beyond Texas: I began to recognize patterns of history and economics, and I had the epiphany that basic business values are at work everywhere around us. I could never run out of things to learn. I graduated thinking the world was so much bigger to me because I went to UT and McCombs.

What career path did you follow after graduation?
I graduated from McCombs in May 2002 set to begin as a financial analyst with Dynegy Inc. in Houston. But while on my honeymoon that summer, I learned that Dynegy laid off employees due to the energy industry fallout from the Enron demise. Consequently, Dynegy cancelled its new-hire programs, so I found myself starting the job search over again in a tougher job market. Fortunately, I found a business analyst role at Reliant Energy and worked on the newly-deregulated Texas electricity market in large commercial and industrial sales and marketing. In 2004, I joined Entergy Corporation with a similar focus as a manager in the commercial and industrial group for ERCOT. I’m now at World Energy Solutions, Inc., where I have worked since 2007. World Energy operates online auctions for the procurement of power, gas and environmental credits for wholesale, retail and green customers. I work as a director in WE’s Wholesale group, in supply management and business development.     

What are you most proud of in your career so far?
Not long into my career with World Energy, I was tasked with redeveloping the existing internal program for third-party channel groups and how they drive new business for the company. It felt a bit like tearing down a house and then building a newer, more modern, more efficient one—but without having any training in architecture, engineering or construction. The project pushed me to think in new ways, to interact with all parts of the company and brainstorm program aspects to drive revenue while managing employees’ time costs and implementing a structure that attracted channel sales avenues to us. And after the redesign, implementing the first entire project I developed end-to-end was the perfect way to see the task come full-circle.    

Has your career played out the way you expected?
Definitely not at all! Working in sales and marketing would have been my absolute last choice when I graduated, but needing to earn a living usually trumps one’s personal preferences. Instead, I found that my business degree lended itself very well to a holistic view of a sales lifecycle: you still have financial analysis and research, but I discovered that I loved connecting with clients and stakeholders in the sales process. Closing a deal and bringing revenue to a company following complex preparation felt like triumphantly snapping in the last puzzle piece to link together what was initially a big, confusing jumble: very rewarding. And it’s helped me uncover another layer of ability I didn’t know I had.

What’s the best part of your job? The most difficult?
The best part of my job is solving a problem for someone and watching our entire auction process satisfy buyers, suppliers and farther-reaching parts of the customer’s organization. Our customers come away with a compliant, efficient, cost-saving process, and I come away learning more about how businesses work through their challenges in managing commodity costs and environmental goals.  

The most difficult is charting and mapping new initiatives. While exciting, it’s also daunting to begin truly at the beginning when the sheer vastness of opportunities seem to appear more as obstacles.

What are some bits of business wisdom that you have tried to abide by in your career?
Be honest. The golden rule has just as much place in the business world as it does in your personal life. Advocate an open mind, encourage debate, see both sides, but always know what side you stand on. Learn by doing. Begin with the end in mind. Be an example. And a wonderful quote from Warren Buffett: “Happily, there’s more than one way to get to financial heaven.”        

Who do you look to as a business role model?
[Zappos.com CEO] Tony Hsieh’s commitment to creating a brand and staying true to its principles is a lesson worth following across all industries. The customer service inherent in the brand is truly a mission and a lifestyle for the company and its employees, not just a PR angle. It personifies integrity in terms of following what you promise to do for your customers.

My dad has been a significant inspiration to me and today still remains one of my favorite people to talk to about work. Managing ideas, interactions and issues is his specialty in a lifelong career as a corporate attorney and general counsel, and that translates directly into managing a business. Invariably, he sees every aspect of a business in a short- and long-term setting and applies a unique blend of foreseeability and free-spiritedness to evaluate ideas and create processes.

How do you spend your time outside of work?
I’m a member of the McCombs Alumni Network Board of Directors and the Houston Chapter’s steering committee. We’re days away from launching the McCombs Mentorship Connection to Houston-based alumni, with plans to expand nationally in the coming months (and internationally, too). It matches current students with alumni in Houston to discuss career preparation and ideas, industry background, interviewing skills and encouragement for life after graduation, which is something I would have loved to have had as a student.

The American Liver Foundation is also an organization with whom I volunteer, as my mom received a life-saving liver transplant in 2001, and I am passionate about giving back and getting the word out about organ donation and liver disease to advance research and increase awareness. 

Outside of work and organizational activities, my husband and I love to travel and see the world together, as I try to recreate the travel experiences my parents gave me growing up. After an overnight hike in the Grand Canyon and enjoying The Narrows trail at Zion National Park in Utah last month, we hope to hike Havasu Falls in Arizona and Grand Teton National Park soon (and repeat the US- and world-traveling experiences with our own children someday).