written by Stephanie Morgan
While boarding the plane at the Austin airport, excitement exuded from the fourteen Business Honors Students about to embark on a four day trip to Atlanta. Some studied, some slept, and some socialized, but all were looking forward to stepping onto Southeastern ground. Each year the Honors Business Association (HBA) organizes a company field trip to visit large companies in a major metro area, and this year we chose Atlanta.
After arriving, we traveled to Turner Broadcasting System headquarters in the heart of downtown Atlanta. The people at TBS were incredibly warm as they gave us tours of their facilities. Highlights included seeing screening rooms where both the east coast and west coast version of every station that TBS owns is airing simultaneously, meeting illustrators for Cartoon Network, and walking on the set of the NBA studios! (We even got to sit in Charles Barkley’s and Shaquille O’Neal’s chairs, and we got to view a recording on the brand new full-court set!) The panelists from Cartoon Network and Adult Swim showcased the many opportunities available at Turner while revealing their genuine passions for their jobs.
The next day, we arrived at the 26-story headquarters of Coca-Cola. There, we received a tour of the facility which not only highlighted the company’s important history and recognizable brand but also revealed its culture of southern charm. Some of our favorite parts of our visit included seeing the preserved office of Robert Woodruff (Coca-Cola’s CEO from 1923-1954), sitting in the executive board room on the top floor with fantastic views of the Atlanta skyline, and discussing what life is like at Coke with University of Texas alumni.
Afterward, we travelled to The Home Depot Support Center which, coincidentally, just felt like home. Even though 6,000 people worked in the building, the company still had a small community feel. Every employee we saw was wearing a Home Depot apron over their business casual—a physical reminder that customers and sales associates always come first. We really enjoyed the panel discussion (which included a UT alum!) because it was clear how engaged the panelists were with their company and how much passion they had for The Home Depot value system.
After two long but enjoyable days, we were excited to use our free time on Saturday to explore Atlanta. We visited the World of Coca-Cola where we tried every Coke product being sold around the world, we toured the Georgia Aquarium, the largest aquarium in the world which houses favorites like whale sharks, dolphins, otters, and beluga whales, we strolled through Centennial Olympic Park which was built for the 1996 Summer Olympics, and we watched the Atlanta Hawks battle the San Antonio Spurs at Philips Arena.
While we are all happy to be back in Austin, we all agree that CFT 2013 was an amazing experience. Tommy Pigeon, BHP and MIS junior proclaims, “My career skills were enhanced significantly by listening to the panelists and employees at all three of the companies we visited, and I also was able to develop my friendships with other BHP students whom I had never met before going on this trip. In essence, CFT reflected the benefits of being active in HBA, reminding me why this organization truly is the most special one on campus.”
