When Cloe Andersen started working as a barista at the ReyRey Café her sophomore year at Wright State University, she had no idea what opportunities the job would present her. Now a Contract Center Analyst at The Reynolds and Reynolds Company, the WSU alum reflects on how the Café led her to where she is today.

The ReyRey Café is a student-run coffee shop located in the Raj Soin College of Business at Wright State University. It opened in 2015 as a partnership between Reynolds, headquartered in Dayton, and Wright State University. Reynolds was looking for ways to raise awareness of its company and also support high-achieving students. Sponsoring a café at WSU seemed like the right idea. The café also partners with Boston Stoker Coffee Co., a local business. Students can work as baristas and a portion of the proceeds go toward a student scholarship fund. But the coffee shop is more than just a place to work, it’s also a place for business and entrepreneurial students to gain practical skills.

Junior and Senior business students can apply to serve on the café’s Student Management Board. Students on the board hold the titles of CEO, CFO, COO, or CMO. Under the guidance from a faculty member, the students operate the café like it’s their own. They learn how to lead a business and practically apply what they are learning in the classroom.

While working as a barista, Andersen applied to the Student Management Board. She served as the COO, and took on some of the duties of the CMO for part of her time. During her senior year, she held the position of CEO. A naturally shy person, Andersen admits “applying to be on the Student Management Board was a shock to everyone that knew me.” However, the experience was good for her. “The café really cracked the shell that I had created for myself and gave me so much self-confidence. It pushed me outside my comfort zone in such a positive way.”

While serving in various leadership positions, Andersen understood the scope of building a business from the ground up. Her team faced many challenges. They were completely new to the café and Andersen recalls “it felt like we were entrepreneurs starting our own business.” They had to plan how they would market themselves, they had to interview and train new baristas, and they had to solve practical issues like lowering operating costs. “We would try something and sometimes it wouldn’t work like we thought it would. We would then have to be innovative and work together to try something new on the fly.”

Reynolds met with the student board several times while Andersen was a student. She also had the opportunity to visit their campus and speak about her experience working for the café. “I could always sense the pride that Reynolds had in being a part of the café and how much they were committed to the idea,” Andersen said.

Not long after she graduated from WSU, Andersen accepted the position of Contract Center Analyst at Reynolds where she has been working the past four years. She found the values she had learned to love at the café were integral at Reynolds: “innovation, hard work, and a love for both those you work with, your customers, and the overall community.” In the Contract Center, Andersen witnesses how Reynolds puts these values into action: “I see the new and innovative solutions we are trying to provide for our dealerships. The contracting process itself is also constantly evolving to be quicker, more understandable, and better for both Reynolds and our customers.”

The ReyRey Café gave Andersen opportunities to grow and learn not only as an associate, but also as a person. She counts herself “so lucky to have found work that is personally rewarding” both at the ReyRey Café and now with Reynolds and Reynolds. She encourages students at WSU to “push yourself outside of your comfort zone. There is growth in discomfort. Wright State gives so many opportunities to learn and grow if you are open to them.”

This article was also posted in “Wright State University Newsroom” here.