Two internships with consumer package goods (CPG) companies led Torrey Foster ’20 first to his senior thesis topic and now to a job. In August, he’ll join Cadent Consulting Group, a sales and marketing consultant for manufacturers and retailers that focuses on CPG companies.
Foster said that previous internships at Sherwin-Williams as a product marketing intern and Weber-Stephens as a digital marketing intern “exposed me to the inner workings of CPG companies, and I developed a passion for CPG products.”
Major: Economics
Hometown: Chicago
High school: Phillips Exeter Academy
Cadent helps clients accelerate growth and gain profitability by utilizing insights from data analytics. Foster will be one of three business analysts at Cadent. He’ll be responsible for analyzing a wide range of data types (behavioral, transactional, and attitudinal) and drawing inferences and strategic plans from the data.
“As an economics major, I’ve learned how to analyze and interpret a variety of data types,” Foster said. “For my senior thesis, I combined my interest in CPG and statistical skills to analyze shopper panel data on beer sales in Indiana.”
Foster credits the Career Center and relationships he’s formed at Hamilton with helping him find and secure the position. He learned of the Cadent job on Handshake and found his previous internships through networking and personal connections.
Also helpful was the time he spent discussing his future and career path with Assistant Professor of Economics Javier Pereira. “Javier encouraged me to pursue my dream of working in CPG, while also reminding me to explore as many career options as possible in order to truly find something I would want to do,” Foster recalled.
Foster said he chose Hamilton because he felt at home the minute he set foot on campus. “Thanks to the open curriculum, I have been able to study philosophy, religion, government, and other subject areas in addition to my major. Ultimately, I chose Hamilton because I knew I would receive a full education and that extends outside of the academic sphere,” he said.
“Though I’m not working at Cadent yet, I’m glad I’ve brought a bit of both worlds to my thesis and academic work before my time at Hamilton concludes,” Foster said.
