Matt Grootjen (BBA ’13) is this week’s Conversations with Goodman podcast guest.

Grootjen, who works as a strategy consultant in Toyota Canada’s Strategic Development Centre, talks about his experience at Brock’s Goodman School of Business and how it helped him launch his business career.

Grootjen was already familiar with Toyota Canada by the time he graduated since he’d already worked there for eight months on two co-op work terms.

For him, his co-op experience meant applying what he had learned through classes, but also skill development to become a better business professional.

A highlight of his time at Brock’s Goodman School of Business was his international exchange experience where he spent five months in France at NEOMA Business School.

“I would say of all my experiences at university, the international exchange was probably number one. The opportunities you have while abroad to experience everything that other cultures have to offer is just amazing and I met a lot of lifelong friends while I was away. I’m very glad I did it when I had the chance to,” Grootjen said.

Part of Grootjen’s university experience was his co-curricular involvement with the Goodman Business Students’ Association (BSA), the umbrella organization for seven other Goodman student clubs), and Goodman JDCC, a team of students that competes with 13 other business schools at JDC Central.

A unique experience for Grootjen was starting the A-Team Experience event as part of the Goodman Student Ambassador Association (SAA) team. The SAA is a student-led association that helps tell the Goodman story to high school students through the ambassador program and community events.

“The A-Team experience is something we started to bring in prospective students to Brock before they’ve accepted (their offers) to show them what life at the Goodman School of Business is going to be like and how we’re a little bit different from other schools they might be applying to. We invite some of our top applicants from high schools from around the province and give them a taste of what Goodman’s all about,” he said.

Grootjen stays involved with the University as an alumnus and returns to campus regularly to speak to prospective students at the A-Team event held annually in March.