A servant’s heart. That’s what resonates from Travis Baugh. The Lafayette, Indiana native grew up around Purdue University’s culture, and identified quickly with the humble and hard-working attributes that personified the Boilermaker.
“Purdue is such a great university. There’s just such a rich history, full of traditions, and an enduring legacy of great alumni,” Baugh says.
It was through that lens that Baugh saw an opportunity to increase his own capacity to serve others. For Baugh, the idea of serving through a business platform originated from the concession stand that he ran in high school. He always enjoyed the business side of creating value and developing relationships with his customers.
After completing his undergraduate business degree in four years at the Krannert School of Management, Baugh’s appetite for learning only grew. He also saw the opportunity to raise his ceiling faster.
“I really saw graduate school as an opportunity to come out of school more polished than I would as an undergraduate. I equate it to being an athlete redshirting a year to hone my skills to improve my game,” says Baugh, a sports aficionado and fan of Purdue athletics.
Baugh was able to make a rare leap straight from graduation into Krannert’s rigorous MBA program. What Baugh lacked in work experience, he made up for in tenacity and preparation. He walked into the MBA classroom, a sponge ready to soak up all he could.
“There were so many perspectives to draw from just from my classmates. There were people from backgrounds in engineering, science, political ambassadors, even a pastor - and from all over the world,” Baugh says, in his reflections. “I remember just being in awe of the quality and maturity of the cohort.”
For Baugh, the practicality of the program stood out. From the quantitative focus that sharpened his problem-solving skills in class to the career coaching he received from the Krannert Professional Development Center, Baugh found exceptional value in his experience. And it was a Marketing Management class and mock company competition that solidified his career choice in marketing.
One of the many career fairs at Purdue University positioned Baugh for an interview with United Technologies, the parent company of Carrier, a world leader in heating, air conditioning and refrigeration solutions. He landed a part-time job and instantly contributed to the Carrier team.
“My preparation from Krannert allowed me to hit the ground running at Carrier, bringing an analytical focus to boost our residential marketing team's efforts," Baugh says.
Baugh quickly parlayed his MBA credentials and sharpened analytical skillset into a Marketing Analyst role at Carrier’s Indianapolis office. Motivated to launch his new career, he was supported by the Krannert team and started working on the side even before finishing his MBA.
In 2019 Baugh pivoted to the Marketing Programs team helping distributors communicate with customers. He again cited his Purdue MBA as a key catalyst for the transition.
“It’s one thing to learn theory and concepts, but I got so much more out of my MBA. I learned how to communicate and work well with others to achieve a common objective,” Baugh says. “It was a special time at Krannert. Definitely the two biggest years of growth in my life.”
While he feels that he’s well-positioned for leadership opportunities with his MBA, Baugh is motivated by the opportunity to help others in his current role, creating environments where people thrive, and serving others well on a greater scale.
