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The Leeds First-Year Experience Program offers Career Launchpad events to give students exposure to career options and networking opportunities with industry professionals. A recent career trek to Sprouts Farmers Market provided an invaluable education in the operational decisions for balancing sustainability with profitability.

Leeds alumna Chelsea Walters (Mktg’10), a district director at Sprouts, explained the complex logistics involved in getting produce to a grocery store.

A banana has a long trip from South America to a grocery store in the U.S. It’s not just the shipping, but also the packaging, storage and ripening—each step a critical link to ensure quality.

That’s one piece of the food system puzzle that seven first-year students discovered during a recent visit to Sprouts in Boulder. In a way, the students could relate that banana’s trek to their own college journeys as they ripen their ideas and become ready for careers.

Through the Career Launchpad program, students engage in volunteering, attend speaking events with successful Leeds graduates, visit company sites and begin working with career coaches to craft their professional journey. The program not only leads to potential internships, summer jobs and networking connections, but it also helps students shape their paths from sophomore through senior year, building a real-world business acumen and skills to stand out in a competitive job market.

The business of fresh food

, with 440 stores across 23 states, aims to expand to 1,200 stores nationwide. Its mission to foster healthy eating at an affordable price is accompanied by a commitment to sustainable business practices, including prioritizing employee well-being and thriving communities.

During the visit, Jeremy Davis, a 17-year Sprouts employee, shared his career path from a produce clerk to a district director overseeing 12 stores. He also explained what it was like to land in his current role in 2020, just as the pandemic hit—an unprecedented time that transformed supply chains and retail practices.��

Keeping costs and sustainability in balance

Leeds alumna Chelsea (Schaul) Walters (Mktg’10), also a district director at Sprouts, provided students with insights on Sprouts’ humble beginnings as a fruit truck to acquiring other stores and expanding into a national grocery chain.����

First-year Sofia Rivera posed the first question: “How do you keep products affordable?”

Walters explained that Sprouts strives to develop long-term agreements with local farmers and vendors to stabilize costs, supporting sustainability and local economies.

Sprouts adheres to a 250-mile transportation rule for its produce from its own distribution warehouses. This strategy not only ensures freshness but also reduces emissions.��

For first-year student Marcus Zoldak, those logistics were eye-opening. "I thought it must be really difficult to be a for-profit company and also be for the consumer and for sustainability," he said. Both he and Rivera were especially impressed by Sprouts’ emphasis on mental health and workplace well-being as part of their sustainability initiatives.

Behind the scenes of a grocery store��

Store manager Luke Archibeque guided students through the intricate process of receiving, sorting and managing fresh produce within a three-to-five-day window. With a goal to become a zero-waste company by 2030, Sprouts implements multiple initiatives, including composting food waste, recycling, community programs and donations, and even repurposing bones for fuel.

Walking students through the store’s waste management efforts, Archibeque summed up the company’s philosophy: "Sustainability is responsibility."

He also emphasized the financial aspects of sustainability. "Your budget plays a big role in sustainability." You have to constantly monitor what comes in the building and what goes out, he emphasized.

Walters reinforced this point: "Everything in business has a number." She explained how trash is weighed by the ton, which carries financial implications as they pay to have it removed.

Career paths in sustainability and business

Beyond environmental sustainability, Walters underscored that corporate culture, supply chains, business ethics and social justice issues factor into sustainability efforts. She shared her own career journey—starting in telecommunications and fashion before finding a rewarding path at Sprouts. Her key takeaway? Careers are rarely linear, and students should stay open to unexpected opportunities.

Heidi Hulse, Leeds’ advising supervisor of Undergraduate Programs, encouraged the students to consider the range of possibilities afforded by Leeds’ areas of emphasis and courses. For example, she said the Sprouts trek demonstrated the broad impact of marketing, touching upon customer behavior, pricing strategies, channels, logistics and data analytics. These all offer diverse career opportunities—ones students may not have initially considered or realized, she said.

Rivera, who is considering management and entrepreneurship but is also drawn to business analytics, found Sprouts’ commitment to sustainability particularly inspiring.����

"Sustainability is such an important thing in our generation, so I was really pleased to see how much Sprouts does for sustainability and that the cost doesn’t really impact them," she said.

First-year Nathan Vanagas was surprised by the speed at which produce moves through the supply chain. "I guess I never really thought about how long it takes for food to get here," he said.

Vanagas, who is a marketing major considering data analytics or management, left the visit with new career inspiration. "I do want to look into sustainability—I think that would be useful,” he said.

Sprouts store manager Luke Archibeque walked students through the produce process from receiving deliveries to turnover times.

Innovation and future possibilities

Archibeque noted that job titles don’t necessarily have to incorporate sustainability. It’s more about getting your foot in the door and thinking "How can I innovate?"

After digesting a full plate of details, students left with a deeper taste of how business decisions, operations, sustainability and profitability are all ingredients in a purpose-driven organization.

Archibeque left them with a powerful closing thought: "Find a place in the world where you can make a difference—and then go make that difference."