Before Rance Poehler became president and CEO of Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions in late 2020, the company had little connection with NC State and the Poole College of Management.
In less than four years, the university has gone from zero to 40 student internships at Toshiba, now based at Research Triangle Park, as Poehler has helped integrate the university and company through many initiatives as a corporate sponsor.
The result for Poole students? Impactful experiences that include internships; career fairs; mentorship opportunities for specific populations; coffee chats, practice interviews and job-search guidance with Toshiba representatives; and sponsorship of a Jenkins MBA orientation program. Two Poole graduates so far accepted full-time employment with the company.
With Toshiba’s global headquarters in Raleigh, “We wanted to get engaged at NC State. We wanted to be part of the community,” Poehler says. “Now we’re very tightly linked to the universities here, especially NC State. We’re committed as a corporate citizen. Any way I can personally help, I’m willing to do that.”
The newest opportunity he has to help Poole is with his appointment this spring as a member of the Poole College Advisory Board. The board’s senior-level executives, entrepreneurs and other business leaders discuss relevant industry trends and emerging technologies with Poole officials.
“On a personal level, at this stage in my career, giving back is very important. If I can give guidance, mentoring or ideas to even one student that they take action on to improve themselves, that’s great to see. That’s fulfilling,” Poehler says.
He already has experienced that fulfillment. He recently finished working with two students in a Poole mentoring program, and he has been a guest speaker in undergraduate and MBA classes.
If I can give guidance, mentoring or ideas to even one student that they take action on to improve themselves, that’s fulfilling.
Toshiba, a global leader in retail commerce technology, supplies retail giants such as Costco, Kroger, Walgreens and Walmart. Before he joined Toshiba, Poehler spent more than 30 years in executive roles with B2B technology companies, including Dell, IBM and Panasonic.
With that stellar background, as an advisory board member “I hope to give Poole a business sense, a business sanity check, about what’s important to large companies and to large customers,” Poehler says.
At his first board meeting, he discussed Poole graduates entering the workforce and advised the board on “preparing students as they interview for jobs, giving them the perspective of a global company that does business with the largest retailers in the world,” Poehler notes. He also addressed preparing students in the context of AI in the workplace.
Key to future business success for Poole graduates is being open to lifelong learning.
“I’ve always pushed myself to keep growing. It has motivated me to learn new things and develop new skills,” Poehler says. “I talk to students about this. They’ve got to push themselves and work hard. I’ve always worked hard. It’s about having goals and objectives and setting a course.”
The course students set should include a drive to develop as leaders and excitement about growing a team and company. Poole has an important role to play in inspiring students on that path.
“We need to develop leaders in the U.S. We’re lacking individuals who want to lead,” Poehler says. “It’s extremely important for Poole to help develop future leaders of our country, people who are willing to take risks and make business decisions.”
As a business leader with extensive experience taking risks and making business decisions, Poehler is well-positioned to advise Poole officials on instilling that passion in students.
“What I really enjoy about Poole is that it’s not into politics. The university has done a good job of staying centered,” he says. “I can tell that NC State students in general are good, centered individuals. I’ve been very impressed with the quality of the students, which says a lot about the university.”
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