A DAY AT FRITO-LAY
Interviewee Chris Mayes
Interviewer Demetrius Jordan
Meet Chris Mayes
 Employment – PepsiCo Frito-Lay(Perry, Ga)
 Occupation – Operations Research
Manager
 Frito-Lay North America (FLNA) is a division
of PepsiCo, Inc. which manufactures, markets
and sells a variety of corn chips, potato chips
and other snack foods.
 FLNA is headquartered in Plano, Texas
 The company's current form is the result of a
1965 merger of Frito-Lay, Inc. and the PepsiCola Company, which resulted in the
formation of PepsiCo, Inc. Products sold under
the Frito-Lay name are now recorded by two
PepsiCo divisions: Frito-Lay North America
(North American sales) and PepsiCo
International (international sales).
 Originally, Frito Lay started in Mexico, after
buying Sabritas.
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Demetrius A. Jordan interview of Chris Mayes
3/22/2016
Educational Information
 Degree in Industrial
Management
Engineering
 Graduated From Mercer
University in 2008
 Plans to pursue a
Masters degree
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Demetrius A. Jordan interview of Chris Mayes
3/22/2016
Internships/ Co-Ops at Mercer Univ.
 Milliken
 Where he created an electronic
inventory database for their used
parts supply room
 Helped reduce costs of ordering
new parts
 Savings estimated to be $10,000
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Demetrius A. Jordan interview of Chris Mayes
3/22/2016
Work Environment
 Normal day routine at work
 Check notes from the previous day and resolve any outstanding issues. Make
sure shifts are staffed properly before they begin
 Attend a turnover meeting in which the previous shift describes their major
outages and whether or not they were resolved.
 Check the production schedule to ensure the right things are being made.
Check payroll to make sure my team is getting paid correctly. Then I check my
email to see if there any items from my boss that I need to focus or follow up on.
 Attend service meetings in which representatives from each department show
up and we ensure that everyone is aligned with what we are producing, not
producing, and shipping out.
 Then I start to wrap things up and prepare for my turnover meeting with the
oncoming shift. Complete my end of shift report (which summarizes what and
how much we produced and how efficiently we produced it) and call it day.
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Demetrius A. Jordan interview of Chris Mayes
3/22/2016
Skills Essential to the Job
 Communication
 Team Work
 Technical Competency
(Understanding the
equipment you work with)
 Forward Thinking (Be
Proactive)
 Integrity
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Demetrius A. Jordan interview of Chris Mayes
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Work & Recreation
 Works 50-60 hours per week
 About 6 hours of free time
 Usually has to work a weekend every other month
 How often do you interact with people outside of the engineering
world?
 “Everyday…you have to be able to communicate in detail to a project
engineer as well as explain things to the common individual”
 Writes reports everyday and occasionally makes presentations.
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Demetrius A. Jordan interview of Chris Mayes
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Expectations
 How would you compare your job experience so far to what
you expected before you actually started to work; is your job
experience what you expected or is the experience completely
different?

“Coming out of school I really didn’t know what to expect. I
remember going through the strenuous interview process
and at the moment I realized everyone meant business and
this was time for me to be serious. At that same instance, I
also realized this job was going to be difficult and a lot of
responsibility was going to be pushed my way if I were to be
hired. To directly answer the question, I knew this job was
going to be a challenge beforehand and it continues to
remain challenge today, but it’s a challenge that I welcome
and accept.”
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Demetrius A. Jordan interview of Chris Mayes
3/22/2016
On The Job
 Mostly works in groups as the group leader
 The work environment is the most stressful aspect of the job
 Learning to adapt to the constant pressure of performing well helps to
ease some of the on the job stress. And watching the camaraderie
among the team members and how they support each other
 Have you had any mentors who were influential in helping you grow in
your profession?
 “An older, more experienced manager was working the same shift I was when
I first began with the company. He ended up serving as a mentor in my
career with the company. He always offered advice when I needed and was
always there to help when I asked for it. Having someone you can trust and
depend on is an invaluable asset that I was very thankful for. “
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Demetrius A. Jordan interview of Chris Mayes
3/22/2016
Career Choice/Career Path
 Since graduation Engineering Management has been his career path
 Parents influenced him to enroll in engineering school he chose to continue down
the engineering path
 What made you choose your specialty in the engineering field?
 “Industrial engineering and management offered a balance of technical and people
aspects which I felt was valuable for the longevity of my working career. I felt this
would allow me to apply for a variety of jobs rather it be traditional engineering
roles or non-engineering, more business like roles. ”
 If given the opportunity, would you could go back in time and change your major or
specialization? Why or why not?
 “No I wouldn’t change anything. I am satisfied with my engineering degree.”
 Where do you see yourself 5 to 10 years from now?
 “Managing the Frito Lay Atlanta Zone Operations and pursuing a family
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life/marriage”
Demetrius A. Jordan interview of Chris Mayes
3/22/2016
Advancement and Travel
 Advancement
 Advancement and promotion is widely available. Frito Lay is
owned by Pepsi. Pepsi owns PepsiCo Bottling, Pepsi
International, Gatorade, Quaker, Tropicana, etc… After 18
months of your first job assignment you are then eligible for
transfers to different locations across the U.S. and abroad.
 Traveling
 Traveling is a very minor requirement, but I often travel to
Atlanta to discuss community involvement initiatives with Frito
Lay managers from throughout the South. Every quarter we
have an offsite meeting that typically requires traveling.
Depending on what department you work in you may be asked
to travel to different Frito Lay plants for training or learning best
business practices to bring back to the site
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Demetrius A. Jordan interview of Chris Mayes
3/22/2016
The Mercer Experience
 IDM classes helpful especially (case studies),
Business Law, Economics, Marketing, TCO,
Strategic Management
 “My Mercer education and experiences have
prepared me quite well”
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Demetrius A. Jordan interview of Chris Mayes
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Questions??????
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Demetrius A. Jordan interview of Chris Mayes
3/22/2016