John Schweig
Quote | Bio

"I am very pleased to participate in the Center for Brand and Product Management.  In my role as chairman of our Leadership Development Program, and as the executive in charge of recruiting at UW-Madison, I have gained a strong appreciation for the quality of the education and the quality of the MBA students the university attracts.  I am therefore particularly impressed with the combination of functional expertise and general management perspective that is fostered by UW’s focused centers.

I am looking forward to offering interns and graduates from the Center for Brand and Product Management an opportunity to apply their experience and education to Grainger’s opportunities and challenges.  We have over 1 million business customers with whom we have a much more direct relationship than most consumer products companies enjoy.  While we do not develop the products we sell, our product managers make decisions about a portfolio of hundreds of the most powerful industrial brands in the world.  Grainger also directly manages several market-leading private label brands.  Product Management is the most integrative area within our company, and a number of our senior-most executives have come from this organization.

Similarly, I am personally hoping to provide a unique “channel” perspective back to the Center that I think will be applicable to both consumer and industrial markets.  I look forward to seeing you on campus."