“While at CEI, I reveled in the interactions that I had with small business owners, entrepreneurs, and aspiring entrepreneurs,” Stelios Alvarez said. “The energy and mindset exuded is one that I aspire to channel in my daily work.”
Alvarez worked at the Richard M. And Helen DeVos Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI) in the Seidman College of Business at Grand Valley State University as the editor-in-chief of Neu Magazine from 2010-2011. He earned an MBA from GVSU in 2010 while working for Michigan’s Small Business Development Center. He currently works as the Marketing Performance and Insights Manager for LEGO at the company’s branch in Munich, Germany.
Alvarez has a great appreciation for his time at CEI.
“It was a fantastic experience,” he said. “I interviewed quite a few local entrepreneurs and enjoyed reporting on business plan competitions and the overall entrepreneurial climate in West Michigan.”
After earning his master degree, Alvarez was hired by Amway Corporation to work in the Marketing Research Department. He spent four years in the position, gaining a wide range of experience in primary and secondary research, consumer needs and behaviors, and global business practices. In 2015 he was hired by LEGO, where he is able to utilize his knowledge of marketing and analytics along with creativity and innovation to evaluate marketing effectiveness in the Direct to Consumer EMA business.
Alvarez is looking forward to launching a Single Customer View database at LEGO, and at some point in the future would like to submit research conducted in LEGO-owned channels to a peer reviewed publications. He would also like to familiarize himself with Munich’s entrepreneurial scene.
He says the environment at LEGO is one reminiscent of the startup culture he grew fond of while working at CEI.
“LEGO is a phenomenal company where EVERYTHING IS AWESOME (see what I did there?),” Alvarez said. “I’m keen on leveraging the skills from CEI, specifically when it comes to networking and finding common ground with colleagues near and far.”
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