ZAPOPAN, Jalisco; December 11, 2023.—Uri Gregorio Gutiérrez Cadena is an alumnus of the Business Administration and Marketing at the Guadalajara Campus of theUniversidad Panamericana , part of the class of 1998–2002, and has been living in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States, since 2004 .
Administration and Marketing
Uri admitted that he always viewed his degree in Business Administration and Marketing as an opportunity to learn about business management, emphasizing the importance of understanding how a company operates on a day-to-day basis— from the lowest levels to the top—and how marketing provided him with the tools to effectively offer products and services to a target audience.
Opportunity to Study Abroad
After graduating in 2002, Uri embarked on an academic exchange program that led him to earn his Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Western University in Chicago, Illinois. In total, he spent a year and a half studying for his master’s degree.
Chicago, Illinois
After completing his master’s degree in 2005, Uri worked at a marketing agency that focused on market research for Latin America and clients in the United States. He then spent nearly 16 years at The Marketing Store, a supplier to McDonald’s.
““I used to work on managing the Happy Meal program for Latin America; I had to keep track of production, design, volumes, and coordination with all the countries. I got to travel to Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and Panama,”she said.
However, ever since Uri majored in Business Administration and Marketing, he knew that at some point in his life he wanted to start a business using the experience he had gained. It was then that the opportunity to strike out on his own arose, and he seized it.
FoodOn
The company grew out of a project in Mexico that already has 21 years of experience in the market. It is a food manufacturing company that specializes in hot sauces, among other products. It also sells ingredients on an industrial scale.
Currently, Uri is focused on expanding the business in the United States and Canada, as well as in certain regions of Europe. In addition, he attends trade shows to forge strategic partnerships and build contacts.
What he likes most about working at FoodOn is the relationships with contacts who help him with his business. Even his philosophy on life centers on “helping people without expecting anything in return,” believing that this attitude creates long-term opportunities.
How did the UP impact your personal life?
The Business Administration and Marketing alumnus says that Panamericana helped him strengthen his social skills and connect with others. He also shares the following:
“Having the backing of a reputable, high-quality institution has given me the opportunity to be heard and taken seriously in the jobs I’ve had and in securing the scholarship I was able to get. Honestly, it changed my life because it was the next step I needed to take at that time to get where I am today.”
One piece of advice Uri offers the university community is to “cultivate relationships with the people you interact with; always try to help them, ”and he also encourages them never to give up. “No matter how many times you face disappointment, a problem, or lose a deal to a competitor, you have to bounce back and try again, finding solutions and alternatives.”
Universidad Panamericana 's Guadalajara Campus is proud to count alumni such as Uri Gregorio Gutiérrez Cadena among its ranks— alumni who embody the spirit of excellence and make significant contributions to society.
