By Naira Gonzales Aranda
Whatcom Community College began offering a new Business program fall 2016, Office Administration Logistics. The program, created by David Evraets and Tom Burk, specializes in teaching students inventory control. According to Evraets, the program developed due to a community need, as well as his own personal interest with the inflow and outflow of merchandise.
“Most businesses have some product to sell or produce,” Evraets said “you have to have enough inventory on site” meaning enough of the product out for the public to see.
The program would teach you how to manage this properly, including dealing with date sensitive product such as medicine or food.
Whatcom County differs in the way that we are connected with world cities such as Vancouver and Seattle.
“In Whatcom County there’s about $3 billion that goes across the border” Evraets said.
The certification for this program requires 40-50 credits, taking about a year for a full-time student. Students may continue their studies by completing an AS in Business Administration. With this students may transfer to Highline College, where they offer a bachelor’s degree in Applied Science and Global Trade and Logistics.
The Office Administration Program is designed to teach about commercial inflow and outflow. What commercial inflow and outflow can look like is “Zappos shoes for example” Evraets said, “let’s say it’s about to be Christmas time so you’ll double your sales on shoes so you have to make sure you are producing and making enough at the right time.”
The program designed to provide you with the skills to work with vendors and customers as well as the skills to manage the movement of product efficiently.
On time shipments are crucial to a business. “All it takes is a couple of upset customers to lose business,” Evraets said “businesses succeed when everything flows successfully.”
Evraets and Tom Burk are business professionals and proposed the idea of the Office Administration program to the Whatcom Advising Committee.
“Part of it was is my fascination with global trade,” Evraets said.
“Classes are mostly lectures and the computer lab,” Evraets said, “It’s flexible so you can work and go to school at the same time.”
Evraets teaches several of the classes for this program as well as John Fasler, Kate Baker, and Jeanne Brovold, who are all part of the Business and Law Department.
