Career Launch: How Caddying Helped Donovan Bird Land a Job with Ingredion

Sep 8

Venture Capital and Innovation Finance Analyst at Ingredion, Donovan shares how caddying at Elgin Country Club helped him become an Evans Scholar and land a great job.

Why do you love your job so much?

I enjoy the challenge that is brought each and every day on the job. It requires that I think fast, precise, and with an owners mindset to accomplish the needs of the business.

How did caddying help prepare you for this role?

The country club was a home away from home for me growing up. They have supported me ever since I was 13 years old and said I wanted to be an Evans Scholar. It taught me that anything is possible through hard work and dedication.

Did anyone that you met caddying help you land your dream job? If so, please explain.

No one directly helped me get any job I have had so far. However where they have helped the most is telling me about their careers and being open and honest about their roles. This is actually what lead me to going into business school in the first place and then landing my internship with Deloitte as a freshman.

Can you name someone whose career inspires you and that you'd like to emulate?

Judge Keith Brown has always inspired me and motivated me to want to work harder.

What's the best perk of your job?

Getting to learn and grow every single day! The travel is very fun as well.

Kai Sato

Kai Sato is a managing partner of Mauloa, a unique private equity firm where he is its west coast lead. In addition to Mauloa, he is an advisor to Forma Capital, a consumer-focused venture firm and a fund advisor to Hatch, a global startup accelerator focused on helping feed the world through sustainable aquaculture technologies. Kai is the author of “Marketing Architecture: How to Attract Customers, Hires, and Investors for Any Company Under 50 Employees.” Through his holding company, Kaizen Reserve, Inc., he also advises family offices and corporations on the design, implementation, and oversight of their venture capital portfolios, sometimes taking an active role in turning around underperforming investments. Previously, Kai was the co-president & chief marketing officer of Crown Electrokinetics (Nasdaq: CRKN), the chief marketing & innovation officer of Rubicon Resources (acquired), the co-founder of FieldLevel, and a board member of SportTechie (acquired). He has also been a contributor to publications like Inc., Entrepreneur, IR Magazine, and HuffPost, in addition to a speaker at various industry conferences. An avid golfer who put himself through college by working as a caddy, Kai is the creator of Caddyshack to Corner Office, a golf media platform that profiles successful people whose lives were transformed by caddying and also serves on the board of a Los Angeles-based nonprofit, called Friends of Golf (FOG). He graduated from the University of Southern California as a Presidential Scholar and now chairs the alumni board of its John H. Mitchell Business of Cinematic Arts Program. Follow Kai on LinkedIn or Twitter.

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