UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA Application: Career Goals, Strengths, and Fit

This document presents a series of essays written as part of an application to the MBA program at UNC Kenan-Flagler. The essays detail the applicant's current responsibilities and decision-making abilities within their family's scrap metal business, L. Gordon Iron & Metal Co., highlighting their hands-on experience and evolving role in marketing, sales, HR, and logistics. The applicant articulates their career goals for the next five years, emphasizing a desire to expand their management position, understand global economics, and build strong relationships with employees and customers. They also reflect on their primary strengths, such as a passion for learning and taking risks, and areas for improvement, including time management and innovation in daily business undertakings. Furthermore, the essays explore how the MBA program can help refine their strengths, minimize weaknesses, and contribute valuable insights to classmates, particularly in the area of sustainability and community involvement. The applicant also shares personal qualities and life experiences, such as volunteering and cross-cultural experiences, to further distinguish themselves from other applicants.

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Zachary Morrow Gordon
ESSAY #1
Summarize your current level of responsibility and decision-making ability in your
company. What role do you play in your organization's strategy? What are your
career goals for the next five years? What steps do you see yourself taking to achieve
these goals? How will completing an MBA@UNC graduate program from UNC
Kenan-Flagler help you reach these goals?
In 1917, my great-great-grandfather founded what is now known as L. Gordon
Iron & Metal Co., with a horse and buggy traveling from house to house in High Point,
NC collecting rags, tires, and scrap metal. Unbeknown to Louis Gordon at the time, this
business venture would mature over the next one-hundred years into five generations of
family-member involvement, four locations, and over one-hundred and fifty employees.
My elder generations have sacrificed and dedicated so much into nurturing and growing
this business into what it is today and I strive daily to improve upon what has been
cultivated before me.
Like the earlier generations, my responsibilities started out with a hands-on
approach of unloading and sorting the metal according to the metal recovery percentage,
determining a common grade on the material, then learning to price the material in
accordance with the daily London Metal Exchange. The material is either boxed, baled,
shredded, or torched and shipped to domestic or international customers
Over the years, I now see why this hands-on approach has been so successful. Metal can
be identified by sight, sound, touch, weight, and even, smell. For example, in order to
know how to buy and grade the copper at our retail scales as it comes in as “scrap,” it is
essential to know what are acceptable specifications as “Number 1” grade copper to the
mills in which we ship. While I am responsible for playing many roles as I work for the

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company’s best interests, my roles involve marketing and branding, buying material,
selling material, personnel and human resources, safety and liability, logistics,
information technology, maintenance, inventory, and multiple non-profit and community
involvements. My responsibilities have slowly shifted in each of these areas as I learn
and prepare myself for development and growth. As the scrap metal industry becomes
more of a global market each and every day, I wish to further my education and expand
the management position and understand global economics. Overseeing nearly one-
hundred and fifty employees, I want to develop strong and lasting relationships with each
and every individual, while at the same time, not compromising the ability to make
decisions for the company’s best interests. My superiors have always worked with an
“open-door” policy, always open to suggestions and complaints. I strive to be more
attentive to each employee and always search for opportunities for growth.
Maintaining and ensuring high employee morale has always been a priority at L.
Gordon Iron & Metal without sacrificing productivity. Also, customer relations have
always been a top priority, as I have always prided myself on treating our customers with
respect and paying attention to their needs. I know setting goals should be both practical
and challenging for myself and employees and I aspire to learn more in setting both
personal, and as a result, team goals over the next five years. I wish to take steps to build
on relationships with employees, management, customers, and consumers though
networking, team-building, and decision-making, to work to earn new business.
Consumption and production of recycled metals on a global scale directly impacts our
business as we wish to pursue the positive impact of recycling for the greater good. I
aspire to learn more with an MBA about how our economy and industry, specifically, in

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the global recycling economy, function cross-culturally, while at the same time, building
relationships through communication, group decision-making, and IT skills.
ESSAY #2
What are your primary strengths? What aspects of yourself would you like to
strengthen and improve? What do you hope to learn during the MBA Program that
will help you refine your strengths and minimize your weaknesses?
I am passionate about learning and applying what I learn from travels around the
world. Living in Buenos Aires in 2006, teaching English to companies throughout the
city, I realized what a culturally diverse world we live. I have saved up vacation time in
order to volunteer in Tanzania, India, and Haiti, and through these experiences, I have
developed an empathy and, especially after the 2018 earthquake in Haiti, learned the true
meaning of the famous proverb, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a
man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” I enjoy the writing and creative process of
music theory and recording so much that I further educated myself at the Berklee College
of Music in Boston. I find it a strength to challenge and teach myself guitar and piano
each night and challenge my mind. After playing in the Boys & Girls Club Golf
Tournament for its first year in 2011, I joined the chair committee to increase the amount
raised by 300% since its inception.
I believe I enjoy taking risks in life. Biking the world’s most dangerous road in
Bolivia, summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro, and backpacking from Argentina to North Carolina
on a $5-an-hour teacher’s wage, passing through commonly-perceived “precarious” parts
of Colombia, Panama, and Honduras. While I find these to be testaments of willingness

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and strength, my weakness can be found in the daily repetitiveness and unwillingness to
take risks in daily business undertakings. Time management is a weakness. Today, I am
balancing full-time employment and multiple nonprofits simultaneously and that has
helped me in learning essential skills pertaining to time management. The MBA program
would train me about the useful art of innovation that I can apply to my family business
so that it can spread in the global arena. The MBA program can help me in getting new
ideas along with concepts that I can apply to my business for furthering its goals. I want
to carry on the work of my elders for the remaining part of my life so that the potential of
the business can be maximized in the long run.

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Zachary Morrow Gordon
ESSAY #3
MBA students learn a great deal from both faculty and their classmates. At UNC
Kenan-Flagler, they are expected to contribute by interacting with classmates and
faculty in teams and in the virtual classroom. How will you differentiate yourself
from your classmates? Provide examples of your professional experiences that will
help distinguish you from your classmates and will provide valuable insights for
them.
I pride myself on what I can give to others and what I can do for others. If an argument
happens to occur at work, I immediately seek peace, knowing I want both parties
involved to feel satisfied, important, and respected. One of my main goals is to
reemphasize our community footprint and always give back to those less fortunate.
Classmates in the MBA program lay stress on the aspect of profitability but I on the other
hand feel that a crucial element of business is the factor of sustainability. According to
me, business should aim at the reduction of the ecological footprint which can help in the
survival of a business. I am conscious towards the society and I am interested in
undertaking action which can reduce footprint on environment. It can reduce burden on
that of the landfills and reduce the emission of the greenhouse gas. I am different from
that of the other classmates because I want the conservation of energy which is crucial
pertaining to sustainability. The other classmates in the UNC Kenan Flagler class are
different from me because I want to produce products that would be friendly to the
environment. I want to stimulate the aspect of green technology that can prove to be
crucial for sustaining the human race. This is of great importance for the economy of US
and that of global trade. Interaction with classmates and the faculty which can help the

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students in the aspect of learning. It lays stress on the real-life experiences that can be of
merit for the students of the university. The faculty of the UNC Kenan Flagler share their
experiences pertaining to the professional field which can sharpen abilities and skills of
students. The class discussions can turn the theory into the practice which can help in
providing education that can have competitive advantage. The students can find it useful
in the event of taking action that can help them in the aspect of leading later on in their
life. UNC Kenan Flagler is instrumental in providing the tools which can augment self-
awareness of the students. It can be useful in building strengths which can help them in
entering workforce. Students can gain the knowledge that helps them in entering the
workforce which can solve problems arising in an organization. Virtual classroom can
help students of university for joining class discussion in the event of not being
physically present in university. Immersive technology can provide students with
flexibility that can facilitate learning of students. Online education can provide the
students with material without large amount of the interaction.
I am endowed with professional characteristics that makes me different from the other
classmates. I have completed a lot of work related to volunteering and I have played the
role of co-chair of that of annual charity golf tournament. I have done volunteering in the
Rainbow Kids Hospice in Iredell County which reveals that I have great concerns for
both society along with environment. Volunteering work at Rainbow Kids can support
families along with children who had to suffer loss due to losing a loved one. Grief
support programs can meet needs of children and that of their families. I was instrumental
in providing grief counselling for children who was going through a bad time as they
have lost loved one. I have also volunteered in cross-cultural solutions of the Dharmasala

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within India. I am Vice President of the company L. Gordon Iron & Co. and I look after
internet marketing process daily which can ensure the fact that wrong information are not
being circulated by company. I take due care of the fact that I take part in supervisory
meetings that can set me apart from classmates due to fact that other people are interested
in managing the organization. I want to get involved in everyday business that can help
me in learning intricate details regarding company. It can help me in bringing about
improvements in the organization that can make it sustainable in longer term. I have
responsibility of buying metal material which can take care of the fact that copper has
been graded in right manner. It can provide valuable insight to classmates that can help
them in learning important facts of the management.
ESSAY 4: (Optional) What would you like to tell us that would help us to evaluate
your application? Or, what unique personal qualities or life experiences outside of
work distinguish you from other applicants?
I did the business relations course from that of the Universidad Del Cema of Argentina
that helped us in learning important aspects in relation to the business relations. The
course provided me with valuable insight regarding how to build the business
relationships which can prove to be positive and help the organization for making the
profits. It taught me how to build the business relations that can prove to be positive for
an organization and help it in earning revenues. It can help me in building the sound
relations within an organization which can create culture pertaining to trust in
organization. Business relations course can motivate employees within an organization
that can develop potential of an organization. I scored well in that of the paper of the

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business administration, business statistics and that of computing which can aid in my
professional development. I was able to score “Grade A” in various subjects which
revealed my capability pertaining to field of the business. A mentorship program was
held in my college and I was able to get good feedback from professor after completing
the program. Feedback brought out the fact that I have understanding pertaining to
business environment that can augment the professional development. It can prove to be
vital in maintaining relationship with clients which can assist me for making profits in the
business. The evaluation of application can be done in the right manner when a person
can understand my skills, activities along with abilities. I have succeeded in raising an
amount of $ 250,000 in year 2018-19 when I was acting as co-chair of American Heart
Ball of Iredall County Heart Ball. I had spread awareness pertaining to stroke that talks
about my humanitarian ideals that is of great significance in the current age.
Sustainability is crucial to present age and a business can survive by taking recourse to
sustainability. I have made initiatives that can help in contributing to welfare of society
which can unravel opportunities pertaining to a business. Business in the current age
should showcase element pertaining to green reputation that can create good image for
customers along with clients. Reinvention of practices and process can build the green
business which can create value for consumers.
I have life experiences besides my work which can set me apart from that of other
applicants. I have carried out activities in relation to Carolina Farm Trust where I have
served as Executive Leader from 2016 till present age. Carolina Farm Trust takes money
from farming education and lobbying that plays an important part in helping the small
farmers in the direct manner. Carolina Farm Trust can help farmers pertaining to buying

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of the equipment which can prove to be useful in reaching consumers. The association
that I have with the organization can help me in taking steps that can be of benefit for
local region which is integral in relation to sustainability. I have to take care of fact that
my organization contributes to overall welfare of society and does certain activities which
can bring the rewards for the society. I have played the role of Board of the Director for
Fort Dobbs Historical Site from 2010 till the present time that harps on my regards
pertaining to human welfare. Fort Dobbs refers to frontier fort in colony of the North
Carolina. I have been in board of company that shows the regard that I have in relation to
preserving historical sites. It reveals the fact that I am interested in preserving old manner
pertaining to living that is crucial pertaining to sustainability. I have also played a part in
volunteering cross-cultural solutions within India and that of Africa that shows my ability
that can help the other people needing it. I have succeeded in improving quality of the
education which is needed by all the children. I have helped in assisting the teachers
along with the teaching of the English language skills to children.

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