‘Continued pursuit of excellence’ inspires Mizzou career spanning three decades

A track scholarship brought New Zealand native Jackie Rasmussen to the United States as a college student. And she hasn’t stopped chasing her own goals — and helping others pursue theirs — since.

After earning degrees in marketing and management at Oklahoma State in 1990, followed by an MBA in 1992, Rasmussen’s job search led her to the University of Missouri Extension’s Business Development office in Camden County, where she spent two decades helping local companies grow and supporting individuals as they launched their own businesses. 

Inspired by a federal initiative to encourage small- to medium-sized domestic businesses to look at exports as a viable growth strategy for their companies, Rasmussen broadened her goals, earning accreditation as a Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP) in 2012. 

“It was a challenge to expand my skill set and learn something new,” Rasmussen says. “That’s what drove me to look at international business.”

The Small Business Development Center and University of Missouri Extension began exploring how to support companies in their pursuit of international business — specifically, helping them develop export plans and evaluate market opportunities. Rasmussen connected with Gay Albright, who was overseeing international activities at the University of Missouri’s Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business at that time. 

Going global

Albright helped the partnership engage Trulaske students in global market research projects. This collaboration planted the seed for what would become the International Trade Center (ITC), which Rasmussen has helped shape since its inception in 2014. 

Each semester, the ITC selects 16 student interns from the Trulaske College of Business and matches them with four small- to medium-sized companies. Using secondary data analysis, students help participating companies identify and evaluate potential global markets for their goods and services. 

“Students help companies consider, what does a US company need to be aware of to successfully enter that market?” says Rasmussen, who now leads the ITC. “What are the trends in that industry? What does the competitive environment look like? What’s the regulatory environment?”

The ITC selects Trulaske students from an application process and strives to maintain a mix of students from different emphasis areas. The center also secures a whole new mix of companies to consult with each semester. Rasmussen says this keeps her and ITC Program Manager Krista Hinrich on their toes. 

“We ask ourselves, is this an industry sector that we've looked at previously, or is it something new?”

For participating businesses, the benefits are tremendous. Students issue reports that are on par with professional consulting standards, and while the ITC charges a fee for these semester-long consulting projects — typically around $5,000 — clients appreciate the value compared to the $25,000-50,000 a for-profit firm might charge for similar work. 

Helping Trulaske students find their voice

For students, the payout is an experience-centered learning opportunity that provides unique insights into data analysis and interpretation, evaluating markets, project management and an inside look at international business. It’s also an opportunity for personal growth, as they navigate time management and team work to a higher degree than what they’ve experienced with class projects in the past.

“While we provide them with some structure, they still have autonomy and responsibility to say, ‘this is what we need to do in order to meet deadlines,’” she points out. “They have to manage the dynamics of allocating work, coordinating and compiling that work, and developing consistency in the content that is compiled.”

From small talk to formal presentations, the ITC internship helps students develop conversational skills, as well, she says. 

“They can get a little bit more comfortable being able to speak publicly, building the confidence to communicate with a leader or a member of the management team, and it helps students realize these are just normal people,” Rasmussen says. “Giving them that ability to connect. Helping students realize they can engage in small talk and also communicate clearly and concisely in more formal settings as needed.”

Perhaps most importantly, Rasmussen’s work with the ITC empowers students to see themselves as subject matter experts. 

“Company executives look to them as a subject matter expert because they are the ones that have completed the research. That’s eye opening and, ideally, confidence building to them to say, ‘Even though I'm still in school or about to graduate, I am the subject matter expert,” Rasmussen points out.  “’I have the ability to share information to support decision-making.’”

Paving the way for student achievement

Rasmussen and Hinich’s contributions through the ITC have paved the way for once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for Trulaske students. When the center completed a project for a manufacturing company based in Nairobi, Kenya, that was seeking to expand its sales, the students involved in the project had the opportunity to travel to Kenya to present their findings to the company in person.

The impact of Rasmussen’s leadership within the center is truly felt around the world. Since the ITC’s establishment in 2014, 430 student interns have helped 115 projects and businesses explore global markets for their exports. The ITC hosts numerous professional development opportunities for the business community, and takes students on Trulaske Trade Treks around Missouri to experience first-hand how Show-Me State companies are thriving in global markets. Rasmussen also shares her expertise on global trade in the classroom, where she inspires students to make the most of every opportunity available through the Trulaske College of Business.

When asked what has continued to inspire a career with Mizzou that spans more than three decades, Rasmussen gave a simple response:

“The continued pursuit of excellence.”

Mizzou’s Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business prepares students for success as global citizens, business leaders, scholars, innovators and entrepreneurs by providing access to transformative technologies, offering experience-centered learning opportunities and fostering an entrepreneurial mindset.