Marketing grad earns B.S. at Saint Mary’s and finds home at Walser
After graduating from Eagan High School in 2012, Kevin Mazanec, 24, decided to enroll in the Sales Management program at Dakota County Technical College. Kevin went on to graduate from DCTC in 2014 with an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.).
“I knew a two-year degree would help open doors in the workplace,” Kevin said, “and I was interested in sales.”
Kevin was employed full-time at Walser Automotive Group while attending DCTC. He worked at Walser’s Maplewood Used Car Xpress location as a service advisor and parts specialist. Walser has nine locations in Kansas and 16 in Minnesota, including Walser Nissan in Burnsville, where Kevin works now as a service advisor.
“My education in sales at DCTC taught me how to work with people,” he said. “In my job as a service advisor, I serve as the communication link between our technicians and our customers. That can be challenging. During an average day, I will consult with twenty-five or more customers.”
In the fall of 2014, Kevin enrolled at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota with the goal to earn a four-year degree while increasing his sales knowledge from a marketing perspective. He continued working full-time at Walser and earned his Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Sales & Marketing in 2017.
“Everything from DCTC transferred to Saint Mary’s,” Kevin said. “That made things easy.”
Kevin’s long-range career plans are centered on his job at Walser. He enjoys his work and likes the company. Doesn’t hurt that he also loves cars. If he could buy any vehicle on the Walser Nissan lot, he would choose the 2019 Nissan Maxima Platinum.
Kevin Mazanec | Q & A
Why did you choose your career field?
I started working at Walser in 2013 while I was going to DCTC. I worked full-time at the company’s Maplewood location. My first service manager at Walser, Reed Decorsey, taught me a lot about the car business. I’ve always liked cars—I got that from my dad, and I will have worked at Walser for six years in May 2019. I really like my job.
How did your education at DCTC help you enter the field?
My A.A.S. degree gave me the chance to have my resume considered.
What advice would you give students considering technical college as way to meet career goals?
Talk to the advisors and check out the programs to see what field you like best.
Three words that describe you as a person:
CARING. DRIVEN. FOCUSED.
Why should DCTC alumni stay engaged with the college?
You never know when or if you’ll need to go back to school.
What person has influenced you the most in life?
An old friend, Reed Decorsey. I met him when I worked at Walser in Maplewood.
What’s the most exciting thing you’ve ever done?
Going to Las Vegas. I’m heading there again this year.
Sales Management at DCTC…
Major Description
Sales is an increasingly important position in contemporary organizations, especially with the growing global economy. Simply put, nothing happens unless something is sold. As a salesperson, you are in the enviable position to make something happen.
Sales Specialist
Every company has a salesperson. Nothing happens in a company until someone sells something. As a salesperson, you are in the enviable position to make something happen. Most business executives start in a sales career and move into a management role after positively affecting profits of their companies through sales. If you intend to follow a corporate path, a career in sales prepares you for a large portion of executive positions. This program gives students the skills associated with direct promotion of products and services to potential customers. Training includes basic and professional sales techniques, management and general marketing concepts, sales organization and operations, customer relations, and consumer buying behavior.
Sales Management Specialist
This program gives students the sales skills mentioned in the Sales Specialist certificate along with general marketing concepts including strategic planning, consumer buying behavior, event planning, e-marketing, public relations, advertising, promotions, global marketing, product and service development, logistics, and marketing research. This program is enhanced through management training.
Learn more…
More about Kevin…
Kevin’s father is a retired construction engineer who designed glass curtain walls for skyscrapers; his mother works as a PSA in an elementary school. His sister, Becky, works as a senior living dietician. She’s married and has a 3-month-old daughter, Kevin’s niece, Nora.
When he’s not working, Kevin likes to play guitar. He has a Yamaha acoustic guitar and a Gibson SG electric guitar.
“I just play for fun,” he said. “I like playing 70s and 80s songs on my Gibson. I grew up listening to AC/DC. Lately, I’ve been playing country music on my acoustic guitar.”
Kevin Mazanec| 21 Answers
- Favorite season: Summer
- Favorite natural feature (e.g., waterfalls, oceans, mountains, etc.): Pocket Lake near Alexandria, Minnesota; my parents have a cabin there
- Favorite sport or physical activity: Hockey and water skiing
- Your national bird if you could have one: Common loon
- Place you would most like to visit: Nashville, Tennesee
- Favorite holiday: 4th of July
- Your national mammal if you could have one: Moose
- Favorite actor or actress: Paul Walker
- Favorite band or performing artist: Garth Brooks
- Your personal motto if you had to have one: “Treat others like you’d like to be treated.”
- Coolest thing in the world: Human connection
- Scariest thing in the world: Fear of the unknown
- Favorite all-time TV show: Gold Rush
- Favorite all-time movie: The Fast & the Furious
- One thing you most want to accomplish in life: Be happy
- Most valuable material possession: My Bayliner bowrider
- First thing you would do if you won the $1.5 billion Powerball: Travel
- Dream occupation: One where I don’t feel like it’s a job
- Person you would most like to meet: Dave Grohl
- Skill you would most like to learn and master: Guitar
- Humankind’s greatest challenge: Ego
Learn more about Marketing & Sales programs at DCTC by contacting:
Carie Statz
Marketing & Sales Faculty
651-423-8622