Small-town friendliness, personal connections made the difference for Alex Royzen ’08
The change of pace from Chicago to small-town Ripon was a significant factor for Alex Royzen ’08 of Lindenhurst, Illinois, when he chose to attend Ripon College.
When he made an in-person visit, he says, “People would wave at you and say hello, the whole town smelled like fresh-baked cookies, and overall it was like moving to Pleasantville!” He majored in history, economics and business administration.
Royzen is now director of supply chain management for Ecentria, the parent company of OpticsPlanet, an online retailer offering sport optics, shooting accessories, tactical gear and eyewear, microscopes, telescopes, photography equipment, outdoor apparel and more.
He says his career is “the perfect mix between the job an introvert and an extrovert would do.” He analyzes sets of data but also talks to many people both within and outside the company. His job is to ensure that the company’s inventory has the right mix and that they partner with the best companies to retail their products on their website.
Royzen was featured in a cover story about OpticsPlanet, “Focusing on the Details,” in the August 2019 issue of Boss Magazine.
“I think the economics program at Ripon gave me a huge leg up over others,” Royzen says. “I still test the potential employees during my interview process on basic supply and demand graphs since they are truly in practice every day in their roles managing inventory and pricing.”
The personal connections Royzen made at Ripon were also valuable to him. “Ripon is such a tight-knit community and such a small school,” Royzen says. “You make friends for life, you become close to your professors, and, in many cases, meet your significant other at Ripon. My wife (Kendall Guimond Royzen ’08) and I started dating our sophomore year and never looked back!”
Zoe Hazel ’22
Friendship, Wisconsin
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