Rotary gives designer firsthand look at German culture

The interior designer for Butler, Rosenbury & Partners Inc. just returned from a four-week trip to Germany as part of the Rotary Club Group Study Exchange program.

Sengstacken was the only Springfield member of the delegation representing Rotary District 6080, which covers Springfield, Joplin and Branson and up to suburban Kansas City, Columbia and Jefferson City. The group left for Germany May 25 and returned June 24.

She said the exposure to the German way of life – each exchange member stays with a host family for a week before moving on to the next town – was a crucial part of the experience, along with the ability to see how fellow professionals work in other parts of the world.

“It gives you ideas about what you want to do with your job and how you want to make the field better,” she said, noting that planned excursions are tailored to each individual’s profession. “It gets you out of your bubble of being in Missouri. You realize that there’s a lot more going on in the world than Springfield.”

The overseas experience will come in handy when Sengstacken leaves in August to spend three months in China. She’ll help represent BRP in its joint venture in Dongguan, China, working on designs for multiple hotels in Macao and mainland China.

“It’s really hard to be in another country for a lengthy amount of time, and when you can’t communicate verbally, you get frustrated,” she said. “But then you realize you can communicate in other ways. I know it’s going to be a big barrier, but I’ve had this experience, so I’m not going in blindly.”

Choosing the team

Sengstacken was turned on to the exchange idea by Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President Brad Bodenhausen, who is also a member of the Rotary district’s group study exchange selection committee.

Bodenhausen is no stranger to the process; he participated in a GSE trip to Sweden 10 years ago.

A team of five goes on the exchange trips, comprising four non-Rotary professionals between the ages of 25 and 40 and one Rotary member who acts as team leader.

“The local Rotary club makes the nomination, so we try to get the word out to young professionals who will benefit from that experience and represent the district and the state well,” Bodenhausen said, noting that there are about 50 clubs in this Rotary district.

The application involves an essay and a sometimes-lengthy interview.

Old hat

BRP treated Sengstacken’s trip as an unpaid leave of absence.

This is not the first time the firm has helped an employee participate in the Rotary exchange. Architect Jennifer Wilson traveled to Morocco several years ago.

BRP principal Tim Rosenbury said that despite the challenge of filling an empty spot for several weeks, the advantages of having an employee participate outweigh the negatives.

“Any time you as an employer can have your employees develop more relationships, go through a maturing process and learn early on in their career that it’s a big world but they can make an impact on it, that’s good for the company,” Rosenbury said.

The fact that the company helps with the process strengthens employee loyalty, he added.

“We as an employer look at it as being more loyal to that employee, because we’ve made an investment in them, and so it’s an equity builder for the relationship,” he said.

Sengstacken said the trip, and the experiences that go along with it, will help her be a better designer.

“It gives you ideas about what you want to do with your job and how you want to make your field better,” she said, noting that German designers are much more aware of environmentally friendly and low-impact design techniques.

The Rotary Team

Five Missourians just returned from a four-week trip to Germany as part of the Rotary Club’s Group Study Exchange. Their names, companies and hometowns are listed below.

• Mary McIntosh, State Fair Community College in Sedalia (Rotary representative)

• Richard Bruce, University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg

• Breck Frerking, private investor’s assistant in Columbia

• Corey Sengstacken, Butler, Rosenbury & Partners in Springfield

• Shonna Tropf, University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg[[In-content Ad]]