Published: April 28, 2008 10:45 pm            

Clabber Girl creates position for graduating ISU senior

For Lindsey Davis, the job hunt is over.

In fact, the hunt finished in December when Clabber Girl offered the Indiana State University senior dietetics major a position upon her graduation May 3. She also received the Hines Medal for having a 4.0 grade-point average while studying for her bachelor’s degree.

“It’s just relieved a lot of pressure this semester,” said Davis of Pittsboro.

Instead of hunting for a job, in addition to finishing her internship at Wishard Memorial Hospital in Indianapolis before graduating, she is able to concentrate upon her work at the hospital.

“All the clinicals for dietetics were combined for this semester,” she said.

Where she’ll be on May 12 is in Terre Haute starting at Clabber Girl working in research development. She received her first taste of the company through an internship from July to December 2007 at the business known for its baking powder.

“Lindsey, because of her training at ISU, was very appropriate for our internship,” Gary Morris, Clabber Girl president and chief operating officer, said. “It turns out she’s a terrific fit for us, culturally and characterwise and academically.”

Morris said Clabber Girl is creating a research and development department, which is where Davis will work. He said it was unusual for the company to create a position.

“We had somebody who was terrific and had the background and experience, which the internship gave us,” he said. “We said, we don’t want to lose her, she’s so good, let’s make sure we bring her back here.”

For Davis, the position represents an opportunity to reach a goal.

“Through my classes at ISU, I thought I would like to go into research,” she said.

Her job duties will include development of new products and improving existing products through formula modifications or ingredient substitutions. She also will aid in the development of new encapsulation technology for food ingredients and additives; as well as head up the nutrition-related aspects, such as producing food labels and keeping certifications up to date.

“I’ve always had an interest in nutrition,” she said. “My family is all in health care.”

Her father is a doctor and her mother is a retired nurse.

“There are a lot of needs for nutrition professionals to help,” she said.

When she started looking for a university to attend with a dietetics program, she found ISU, which is one of two accredited programs in Indiana. It was a food science class during the spring of 2007 that connected her with Clabber Girl.

The class did two collaborative projects with the company. The first involved testing new commercial leavening agents that were developed for cake mixes. The second project compared leavening agents bought in a store and used in a variety of different baked products, said Sarah Hawkins, professor of family and consumer sciences.

“A representative from Clabber Girl contacted me during the summer about the name of someone I could recommend for part-time employment,” she said. “Naturally, Lindsey’s name came to mind. These real-world experiences are great for getting the students involved while they are still undergraduates.”

That internship led to the real-world job offer for Davis.

“I can’t believe how well it’s worked out,” she said. “I would have laughed if you said I’d be working at Clabber Girl a year ago.”

But she’s excited about the job possibilities in front of her, and that she will work for a company that she admires.

“I really like the fact I’ll be in research and will help develop new products that could potentially increase sales and profits,” she said. “They seem to really take care of their employees. I’m really excited to be with a company that is about community service.”

Morris said the position also allows the Indiana resident to remain instead of seeking elsewhere for jobs.

“Opportunities like the one we’re offering her and other Hoosier kids is a chance to stay here in Indiana instead of going out of state to look for their careers,” he said. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to offer those opportunities in the future for others.”

        

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