Economics grad attributes early success to Carthage ‘toolkit’
Troy Durie ’18 is a senior data scientist in economic and market intelligence at Grainger, where he helps shape and sharpen the big picture for the industrial products company.
“We help create the macroeconomic outlook,” he says. “I’m interested in the size and growth of our current market, based on different economic variables, and then I try to understand where our market will go.”
Mr. Durie, who majored in economics at Carthage with a minor in geographic information science (GIS), brings extensive experience to the job. He saw firsthand the importance of future-minded strategies as an intern with the Council of Economic Advisers, the federal agency charged with providing objective economic advice to the U.S. president on both domestic and international policy.
“I got a chance to work with super brilliant economists from across the country,” he says. “It was extraordinary to learn from them.”
Grand Opening Celebration
As Carthage builds toward the grand opening celebration for the School of Business and Economics on April 5, 2023, we’re highlighting some of the outstanding people who have shaped our programs and emerged from them.
The San Diego native excelled at math in high school and credits the individualized attention of the Carthage faculty for encouraging his interest in how markets work. He says the story that numbers tell, particularly as framed by the global forces of supply and demand, “was just very attractive to me.”
Mr. Durie gives a special shout-out to Professor Ronald Cronovich, whose mentorship was pivotal to his decision to go on to graduate school at the University of Chicago.
After earning his master’s, Mr. Durie launched his career with stints at two familiar places. He worked for the Council of Economic Advisers as a staff economist before returning to the University of Chicago as a data analyst in the Department of Economics, researching health care markets.
Looking back on his Carthage experience, Mr. Durie reflects on many highlights: the John Hay Scholarship, travel with Professor Emeritus Ed Montanaro and other students to China’s Henan Province, and the chance to build lifelong friendships (especially with his lacrosse teammates).
And, of course, he had the good fortune to meet his future wife, Rachael (Felton) Durie ’18, who’s a CPA and senior accountant for a Chicago nonprofit.
“Carthage really was a defining place for me,” he says. “Academically, it gave me such a valuable toolkit. My questioning and critical thinking skills, my ability to read and translate data effectively — they are all critical to the work I do now, every day.”