Economics alumnus Russ Dieringer ’08 founds research and consulting company for retail professionals

In the second semester of his freshman year, Russ Dieringer ’08 took Principles of Economics, taught by Amyaz A. Moledina, professor of economics & business economics at The College of Wooster. It was Dieringer’s first exposure to the field, and something clicked. “I had never really taken a class like that in high school before, so I found it to be really interesting,” he explained. “I really enjoyed learning about it, I took that course, and then, at that point, decided to major in economics. From there I took about as many economics classes as I could.”

After declaring a major in economics, Dieringer became involved in the campus’s economics-focused extracurriculars, attending Jenny Investment Club dinners and joining the newly established Social Entrepreneurship Program. “Jenny Club was my first exposure to investing,” Dieringer said, “so it was a whole new world. But I loved it; we got together once a week for dinner in Lowry, and it was a great format.” He also participated in AMRE, Applied Methods and Research Experience, the summer between his sophomore and junior year, working as part of a team of business and organizational consultants. 

In 2021, Dieringer started Stratably, a company offering research and consulting services to retail professionals. “There’s this whole world that exists around how big brands do business with retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Instacart,” Dieringer said, “and that world is very dynamic and complex.” Stratably, he said, strives to help retail professionals in that industry make sense of those dynamics and that complexity. He explained that the business was born from the idea, “Can I add something new and different to the industry?” a question he first posed in his junior year at Wooster when he began his Independent Study.  

For Dieringer, his I.S. research experience established a foundation of independent-thinking skills and self-confidence that he uses constantly in his current career. “Research, writing, and communication are really core to Independent Study,” he said, “and all of those elements are very core to what I do at Stratably. I’m continuing to do research; I’m writing every day, and I’m communicating with customers.” More than anything, I.S. encouraged him to ask a unique or novel question and to work towards an answer. “I think this idea is very relevant in most fields after college,” Dieringer noted. “If you can keep that with you as you go throughout your career and continue to think independently, there’s a lot of value that you can add to whatever field you’re in.” 

In addition to the I.S. experience, Wooster provided Dieringer with the singular kind of one-on-one guidance found only at small liberal arts colleges. “I felt like I really thrived under that,” he observed. “There were a lot of resources available as well, like the Writing Center. I felt students were really supported, and I felt supported to try and be successful there.” Dieringer pointed out several economics professors who offered support, advice, encouragement, and guidance throughout his four years. “Professor Moledina brought a lot of energy and excitement to economics, which was contagious. Professor Jim Burnell was my I.S. advisor, so he was very influential, and Professor Jim Hornsten and Professor Barbara Burnell were wonderful as well. I loved the topic, so I really loved the whole department when I was there. They really fostered my interest in the subject.” 

Beyond faculty guidance, extracurricular and internship opportunities, and ultimately a career in the field, Dieringer’s experience in the Wooster economics major also brought him to his wife. They met in an economics class his senior year and had their first date downtown at Broken Rocks, the year the restaurant opened. “My wife and I, we still come down to campus with our boys now,” Dieringer said. “We have such fond memories.” 

Image: Russ Dieringer ’08. Photo provided by Dieringer.

Posted in Alumni on December 11, 2023.