I recently finished my junior year at the University of Missouri and decided I finally wanted to work somewhere that pertained to my interests. Don’t get me wrong, serving wings is fun and all, but there are far better ways to develop my skills as a young professional.
When I first got the internship at Pro Motion, an Event Marketing Company in St. Louis, I was excited and nervous to work in a smaller-sized company. Not many people get the opportunity to work so closely to everyone in the office… which I think is an amazing opportunity.
The best part about Pro Motion is the assortment of people in the different departments. Some of my favorites are:
- Steve is the President and the owner: the “head honcho,” if you will. I had always pictured business owners as snarky and authoritarian, and since I’m new to the team, I figured I would not be spending any time with him at all. Ever since I began training, though, I’ve talked with him every single day. Meeting Steve, it’s obvious he takes Pro Motion’s core values seriously. We sat down individually and he talked to me about how the company started and what this company founded upon. Talking with someone who has successfully started their own company has been an unbelievable experience that can teach me so much about my future in the marketing field.
- Even though she goes by the “Queen” on her business cards (Intimidating? Yes.), and Account Director officially, Cathi is like the mother of the office. She keeps everybody on track and makes sure everything is taken care of. Through the first week of training I sat down with her and really learned what it is like to be the Account Director. I’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg, but it is still astonishing that she is able to handle so much at once. I already notice myself taking on some of her organizing habits, helping me to stay more precise.
- Patrick is PMI’s Account Manager. This summer, my (official-sounding) title is “Project Coordinator,” so I get to shadow Patrick and learn how he gets things done. From day one, I learned that you just have to go with the flow. Things happen fast around here, and you have to be able to catch whatever is thrown at you. Patrick gives me important tasks and—even though he won’t admit it—he loves when I ask hundreds of questions. This atmosphere is stressful, but when you have everybody accessible for help it’s very difficult to feel lost. Learning from Patrick has already given me a lot of independence at times, but always with a strong support system.
- Honestly, I envy Brian’s job the most [editor’s note: it is the best job]. He gets the title “Chief Marketing Manager,” which just sounds intimidating. From what I have seen, he works behind the scenes. I have worked with him to a small extent, learning about blogs and web-based programs, and I have seen the graphics that come out of his department. Since these facets of the business are new to me, I hope to learn a lot from him this summer and eventually be as cool as him [that’s not a high bar -ed.]
- A shout out goes to the rest of the gang here and I continue to learn from each of you too, but hey, Brian (the chosen one) said to keep it to under 500 words and I’m already over!!!
I know this internship will be challenging for me since this is my first glimpse at a Marketing career, but this office is filled with some remarkable people who all have something different they can teach me!