Straits in Wisconsin. That involved looking at and approving samples. Vendors worked with my supervisors a year to two years in advance just getting pieces of clothing together to approve the logo or color combination. It was cool because they would ask my opinions on things, so it was neat to be a part of that. People buy it, and you’re like, ‘Hey, I picked that out!’ When I got to Wisconsin, it was a lot more labor intensive. I was actually building the whole entire merchandising tent and setting up fixtures. Then, I dealt with customer service as it got closer to the event.
What is the most interesting experience you had on the job?
One really cool thing in Wisconsin was when we had a creative designer come to help dress all the mannequins and do all of the aesthetics inside the store. My boss picked me to work specifically with him, so I helped set the store up visually. There is actually a lot of thought in setting up store layout because you are trying to gauge how consumers would look at everything. That is what is cool about the PGA; they are so driven on passion. They put a lot of research into the market and the consumers.
What are you plans moving forward, after the internship and graduation?
Last summer (2014), I worked with the Tennessee PGA section, so I helped run tournaments all over the state. That gave me some smaller scale tournament operations experience. This [past] summer I saw the bigger scale of it, as well as the merchandising aspect. I could see myself working at
headquarters, but still being able to travel and have hands-on experience.
Where do you see the PGM program going in the future?
[The College of Business] has tried to expand our PGM education. Mr. Adkerson is focused on getting you opportunities to see more of the business side. He created a leadership development team last spring to bring our classroom knowledge to another level, and to bring more of a business aspect to everything. He wanted to bring this team together as sort of a discussion team and to help us grow as leaders. Eight of us are on the team, and it’s been really good. It was big for us because we could share our experiences in the profession and how we can grow through them.
How has the faculty at MSU helped you in specific ways that will be beneficial in your career in golf?
I have grown really close with them. They are always willing to help you whether it’s related to PGM or not. Internships are a really big part of it because they want their students to get whatever opportunities they want. Because I want to do big things, I know that those things are not going to happen without Mr. Adkerson and Mr. Scott helping me get there.
How have the College of Business and the PGM program helped you develop as a professional?
Getting into a new environment in college, coming from out of state, was really good for me because it improved my social skills that could be transferred to the workplace. The College of Business is also very hands-on, which especially helped for the internships. Having experiences here helped me develop communication and other skills you need in these jobs or internships. Without the College of Business, I would not have the opportunities that I have been given or done what I have done.
Photo credit: DIVIDENDS Magazine