Communications, Management, Marketing students network in Pittsburgh
Communications students Andrew Nash, Anna Baughman, Haley Thomas, Marina Misitano and Olivia Ford and Drs. Pat Farabaugh and Kelly Rhodes enjoy PNC field.
The Shields School of Business sponsored a “Marketplace Excursion” trip to Pittsburgh on Oct. 23 for students studying Communications, Marketing and Management. Attendees toured PNC Park and visited the Pittsburgh offices of MARC USA, a full-service advertising agency in the South Shore section of the city.
SFU alumnus Joe Arnstein led SFU students and faculty on the tour of PNC Park. Arnstein graduated from Saint Francis in 2005 and now works for the Pittsburgh Pirates as an Account Executive responsible for corporate sponsorships. He shared information with the group about what it is like to work on the business side of the professional sports industry.
“We usually fluctuate between different sports venues within Pittsburgh,” said Tricia McFadden, an Assistant Professor of Marketing. McFadden organized the trip. “The emphasis on sports marketing is very important because close to 70 percent of the students in (SFU’s) Business School are student-athletes.”
After lunch in Station Square, where students had the opportunity to network with SFU alumni working in the business field in the city, the group visited MARC USA. One of this company’s primary accounts is the Pennsylvania Lottery. MARC USA created Gus the Groundhog, the “spokesgroundhog” for the Pennsylvania Lottery and “the second most famous groundhog in Pennsylvania.” Other MARC USA clients include Ruby Tuesday, Rite Aid and Payless Shoes.
Attendees were given a tour of the MARC USA offices by Rob Throckmorton, Director of Employment and Staffing for the company. Throckmorton explained to the group what it is like to work in the marketing and advertising field.
“I think the trip to Pittsburgh was a great experience,” said Nick Mauro, a sophomore marketing and management major. “It really broadened my horizons about the careers that are available in the world of business.”
“The trip benefits our students by the idea that a theory becomes alive, and when they hear it from professionals and they see the theory live in action, it energizes the idea of what we’re studying,” said McFadden. “They see the possibilities of the outcomes.”
