What is your professional position, and how long have you had this position?
I am the Director of Business Development and P.R. for the North Idaho Sports Complex in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho.
What does your position entail?
The complex is under development and planning right now, and ground has just been broken so construction will start soon. It will be 80 acres, multi-sports fields, with future commercial development along the sides for sports shops, gyms, club houses, and restaurants. Right now, I handle the coordination of all the "teams" involved which include; a land planning and design firm, our contractor, a corporate sponsorship assistant, a sports marketing firm, a grant writer, and a fundraising committee. I have to keep track of their projects and guide decisions, make sure they are all in sync, and ensure that all timelines are parallel. Now that everything I mentioned above is going smoothly I've started to focus on the PR and communications. I personally: manage the website, which I designed and set up, write press releases, handle the social media, communicate to the public and different groups about the fundraiser, keep communications updated about the development of the project, write newsletters, communicate with the media/press, etc.
What educational experience have you achieved to attain the position you have today?
I majored in Public Relations and Marketing from Gonzaga. However, I think that internships have a way bigger impact than classes. When I lived in Peru, I was an intern at the US Embassy in the Public Affairs Section (PAS), I was the PR manager for Gonzaga's Orientation, where I communicated to over 5,000 people over the course of 6 months. In addition to PR, I really love anything that involves creativity, and have also done a lot of event production - which I really enjoy.
How did you get involved in the field you are in today?
When I majored in Public Relations and Marketing, I knew that I wanted to work in those fields, and not market research. However, I got my current position though networking. In college I worked/volunteered in the Career Center and had the opportunity to meet a lot of professionals from the Inland NW. One of my mentors, a GU alum, mentioned to a friend, another GU alum, that I would be great for the project he was working on. So the friend reached out to me, and then I had a few chats, informal interviews, and a group interview.
How is communication important in your business?
If people dont know about our complex...there is no reason for it to exist. On a more serious note, I've slowly learned that communications actually is an art and a serious field of study. So many problems that people or organizations have is bad/lack of communication, and they dont realize that even though there may be a simple solution, aka communicating, it still takes a lot of effort to communicate properly.
How do you personally, or others you work with, use media and branding, and how does it benefit the business?
The complex is fun because I have been able to start from scratch with everything. I have to be extremely mindful that all communications that go out are making a huge impression, because there is no previous impression to go off. Building and molding the complex brand and image is a big priority now. It is a huge benefit to creating this image and controlling it so the community interprets everything the right way. This complex will bring huge economic impact and traffic to the city and this could cause controversy. Right now it's about creating an image, keeping people informed and excited, and avoiding any bad PR that you can't always control.
Does your business utilize media technology, and do you hope to use more advanced technology in the future?
We use website, e-newsletter, social media, email, etc. for now. However, while designing the complex we have made a big effort to make it a "smart" facility. So things are going to be really "techy." Like interactive maps and updated tournament brackets at kiosks a the complex and via mobile apps. Also there will be built in recording systems so games can be live streamed and recorded. All I know is that technology is going to be a big part of this complex on the interactive features side and communication side.
Do you have aspire to have a different position in the future? If so, what steps must you take?
I understand that a lot of hard work goes into new positions and promotions, but I really prefer to be in leadership-like roles. I know I want to stay in the PR field. Anything creative is always welcomed, and I love doing event production. Right now all I know is that I really need to expand my network, especially in a community that I am new in. Word of mouth is unbelievable.