Rohnert Park, CA - The School of Business and Economics (SBE) at Sonoma State University (SSU) announced that Garret Gooch, Class of 2016, recently completed a temporary placement as brand associate and content creator for Ultimate Ears, a waterproof and shockproof Bluetooth speaker brand owned by Logitech. He was dispatched by the company on a three-month journey across the U.S. to identify "influencers", or members of the general public who become early users and advocates of the product. Each experience and interaction along the way was documented through the company's social media channels. Gooch credits SBE and the SSU community with helping to develop his interpersonal skills and business acumen, which enabled him to succeed in the project.
"We didn't get the address of the outdoorsman and send him our product, we hiked the mountain to find him. Our approach wasn't to simply hand out speakers, we invited people to enjoy the tunes, dance with us, and consequently to visualize how they would use the product," Garret Gooch, Class of 2016 said. "The strong interpersonal skills developed while at SSU provided a foundation for success, and I proactively went after this job. I learned more about myself in three months than I have in my entire life."
Gooch documented a variety of adventures over the course of three months, including whitewater rafting down the Chattahoochee River along the Georgia-Alabama border, a "Slow Roll" bike club ride in Detroit, Michigan, the Warrior Dash Mud Run competition in Ohio, and a 17-mile trek near Aspen, Colorado, which involved an impromptu dance party at 11,900 feet.
"Garret was tenacious in pursuit of this opportunity. He developed a relationship with the company over the course of a year prior to being hired. Fortunately, they saw that his skills and creativity could effectively leverage person-to-person interactions to grow and engage their followers on social media," said Sarah Dove, Career Services Director for the School of Business and Economics. "This is the kind of success story we love to share, so that all students understand the benefit of being proactive and using our services as a springboard to opportunity."
For more information regarding Garret Gooch and his internship, please visit the "10,000 Mile Roll" blog here. For more information about internship and career services, or degree programs in the School of Business and Economics, please contact (707) 664-3501, or visit www.sonoma.edu/sbe