St. Norbert students present their ideas to local small business owners as part of the Green Bay Packers Mentor-Protégé Program.

Packers Mentorship Program Gives Students Real-World Marketing Experience

Starting and running your own business is no small feat. There are products to launch, services to provide and, yes, TikToks to create — if that’s where the audience is. It can be hard for small-business owners to juggle all of these tasks on their own or with a small staff.

That’s where the Green Bay Packers Mentor-Protégé Program comes into play.

Formed in 2010, the program pairs established companies — or mentors — with newer companies — protégés — to spur reciprocal partnerships. It primarily focuses on businesses owned by minorities, women, veterans, service-disabled veterans or disabled persons. The goal is to help businesses boost their growth through exposure, resources and guidance in order to reach the next level.

Jim Harris (Business) has participated with the program for the last eight years, as a founding member of the board of directors and consultants and as a local college professor connecting business owners and students through a joint semester-long project.

The focus: Get students exposure to real-world business marketing problems and give up-and-coming small business owners a leg up in the promotional part of the commercial world.

Students suggest smart marketing moves
Melinda Stuart is the owner of Smart Moves, a business out of Greenfield, Wis., that supports clients and families with moving services in situations where seniors need to downsize and relocate.

“It’s easy to get caught up in the day to day,” she explains. “Participating in this program gave me a chance to reflect on how to communicate our value to someone who has no knowledge of what we do.”

Erin Eggers ’24 was on a team assigned to collaborate with Smart Moves. While the business already had a strong brand, Eggers’ team dove deeper into promotional ideas.

“We created five or six pitches ranging from new brochures to social posts to even [public relations] opportunities in the Milwaukee area,” she explains. “The majority of our ideas were pretty cost effective though they required more labor so we laid out a monthly budget.”

Stuart describes the students’ efforts as well thought-out and comprehensive, noting that a neutral analysis is hard to come by when you’re so engaged with the work. She said the SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) assessment done by their student team was incredibly valuable as it identified and compared businesses akin to Smart Moves in the greater Milwaukee area.

But it’s not just about the businesses. Stuart says these types of opportunities give students a way to see their potential in this type of career post-graduation, with real-world interactions to boost their confidence.

Eggers agrees: “I talked about this experience in my job interview for my current position on a marketing team,” she shares happily.

Looking back on the experience, Eggers says the most fulfilling part was when they gave their final presentation and they realized how much work went into it over the semester.

“It was exciting to know that a real business was benefitting from your work and may even be implementing your ideas,” she says. “Smart Moves is so passionate about what they do, and it made all the work even more worth it to see them enjoy our ideas.”

For Stuart, the whole process was a “smart move.”

“We’ll definitely be incorporating their messaging and social media recommendations into our marketing plan for this year,” she says.

Uncommon partnerships
Dave Gould of Uncommon Grounds Specialty Roasts echoes Stuart’s sentiments.

“As a small business owner, I have been through the process of creating a marketing plan on my own,” he says. “It was great to hear from a younger group that offered fresh marketing ideas and organized thoughts to what can be a chaotic part of business.”

Gould, whose high-quality, international coffee is roasted in Appleton, Wis., knows that marketing a business can feel like “trial and error” or “throwing something at the wall to see what sticks,” but he says it was clear that the students put care and thought into their final projects.

David Rasmussen ’24 was one of those students. His group focused on brand awareness and potential market pitfalls while also keeping in mind the need for a budget to be efficient and effective. Learning how to balance budgets and create the necessary promotional strategies was challenging, but grew his and his peers’ skills in data, market analysis and management.

“This project truly allowed my group to put our learning into action, while also gaining new and insightful skills,” Rasmussen says. “Classroom instruction at SNC is vital, and Professor Harris has found a way for his marketing students to put what they have learned into practice.”

Gould emphasizes that any business or organization in the Packers Mentor-Protégé Program could hit the ground running with these marketing plans. He was impressed with the comprehensive analysis, media strategies and public relations campaigns brought forth by the students, especially the “Travelers Guide to Coffee” that one group proposed.

“I did not expect this sort of close look at the marketing aspect of our business, and I have certainly benefited from the class and their ideas,” Gould reflects. “Small business is a hard road for anyone trying to succeed. This program offers an excellent example of what any owner can do to find their success.”

Rasmussen found it extremely beneficial and heartening that the businesses they worked with were local to Wisconsin.

“Working with business owners allowed us to create a connection and network within the community,” he says. “It’s always nice to help the people in your backyard.”

Ava Rachoner ’25, another student whose group worked on a marketing plan for Uncommon Grounds, focused on a logo redesign paired with other promotional campaigns for their final presentation. Rachoner is working toward a triple minor in graphic design, Spanish, and peace and justice during her time at St. Norbert.

“I loved that we got to work with a company that sustainably sources its products from around the world,” she shares. “Working with Uncommon Grounds was a wonderful example of how I could potentially use all of my majors and minors in a job after graduation.”

Sisters Elizabeth and Hannah Lamp ’25 collaborated with groups on a promotional plan centered around “mindful munching” for Slide Gourmet Potato Chips out of Madison, Wis., run by Christine Ameigh.

“The most fulfilling aspect of this project was overcoming the intimidation of working closely with a brand,” Elizabeth Lamp shares. “It felt like a whole different world switching from learning in the classroom to directly corresponding with Slide.”

Hannah Lamp agrees: “It was refreshing to step beyond the textbook and see the effects marketing can have on a business’s success,” she says. “Working closely with Christine helped me to recognize the dedication and concentration that goes into marketing a brand.”

Feb. 20, 2024