Business majors are expert marketers. They learn how to discover a product’s selling point and convince people to buy it. Most important, business majors learn how to market themselves. Lauren Blanchard ’18, who worked as a marketing and management intern at Pellettieri Associates, leveraged professional development skills she learned at Colby-Sawyer to land a job offer from her internship site.

Based in Warner, N.H., Pellettieri Associates (PAI) has offered high-end landscape design and construction services in New England for more than 30 years. Blanchard, who had already completed marketing internships at ad agency Inspired Marketing and minor professional hockey team Springfield Thunderbirds just 10 minutes from her hometown of Agawam, Mass., capitalized on a connection to reach out to PAI’s general manager. Blanchard saw PAI as a great opportunity to bring her creativity to a local business with a fantastic company culture.

PAI welcomed her aboard, and Blanchard was responsible for internal communications and external marketing efforts, which included increasing PAI’s social media presence, improving the company’s web design and building community relations. PAI gave Blanchard a lot of flexibility, which allowed her to initiate some big projects. The firm even followed her advice when she suggested a new website software.

One of Blanchard’s proudest accomplishments was implementing a community relations project during Warner’s Maple Weekend. PAI is big on community involvement, and Blanchard reached out to partner with Schoodacs Coffee House. Working with PAI’s Fine Gardening Crew, Blanchard made maple bucket decorations and maple syrup-themed displays for Schoodacs’ porch and inside mantel. Schoodacs and their customers loved the final product.

Blanchard relied on some specific courses, like marketing communications and organizational behavior, to complete her internship duties, as well as skills she developed at her previous internships. By taking advantage of opportunities throughout the college and within her major, Blanchard improved her ability to communicate and problem solve. She cites resume workshops and mock interview opportunities offered by the Harrington Center for Experiential Learning as instrumental in building her professional skills.

“The liberal arts classes and professional experiences I had at Colby-Sawyer allowed me to explore different areas of studies and develop interests, skills and talents, as well as allowing me to think outside the box,” said Blanchard.

As a member of the National Residence Hall Honorary and captain of the women’s tennis team for the 2017 and 2018 seasons, Blanchard found plenty of leadership opportunities on campus. She applied skills she developed by hosting activities, attending national conferences and fundraising for local organizations to her internship. As PAI’s first intern from Colby-Sawyer, she set a high standard.

Despite all her hard work and positive results, Blanchard was surprised to receive a job offer from PAI even before finishing college – one of many offers she had the good fortune to receive. After graduating in May, she began working there full-time as a marketing/administrative professional, allowing her to pursue her passion for marking and launch her career. As she builds PAI’s brand, she’ll also be building her own brand as a talented, creative marketer.

“I feel very prepared and am excited,” said Blanchard. “It is amazing to think I had multiple job opportunities, and to think about how far I have come and all the experiences, networking and hard work that has led me to this position today as a recent college graduate."