Rider Alumni at Creative Marketing Alliance Mentor Rider University Students Throughout Summer

PRINCETON JUNCTION, N.J. – August 31, 2015 –At Creative Marketing Alliance (CMA), interns become a valuable member of the team, working closely with account teams to gain hands-on experience and a deep understanding of how the business’ day-to-day operations are run.

“During my time at CMA, I learned a lot of things about marketing that a classroom simply cannot teach you,” said Maxwell Daley, Class of 2017 who was participating in the Rider Shadow Program under Rider alumna Erin Klebaur, Class of 2004 and director of marketing services at CMA. “Further learning about one of my favorite things in marketing, a company analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (S.W.O.T.), has changed my perspective on marketing as a whole. As one of the foundations in looking at a company, I learned firsthand how to analyze one of CMA’s clients. Focusing most of my time on that, this one little step has brought the whole marketing world right into my hands.”

Daley worked with one of CMA’s clients contributing new marketing ideas for the company’s upcoming year.

“The process through this project was very enjoyable, because I was able to find out something I really like about marketing and hope to do in the future,” Daly said. “I enjoyed researching the possibilities of where and how to promote and advertise this particular business. Being that there is no wrong answer, it gave me the confidence of thinking outside of the box and really expanded my strategic thinking.”

Interning in the finance department has given Avery Martini, an accounting major in the Class of 2017, a chance to learn from Controller Joanne Trautwein, a Rider alumna, Class of 1986.

“I have taken countless classes where I learned and used Excel throughout high school and two years of college. However, listening to a lecture and doing work straight from a book can only teach you so much,” Martini said. “I am a firm believer in hands-on experience and, in my opinion, no matter how good a teacher you have or what grade you get in a class, you will never fully understand something unless you are working on a task in the ‘real world.’ That is the greatest thing CMA has given me.”

“The hands-on work I have done while working on projects in Excel, Workamajig and QuickBooks (accounting programs used in the office), I not only learned how to use and apply my knowledge, but I now have a better understanding of the accounting aspect,” he added. “For instance, some of the phrases and techniques learned in my college classes were just words that I memorized. I now have a better understanding of what they are, and more importantly, why they are used.”

Throughout June and July, Sandra Penas Mur, who is enrolled in Rider University’s MBA program after receiving her bachelor’s in finance and international business last year from the Lawrenceville-based university, has been working with the North American Association of Commencement Officers (NAACO) and the Third Party Marketers Association (3PM).

“Working at CMA has given me the exposure I was looking for,” said Mur, who is from Barcelona, Spain. “For instance, I’ve been able to observe board meetings with NAACO and see firsthand how decisions are made. My responsibilities included researching potential new members for NAACO and 3PM, as well as potential sponsors for the organizations. In addition, as NAACO is trying to gain presence in North America, I was responsible for making outbound calls to universities in Mexico. It was very interesting to see how universities in other countries are structured differently.”

“Being multilingual is a must working with international associations, and since Sandra speaks Spanish, we asked her to make contacts in Puerto Rico and Mexico that we are now following up with,” added Gabrielle Copperwheat, director of operations at CMA. “She had exposure to what really drives associations and learned the foundations of association best practices and governance.”

Mur attended board meetings, worked with member management systems, prepared materials for meetings and worked with committee reports and financial documents.

“I was able to apply the research skills learned in the classroom, and the projects I have been working on have been valuable in helping me understand the business world more,” she said. “I decided to major in finance after I took my first finance course at Rider. I realized then that finance takes a huge role in every company and that being knowledgeable in the subject would make me a valuable asset.”

CMA’s CEO and President Jeff Barnhart, Class of ’77, has been recognized by Rider University’s Communications Honor Society, Lambda Pi Eta, with its prestigious Alumni Achievement Award and has been singled out as a “Notable Alumni” doing business in the Central Jersey region.

“I really enjoyed working closely with Rider alumni,” said Daly. “It was very nice to see Rider alumni wanting to give back to the university and mentor a student in his/her directed field of study. It is also good to see a Rider degree being put to use and that there is potential for me having a good job in the future being that I am in the same field.”

As part of Barnhart’s mission to give back to his alma mater, CMA regularly recruits and selects students from Rider to participate in CMA’s rigorous internship program. “Offering college students the opportunity to work and participate will give them hands-on business and marketing experience that will hopefully give them a leg up when they graduate,” Barnhart said. “Internships are a way to nurture the business leaders of tomorrow.”

“It was great working at CMA,” said Mur, who will graduate from the MBA program in May 2016. “It’s very reassuring to see all the great things Rider alumni are accomplishing.”

CMA is seeking fall semester interns. For more information, visit GoToCMA.com/careers.

Photo captions:

MUR2: Photo courtesy of Creative Marketing Alliance. Sandra Penas Mur, summer intern, Jeff Barnhart, president and CEO, and Gabrielle Copperwheat, director of operations, review client reports at CMA.

Avery1: Controller Joanne Trautwein mentors Avery Martini in the accounting department.

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About Creative Marketing Alliance

Creative Marketing Alliance (CMA) is a responsive, full-service marketing firm that delivers award-winning campaigns, recommendations and return-on-investment (ROI). CMA builds brands from a client-side, value-based perspective. It successfully launches and manages integrated marketing programs using Marketecture™, a strategic analysis process that helps clients understand how their company can be best positioned. Based in Princeton Junction, N.J., for more than 28 years, CMA provides innovative solutions in the areas of traditional design, interactive design, content creation, public relations and strategic marketing with an in-house studio for advertising and creative design. For more information, please visit GoToCMA.com, call 609-297-2235 or email us at info@cmasolutions.com.