For my STEP Project, I had the opportunity to intern virtually with Greif this summer as a marketing intern on their ComEx team. Greif is a global manufacturer of industrial packaging, and I was able to expand upon my knowledge of marketing as I dove into this new industry. Some of the highlights of my internship were helping ComEx with a deep dive analysis of several industries, initiating a sales enablement project, and participating in a steel drum Webinar.
My STEP Signature Project really allowed me to expand upon my understanding of marketing and how marketing impacts the world in many different countries. I was able to find ways to improve their website, which has product pages for over 40 countries on it. By doing so, I was able to see how the many different products that Greif manufactures are used in industries such as foods, agrochemicals, flavors and fragrances, and many more in each of those countries. This allowed me to see just how impactful my work as a marketer can be since it reaches a global scale. I realized that my work in the business world has significant meaning as it stretches across the world, which allowed me to realize that I am passionate about marketing and do enjoy utilizing what I’ve learned in the classroom in the real world.
The key events and relationships during my STEP Signature Project that led to transformation were research on several industries, initiating a sales enablement project, participating in a steel drum webinar, and meetings/coffee chats with colleagues around the world. I completed research on industries including agrochemicals, flavors and fragrances, and foods, and learned about the trends and key strategies of key players in each market. I was learning about companies in NA, APAC, EMEA, and LATAM, and how similar or different trends are in each region. This greatly expanded my view of the world, as I had never done such in depth research in these regions.
One of the most influential projects I worked on was a sales enablement project, where I was tasked with researching several vendors and gathering a cross—functional team to evaluate which cloud-based platform would work best in enhancing our sales team. This project lasted the entire length of my internship, and I learned all about sales enablement and its benefits to a team. This led to transformation, as I had to initiate the entire project and step out of my comfort zone in order to help educate our team about the project. I also participated in a steel drum Webinar and practiced my public speaking as I presented an introduction to prospective customers.
Lastly, the meetings and coffee chats I had with colleagues all over the world were incredibly impactful to me. I was able to meet many people in different regions and hear about their field and how it impacts the entire company. This made me realize that I would really enjoy working for a global company, where I can interact with others in different countries. Everyone was so friendly to me, and excited to have a marketing intern on board!
This transformation was significant since it allowed me to come to many realizations about my major and career interests. I realized that I do really enjoy marketing, as I learned a lot this summer with every project I worked on. Prior to this experience, all I knew about marketing was in the classroom, so I am glad that I was able to expand upon everything I’ve learned in the past few years at Ohio State. I also learned more about sales through the sales enablement project, which is very useful as I will be starting a full-time sales role upon graduation in May. I am excited that I can use all that I’ve learned in my STEP experience toward my future career.