Behind the Scenes with a former Intern for the Green Bay Packers

Ever wonder what it’s like to work on the inside? Kendall Sutliff was a Marketing Student at Northern Michigan University and found out. She was a marketing intern for the Green Bay Packer during the 2007-2008 season. Below she shares her experiences.  Currently she is employed with Target in the Chicagoland area.

What college did you attend and what was your major?

I attended Northern Michigan University where I majored in Marketing and minored in Entertainment and Sports Promotion.

How did you hear about the internship opportunity with the Green Bay Packers?

While visiting the Green Bay Packers during an American Marketing Association tour, we met with Corporate Sales Manager Bill Hawker.  During his presentation he mentioned the internship opportunity, and I expressed interest.  It was two days before the deadline, so I immediately sent my resume in.

What was the process in applying for the position?

The process was actually pretty easy, although definitely nerve racking!  Once I sent my resume in that was it until I got a call that I was being invited in for a first interview.  I waited again after the first interview until I got another call that I was being invited back again for a second interview.  I found out the day before I flew out for a summer in Uruguay that I had gotten the position.

What do you think set you apart from other candidates?

What I believe set me apart from other candidates is that I was able to demonstrate my persistence and follow up in regards to the American Marketing Association trip.  As the organizer, I was in contact with Bill, which allowed him to see my work ethic beyond what I talked about in my interviews.

What was your role with the Packers?

My title was Marketing Intern, and to my advantage, with the Packers that means marketing extraordinaire.  In the first part of my internship I was focused on working with clients during training camp.  I also helped with the Mike McCarthy Show.  Once we got into the season, the focus shifted to game day and the preparations involved with that. I’d spend game days on the field helping to coordinate the entertainment.  During the week, the priorities were planning and executing special events, such as Football 101, while completing normal day-to-day tasks of a business.  

What was it like on game day?

Game day was crazy and always flew by.  Game day for me started hours before kick off, sometimes as early as 3:00 a.m..  When you are that excited to get to work, 3:00 a.m. is not hard to do. I would arrive at the stadium and prepare anything we needed for the day.  A few hours after I would arrive, our game day marketing staff called Pack Attack would start their day.  I was responsible for organizing and leading this team to help with any game day activities. Following that, I would either be on field or at the entrance for the game day employees to help coordinate any entertainment for the day.  During the game I would be on field to help with anything that was needed.  And after the game there was always clean up.  After all that, I have a great appreciation for any event I attend, knowing all the work and coordination that is involved.

How much did you really get to watch the games?

Because of my position, I actually saw most of the games.  I was on the field about 90% of the game time, and was able to stand in the end zone to watch the game.  Third quarter I would help out in the Miller Lite End Zone, but other than that I was on field to watch the game and help with the entertainment.

Did you go to away games?

I did not get to travel to away games.  Away game travel is limited to the marketing staff that was involved with partners/sponsors in relation to the specific destination.

How long were you there?

My internship lasted from August to February, one full season.  It seemed much shorter because every day just flew by, but it was one amazing season.

What did you learn from your experience there?

Wow, where do I start to talk about what I learned!  The team is an amazing organization, and fortunately for me, that is carried right down to the intern level.  I never really felt like an intern because I was never treated like one.  I was privileged to work on a variety of projects involving people from across the organization as well as clients from outside the organization.  Overall, the one thing that I took away from the internship is that it doesn’t matter what the job is, there are always going to be things to learn during good days and tough days, but at the end of the day it’s the people you work with that make the experience great.

Are you a football fan? If no, are you now?  If yes, what is your favorite team?

I’ve always been a football fan, and for most of my life it was the Packers. I grew up in Gillette, WI, a town of 1,200 people located just north of Green Bay.  I did have a rebellious stage in high school where I was a Titans fan, but, to the relief of my family, I’m back on track with my Wisconsin roots now.

What is your current occupation?

I currently work as an Executive Team Leader of Food for Target.  What that means is I manage a team that runs the dry, dairy, frozen, meat and produce departments of a SuperTarget.

Would you like to work for a professional sports team again?

I’m not really sure what to say to this besides ABSOLUTELY!  My time with the Packers was amazing, which I credit to the wonderful people that work there.

Thanks Kendall for taking the time to share your experience as an intern for the Green Bay Packers!