Ben Gaedy addresses the continued growth of the smartphone market.
University Improvement Day means that all classes except those which meet once a week are canceled. Because of this, many students stay out of academic buildings and instead take a relaxing day to Netflix binge. However, there was something that drew students from many different majors to the Science Laboratory Center in the afternoon…a chance to hear from alumnus Benjamin Gaedy, the Director of Integrated Sales at the National Football League (NFL).
Gaedy graduated from Winona State with a Marketing and Statistics major in 2000. It was what he did while at WSU that would lead him to the job he currently holds. Being a huge Timberwolves fan, Gaedy would drive to the cities every weekend to volunteer his time at the Target Center. This allowed him to build professional connections that eventually led to him landing a job with the team.
“Work harder than you think you can and treat people the right way and you will go far in your career.”
Shortly after graduation, he decided to go back to school to earn a master’s degree in Business Administration. With his master’s degree in hand, Gaedy turned his attention back to the sports world and worked for Nascar. While at Nascar, he continued to market himself at conferences and events which lead to his connection to the NFL.
In his current role, Gaedy works to integrate ads into the NFL and does so with a small team of individuals who spend their days contacting media outlets in order to share the content the NFL has to offer.
Gaedy shares this with his fellow Winona State Warriors. Focus on gaining skills. When he hires someone, he looks at what skills they have and how will it translate into the needs for that workplace. Gaedy also brought up how important it is to be humble, but also made sure to say that there is a “fine line between being nice and being a pushover.”
The discussion closed with questions from the audience regarding the international affairs of the NFL and steps the NFL is taking to engage viewers on their phones.