Jessica Unruh recently completed an internship with the Barnesville Economic Development Authority. This is what she had to say about the experience.
When I applied for this internship, I didn’t fully understand what economic development entailed. I had heard of development, but I thought it wasn’t a necessary term I needed to grasp.In my mind, I had thought of it as updating a city, which I learned that is a part of it, but economic development is so much more and there are many facets and variables to consider when looking into it. This summer has been an eye opener to the complexity of economic development and how important it is for any community. It is necessary for a community to thrive. Then comparing my experience with those of the other interns, our projects were different because of what specific aspect of economic development our city is focused on. Some were focused on the commercial side, and some were focused on the residential side, which these sides can intertwine and be separated further into more specific categories.
I am so grateful for the experience I have gained from my internship at the Barnesville EDA, including the Barnesville Main Street Program. The EDA Director, Karen Lauer has an understanding that an internship is a learning experience. With every project I was assigned, she made sure it was something I could gain knowledge from and that I would be able to retain what I learned going forward. I have learned a lot and this experience has built on the foundation of knowledge I already had.
I have a philosophy that there is always something new to learn or experience, no matter where someone is in life. This helps me keep an open mind and ready to take on criticism. It also reminds me to be kind to myself for not knowing something as I only have my perspective and experience. I have been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with Karen and Bailey Thompson, Director of the Barnesville Main Street Program.They have guided me to better my work and taught me skills that will help me in my future career.
I started off learning office skills, which I have never worked before. I mainly had jobs in the service industry,so this was a new environment for me. I took Management Information System classes where I learned about Microsoft Office programs, but there were still some features that I have never used before. I have never done a mail merge before,nor did I know what it was. It is so useful to know! Then my graphic designing skills were put to the test. I have never taken a graphic design class. It is not in the marketing curriculum, surprisingly. I had an advertising class, but we only ever discussed ad campaigns and theoretical campaigns. Through this internship I have learned so much about graphic design and advertising. I have done a lot of graphics for the City of Barnesville Facebook page as well as the Barnesville Main Street.
For one project, I was tasked to create a flyer of the new housing development to send to the Fargo/Moorhead Builders. That had incorporated photography, which I have only done personal pictures. Through this internship,I have learned how complicated it is. A simple photograph must consider lighting, layout, perspective, background, if there are people then body language needs to be factored in. Then there is the editing if the color or lighting was off and there is no opportunity or time to take another photo. Editing a photo took me some time to grasp as I have never done it before. I am lucky to be a quick learner and soon it didn’t take me as long, but I learned to take a good photo, so I didn’t have to edit. A lot of people don’t realize how much can go into one photo or project, but it is so important to the messaging.
As marketing major, I am taught the importance of messaging and all that goes into what messaging is. Marketing is in very simple terms appealing to someone to do something and how you appeal to them is through messaging. It can be straightforward or subtle, it depends on the audience you want to reach. I have had to interact with many different audiences through this internship. There are different levels of knowledge and demographics. It was crucial to when creating material, I understood who my audience was, for that could make or break a lead, a potential deal. Then there is the way the message is carried. People are so different in how they communicate. While email may be business practice, many small businesses don’t use email. A lot only use their phone, so to get a hold of them, I would have to call and even then some won’t answer and only answer texts. This is one of the biggest things I learned. Don’t give up after trying one form of communication.
There was so much more I learned and experienced from this internship. It has been crucial in affirming my choice to follow a career in marketing. It has also led me to research marketing in economic development and my interest in hospitality and tourism. Karen and Bailey have such love for the City of Barnesville and their passion and hard work to help the city grow reflect that. In the city I live in currently, it has developed a lot in the past few years, and I always feel a sense of pride when I see a new business or event. I would love to have the passion that Karen and Bailey do and create that feeling of pride for a community in my future.