Whittier graduate interns with the Raiders

feature 4, issue 10, Jordan Vega, Sports - By Jordan Vega on Thursday, November 11, 2010 - 04:14

“Click-clack, click-clack, click-clack,” were the only sounds that 2010 Whittier college graduate Danny Benesch heard as the echos of his footsteps filled the elongated hallway while he walked to his office for his first day work with the Oakland Raiders. With his palms sweating, stomach swirling and heartbeat racing, Benesch could not believe where life had led him.

Dressed in a slick suit, black laced tie and slim slacks, Benesch knew that he was one of the lucky ones. Out of all the other candidates who applied for this job, the Oakland Raiders wanted him. As he stood outside the office door, he took a deep breath, calmed his nerves and turned the handle to open up the door that would lead him to his future.

“I was mostly excited but also a little bit nervous for my first day of work,” Benesch said. “When I got to the Raiders facility and walked into the building and I knew that all my hard work had paid off. My boss introduced me to everyone in the ticketing department and I immediatly felt like part of the team. I started working on some assignments in the office and I remember thinking to myself that this is the best job in the world.”

   In the past few months that Benesch has been working for Oakland, he has aquired two full time positions under the Raiders. For the first of his two positions he is a marketing intern that helps to create new marketing strategies and ticket promotions. He also researches and analyzes the marketing strategies of various professional teams, managing, creating and editing customer accounts with relationship management software. The responsibilities Benesch has as a marketing intern are numerous. From creating content for the organization’s website to making phone calls to follow potential leads, executing marketing surveys, creating and designing flyers, updating suite occupancy lists, using project management software to report issues and problems that need to be addressed throughout the stadium, assisting with the research and implementation of various database marketing projects and working at various events such as youth skills camp, Raider Nation celebration and training camp visits.

   The second position that he holds with the Raiders is Suite Game Day Staff. On game days he works in the stadium suites and provides customer service for guests of the Oakland Raiders. He also prepares the suites for guests before each game, escorting guests to their respective suites, distributing merchandise as well as promotional items, escorting them onto the field during pregame warmups and escorting Raiderettes during suite holder visits.

Benesch first came across this job while looking online at a website called www.teamworkonline.com.After Benesch applied, he did not actually know it was for the Oakland Raiders because the listing only said “NFL West Coast Team.” After a while he eventually recieved an e-mail from the Sales and marketing coordinator of the Oakland Raiders offering him a phone interview because he was living out of the area. Luckily, Whittier was scheduled to have spring break the week that the coordinator  wanted to conduct the interview. Since Benesch is from the Bay Area, he suggested a face to face interview.

“During spring break, I went to Oakland Raiders Headquarters in Alameda, Calif. and I met and interviewed with the sales and marketing coordinator and the database marketing coordinator,” Benesch said.  “I also met with the director of marketing.  After about a month, I called and e-mailed the sales & marketing coordinator to follow up and see if I had gotten the position.  I was ecstatic when he offered the position to me.”

The Business Administration major with concentrations in Management and Marketing graduate from Whittier College was also a member of the NCAA Men’s Varsity Tennis team all four years and was a captain his junior and senior seasons. In addition to athletics, Benesch worked for KPOET Radio all four years and is a member of the William Penn Society. During his junior year he was inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa, the National Leadership Honor Society.  Benesch was also awarded for Superior Performance in the Management Concentration, Superior Performance in the Marketing Concentration and Academic Excellence in Business Administration.

“Whittier College helped me prepare for this job because it taught me to have a strong work ethic and great time management skills,” Benesch said.  “I had to manage taking full loads of classes, playing a sport and working a work-study job.  One semester I had an internship in addition to all of my other activities. I also believe that Whittier helped me prepare to not be nervous or overwhelmed when interacting with people of all different backgrounds.  I think that the contact I had with the professors at Whittier helped me to be prepared for interacting with Hall of Fame football players, Super Bowl Winners and company CEOs and executives.”

Benesch does not know what the future holds in store for him but hopes to continue working in the sports marketing industry.

“I’ve known that I wanted to work in sports in some shape or form since I was in high school and I hope to continue advancing up the ladder,” Benesch said. “Whittier College helped me prepare for this job because it taught me to have a strong work ethic and great time management skills,” Benesch said.  “I had to manage taking full loads of classes, playing a sport and working a work-study job.  One semester I had an internship in addition to all of my other activities. I also believe that Whittier helped me prepare to not be nervous or overwhelmed when interacting with people of all different backgrounds.  I think that the contact I had with the professors at Whittier helped me to be prepared for interacting with Hall of Fame football players, Super Bowl Winners and company CEOs and executives.”

Benesch does not know what the future holds in store for him but hopes to continue working in the sports marketing industry.

“I’ve known that I wanted to work in sports in some shape or form since I was in high school and I hope to continue advancing up the ladder,” Benesch said.