Eddie Brennan’s ’19 summer internship is keeping him busy working with three different organizations. But that’s exactly as he would have it; he’s not only gaining an impressive array of skills, he’s learning about marketing within three different sectors. Brennan’s internship experience, funded through the Career Center’s First Year Forward (FYF) program, will help him work toward his goal of a meaningful career in marketing.
Brennan’s primary responsibility is as the marketing and social media intern at The Fountainhead Group, a leading manufacturer of lawn and garden sprayers based in New York Mills, N.Y. In this role he contributes to social media posts, press releases, and other marketing materials, and he is quickly learning about marketing in the corporate world. At Fountainhead, he works closely with Jackie Romano, the vice president of global procurement and a prominent local community member.
Hometown: Waterville, N.Y.
High School: Waterville Central High School
His other responsibilities include assisting Romano in her community-based organizations. He is serving as the assistant treasurer for the Committee to Elect Rob Bauer for Oneida County Judge, helping the committee to track fundraising efforts and assisting with their publicity. As if two roles weren’t enough, Brennan is also working with Limelight Event Planning, a Utica-based event planning company started by Romano and her friend Julie Fatata. This summer, Brennan is taking the lead on planning the Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce’s Business Person of the Year Award Banquet.
About taking on so many responsibilities, Brennan said, “Every day is completely different, and I have no idea when I go in what I’ll be doing that day or how long I’ll be doing it.” His work takes a lot of “extras” off of Romano’s plate, enabling her to focus more on her work at Fountainhead. And Romano is certainly appreciative. “Jackie tells me every day she needs eight of me,” Brennan joked, and she has already hired him to continue working into the academic year.
Brennan is getting a lot out of his internship as well. He is hoping to pursue a career in marketing and negotiations in either the fashion or music industry. “I’ve always been good at talking to people and negotiating,” he noted, and he’s looking for a career that combines that skill with his love of music and pop culture. His internship is giving him exposure to multiple kinds of marketing. Brennan explained, “I’m seeing marketing at the corporate level, the non-profit level, and the political level. It’s nice to see all three components through one internship.”
Brennan credits the Career Center and FYF with being instrumental in helping him to pinpoint goals and further develop his career-related skills. He explained that the program is invaluable for teaching participants about themselves, noting, “I wouldn’t be half as aware of my personal strengths or weaknesses without the individual exploration this program encouraged.”
FYF also provided a structure for building skills in networking, career exploration, interviewing, email writing and more. Brennan believes that it’s very important to get early exposure to career exploration, and he wishes that all Hamilton students could take advantage of the FYF program. With his three-pronged internship this summer, Brennan is certainly taking full advantage of all that FYF has to offer.
