Local businesses teamed up with campus organizations for a browse on Business Day.
The special day was held in the War Memorial Student Union on Wednesday, Sept. 4, was hosted by Campus Activities Board with the purpose of giving local businesses a chance to promote their businesses and network with students.
“Its purpose is just to show the students what Hammond has to offer,” said Todd McElroy, coordinator of CAB. “We have a wonderful relationship with the town of Hammond, so we just wanted businesses to come on campus and show the students what they have available to them.”
Tina Fremen, membership team leader of Sam’s Club in Covington, utilized her time at Business Day to make students aware of the benefits of becoming a Sam’s Club member, including the opportunity to receive free health screenings and flu shots.
“We did Business Day last year, and we had a pretty good turnout,” said Fremen. “It was right before the store opened. It’s just a good network for us to let the students know we do free health screenings every month. We’re doing free flu shots right now. We let the organizations know that we do help with fundraising and donations, and we just answer their questions about membership.”
Tracie Spallino, owner of Anytime Fitness in Hammond, is a regular participant of Business Day. This year, she offered students the chance to enter a drawing for a 12-month membership to Anytime Fitness. She received over 100 referrals for her business and will be giving each of those students a seven-day guest pass to Anytime Fitness. This arrangement benefits the business just as much as it does the students.
“Actually, we’re here for networking,” said Spallino. “We’ve been in business for eight years. I believe this is our fifth year [attending Business Day], and we love it. We meet a lot of great kids, a lot of out-of-towners, but they love to work out worldwide, and that’s what this company offers them.”
Overall, Business Day was viewed as a success, and both Fremen and Spallino plan to participate in future events at Southeastern.
“I think every local business, really, should partner with Southeastern,” said Spallino. “It’s a great opportunity for your business, and to just get your name out there. We had a lot of fun.”