My name is Morgan Ocetnik. I am a journalism and marketing senior and a Marketing Intern for Radford University’s Dining Services. One passion of mine has always been nutrition and fitness. I have spent countless hours in the gym and constantly focus on bettering my nutrition. As a student in previous years, when I had a meal plan, I remember having a desire for a convenient quick recovery drink, food, or snack after finishing a workout.
I saw a need for a focus on nutrition on-campus. During my junior year, I became the Secretary of Health and Wellness for our Student Government Association. My first thought in that position was, “why is our university producing nothing out of our Rec and Wellness Center?” I talked to SGA advisors and directors in the gym, but I got shot down from moving the idea forward.
Once I became an intern for our dining services, the same question arose again. I quickly learned that getting a retail location in the Rec Center would face too many obstacles. So, my question then became, what concept can we bring to the table that will produce revenue, fill the need for a post-workout snack or meal, and still be at convenience without having to build a permanent location inside the gym?
I wanted to set up a temporary pop-up once a week at a populated time range outside of the Rec Center and use it as an opportunity to educate our students. In February of this semester, we introduced the new Fairlife Core Protein Shakes product line into our retail locations. Considering we needed a new product to utilize for our pop-up at the Rec Center, we completed some research and quickly realized it was a solid product that we backed. So, we completely revamped the idea and shifted to utilizing this product as part of our Beverage Promotions.
We brought in a new flavor to sample from the Core Power product line outside of the Rec Center and sold full bottles of the current flavors we had on campus. Based on the number of people who entirely exited the gym during the period we were there, we sold to about 80-85% of them. In under 45 minutes, which comprised $115.11 in additional revenue. Overall, we were excited to have the option to introduce additional revenue that was not previously there and hear positive feedback about the product. To further expand this project, we plan to do a social media poll for more data and hopefully try out this concept a few more times before the semester ends.
The best part about being an intern for Chartwells is making an impact on my campus community. Seeing my ideas and projects come to life makes me feel heard and valued. Although my ultimate plan did not flourish while being part of SGA, my overall goal did because of my internship with Chartwells. I love using my internship platform to represent our student body and make a difference.