Hillsdale alumnus Aaron Veldheer is returning to the Hillsdale College campus Thursday to speak in SIFE’s Executive Speaker Series on sports marketing and professional career paths.
“Finding that career that was right for me took a lot of work,” Veldheer said. “It’s divided into three parts — finding your path, creating it, and owning it.”
Veldheer is the vice president of Media Partnerships at Intersport, a producer of sports television, event marketing, and sponsorships. Veldheer works on the business side of Intersport, overseeing media partnerships with ESPN, NBC, Fox, and CBS.
At Intersport he is involved in projects such as last year’s world-wide broadcasting of Duke University’s basketball team playing in China. A documentary of the event, as well as Duke’s team and coach, will be televised April 1.
More recently, Intersport is filming two television shows. The first is about the NFL top draft picks and the second is about the final four NFL teams in conjunction with the 2012 Super Bowl.
Senior Lea Jones will be interning with Veldheer at Intersport this summer. The internship developed after a trip she took with Hillsdale’s Career Services called “Living and Working in Chicago.”
“I love the opportunity to bring students together with alumni,” said Director of Career Services Joanna Wiseley.
Jones said she was excited about the opportunity.
“I think this internship will have a good impact on my future,” Jones said. “I would like to work in the sports marketing world and this is a great way to get real world experience.”
Jones is also point guard of the women’s basketball team at Hillsdale and said she is glad to have that in common with Veldheer.
Likewise, Veldheer is excited to maintain a relationship with Hillsdale College and its students.
“I’ve stayed pretty close [to Hillsdale College] over the past decade,” he said. “I’m a huge fan of Dr. Arnn, and I know Hillsdale produces fantastic students.”
Veldheer majored in marketing and Spanish at Hillsdale College and was point guard of the Charger’s basketball team during his four years of study. He went on to receive a master’s in Business Administration from the University of Chicago and a Juris Doctor from Michigan State University.
Between school and Intersport, Veldheer worked as a corporate attorney for the Investment Management Division at Goldman Sachs in Chicago. He also worked at Miller Johnson, a law firm in Grand Rapids, Mich.
For those interested in Hillsdale’s new sports marketing major, Veldheer will be giving a Q&A following his speech, “Finding and Creating Your Own Professional Path” which is at 12 p.m. in conference rooms A and B in the Dow Center.
