Hillsdale Junior Paul Snyder got more than he planned for when he showed up for a job interview at Hillsdale’s Domino’s Pizza.
“I’d applied just figuring I’d deliver pizzas,” Snyder said, “but when I showed up for the interview they offered me the position of marketing manager.”
Snyder was hired in January of this year, and has been working there since.
Ken Clawson, the owner of the Domino’s in Hillsdale, said that hiring Snyder represented a big change in the local store’s approach towards marketing. “Our marketing was pretty non-existent before,” Clawson said. We relied mostly on national ad campaigns.”
Clawson got the idea to hire college students when he attended a Domino’s marketing seminar in Lansing. He learned that the owner of the Domino’s that covers Michigan State had hired young college students to help with marketing. Clawson liked the idea, and began the search back at home.
“My assistant had seen Paul’s application, so we just made the connection,” Clawson said.
Snyder, a politics major, was rather surprised, but decided to take the offer head on. “I never expected I’d be doing this, but he told me to make it up as I go and give him ideas,” Snyder said. “We work together and it’s been really fun so far.”
Snyder said his favorite part of the position is how much communication it entails. “It really is a public relations job: it’s about talking to people,” he said.
Though Snyder had never done any marketing before, he believes that his participation in several political campaigns helped him develop relevant skills. “I think it helped me be comfortable talking to strangers and being confident in what I’m offering,” he said.
One of the new marketing innovations that Snyder is most proud of is the fundraisers he has helped implement. Organizations can partner with Domino’s to receive 10% of net sales for the day that they choose.
Domino’s had never partnered with anyone to hold fundraisers before, but Clawson was interested in starting.
“Paul and I talked about it, and we decided it would be a great way to give back to the community and the college while increasing awareness,” Clawson said.
Snyder was excited to connect with the community, and has scheduled several dozen fundraisers to take place over the course of the next year.
Some of Domino’s fundraisers have already benefited Hillsdale College Goal Programs. “Two of our first fundraisers were with A Few Good Men and Students Against Cancer,” Snyder said.
Ben Holscher, President of a Few Good Men, said that the fundraiser went very well. “I think we will definitely do a fundraiser with them again in the future, and the money we raised will help up further our various projects,” Holscher said.
Snyder spends 10-15 hours a week doing marketing, and then also gets to deliver pizza on the weekends. He said he has been impressed by how readily business owners and community members have responded to many of his ideas.
“It’s amazing what people will be willing to participate in if they just know about it,” Snyder said. “Whether it is pizza or a political candidate, it’s all about offering something that people want to be involved in and telling them how.”
