Media Relations
University of South Florida
Polytechnic
3433 Winter Lake Road
Lakeland, FL 33803
(863) 667-7077
Fax (863) 667-7097
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Contact:
Tom Hagerty
(863)
667-7077
Aaron Bates, Marketing '07
LAKELAND,
FL (August 27, 2007) - Most young college students wait until after graduation before starting a career. Not Aaron Bates.
On Sept. 4, just a week after beginning his final semester at the University of South Florida Lakeland, Bates will join the Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce as vice president of communications. He will graduate from USF Lakeland in December 2007 with a major in marketing and a minor in finance.
A fourth-generation Lakeland native, Bates transferred to USF Lakeland after his sophomore year at Florida State. He moved back to Lakeland when he married his wife, Katie, to be closer to friends and family and to take advantage of USF Lakeland’s unique academic environment.
“The faculty is excellent,” said Bates, “and you can actually sit down and talk to them. You’re not just a number. If you choose to engage the professors, you’ll get all the attention you need.”
Bates says professors Andrew Artis, Carol Osborne and Arun Tandon played key roles in helping him achieve his academic goals and prepare for a business career. His time in the Student Government Association (SGA), where he served as vice president, treasurer and started the student senate, also gave him the chance to develop his leadership skills.
“Serving in SGA was a great opportunity to represent the university,” he said. “I was fortunate to take part in the strategic planning process, which was an incredible experience.”
He also completed an internship with Dr. Marshall Goodman, VP and CEO, USF Lakeland.
“I’ve had a great opportunity to get involved in the community and to see how Dr. Goodman works,” said Bates. “He’s an incredible leader and the key to our success.”
Kathleen Munson, president, Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce, says Bates will make an immediate contribution to the Chamber’s success.
“Aaron brings a wealth of communications and technology expertise to the organization, and will focus on implementing the most advanced communications tools to connect the Chamber's mission and services to our members and outward to the global community,” she said. “For the past several months, Aaron has already been a valuable resource in working with Dr. Goodman on the Chamber's "Smart Community" initiative, enabling diverse collaboration to encourage connectivity and integration of technology to transform our community."
As Bates looks forward to starting his business career, he also looks back and sees how USF Lakeland helped prepare him for the opportunity.
“You can have success close to home,” he said. “You can, as our slogan says, stay home and go far.”
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