UAlbany School of Business student skillfully manages multiple internships

	Josh Tangney

UAlbany junior Josh Tangney wants to combine his interest in sports with a career in marketing or management after he graduates. So the 20-year-old business administration major decided to complete two internships - simultaneously - that would afford him experience in different aspects of marketing.

Actually, Josh has just finished an internship with the Albany River Rats and has "made the transition" to another with the Arena Football AFL Albany Conquest. "The River Rats' season just ended, and the Conquest just started up," he explained. "Both teams have the same director of merchandise sales, so I was asked to continue. I would love to get into something sports related in either marketing or management."

In addition, he is interning with Saratoga Rose Inn and Restaurant in Hadley, N.Y. Josh has evaluated the business's marketing plan, which consists "mostly of newspaper ads and coupons." With the inn owners' permission, "I put together a survey to get some feedback from customers about which ads they have seen and which ads are working well for Saratoga Rose. I hope this internship will give me some experience in the marketing field and a feel for a job that might be a possibility. And I hope to help Saratoga Rose gain visibility and customers." Josh uses skills learned in his UAlbany marketing classes to "identify target markets, and understand which marketing strategies are effective and which are not."

For the Conquest, he works with the team's director of merchandise sales "to design, order, and sell products, such as T-shirts, hats, and sweatshirts." He did similar work for the River Rats.

Josh, who has concentrations in marketing and management, enrolled at UAlbany "because of its prestigious business school and because it was close enough, but far away enough, from home." (For the record, the University is located roughly 90 minutes away from his home in Monroe, N.Y.) His studies took him farther afield in 2004, when he spent the spring semester at Australia's University of Melbourne. It was, he noted, "one of the best experiences of my life."

Life is not a constant round of study for Josh, though. A guitarist, he is also "big into sports"; he plays intramural basketball and volleyball at UAlbany, and has coached AAU basketball and Little League baseball. His athletic experience, combined with his UAlbany studies and his internships, should prove useful in his next venture: Josh, his family and a partner plan to build a 40,000-square-foot sports facility in Florida, N.Y., that will provide space for basketball, soccer, volleyball and other sports and recreational activities.

Right now, however, he's busy acquiring the skills he'll need to succeed in the business world. "I am happy to have both internships," said Josh. "I am very fortunate to be able to gain this much experience in such a short time."

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