Lakeland College senior-to-be Lexie Greenheck is having a blast. Her adrenaline is flowing, her people skills are glowing and she’s relishing her important role in the biggest sporting event in the United States this week.
Greenheck is a paid merchandise operations intern for the PGA of America during the PGA Championship at nearby Haven, Wis. She’s working long hours, but her energy level has kept pace with the importance of this event.
“It’s kind of surreal,” says the business management and international business double major of this special opportunity. “When I first learned I would be working for the PGA, I thought, ‘OK, that’s cool.’ But now that I’m actually here, and it’s exciting talking to vendors and helping customers. Golfers and their families are constantly coming in. Tiger Woods and Rory McElroy might be right outside.”
Greenheck estimates she’ll work more than 100 hours this week, but she’s not complaining. She usually arrives at the 38,000 square foot main merchandise building at 6 a.m., then gets right to work “making sure everything is organized, sizes are laid out correctly and clothing is properly stocked.”
Representatives for major vendors such as Nike, Under Armour, Greg Norman’s apparel division, Cutter & Buck and Ralph Lauren stop by to check out how their merchandise is being displayed. Once the big tent opens at 7 a.m., the customers flow in and out until almost 8 p.m.
Several days before the players and fans arrived, Greenheck helped set up the massive structure, from hanging pictures and signs to laying down carpeting to placing all of the various clothing where it belonged.
“It’s been such a great experience,” she says. “I feel like I am really prepared. Being at Lakeland has helped my communication and people skills and my ability to handle being pulled in five different directions. My business classes really helped me understand how the merchandising side of this event works. And my sports marketing class helped me so much, because through the class, I met some of the people who work for the PGA.”
This is the second internship for Greenheck, who previously worked as a global supply chain employee with the Artisan Cheese Exchange, a Sheboygan-based company that specializes in connecting cheesemakers with global companies.
“I think I definitely have had more opportunities because I decided on a small, private, liberal arts college,” says the Oostburg, Wis., native. “It’s easier to make career connections here because of the people you meet, and I obviously like being part of such a close-knit community.”
Greenheck has blossomed, excelling as a student and building an impressive resume while also playing on the women’s basketball team.
“It’s funny, because before I decided on Lakeland I thought I wanted to go somewhere else,” she says. “My parents went here, and I wanted to be different. But I’m glad I chose Lakeland. It’s really a great fit.”