Tacoma Rainiers at Cheney Stadium

Internships bring Win-Win!

January 19, 2022

TJ Barr is a natural, competing in sports from an early age, high school and beyond. Winning athletic awards in basketball, football, then becoming a leader and organizer of enthusiast groups at college and pro sports events, even serving to officiate and coach. His experiences as a sports fan, plus marketing studies at UWTacoma Milgard School of Business have prepared him well for this internship. He gets it. It's all about the audience experience.

TJ started his internship with the Tacoma Rainiers just as the world was taking timid steps toward emerging from Covid lockdown. He quickly learned that the Rainiers were ahead of the game. When the State of Washington mandated areas for vaccinated and unvaccinated fans, he made sure everyone felt welcomed in a safe and fun space.

A unique annual promotion with a national fast food chain put TJ on the front lines of direct sales. Not everyone would relish the task of making cold calls, but that was his mission: sell 100 ticket packages to include 4 ballpark meals, 4 team hats, 4 seat tickets and 4 future meals at a local national chain restaurant. TJ quickly realized that cold calls to new and former participants required an efficient, friendly, precise message. He exceeded his own goals totaling sales of 166 packages. Going the “extra mile” is just what TJ does. Come game day, he followed up by extending a personal warm welcome to the fans he'd help bring to the park, finding them in their seats and making sure everything had gone smoothly and as promised!  TJ has a knack for adding value.

Milgard School of Business student TJ Barr and Cheney Statue

UW Tacoma, Milgard School of Busineess Intern, TJ Barr gains inspiration at Cheney Stadium. 

Tim O'Hollaren, Senior Director of Sales - Tacoma Rainiers, was TJ's direct report during his internship and had this to say, "TJ was a great addition to our team this season. He was the solo intern in a year that brought many challenges. He handled every day with ambition and desire to do his best, even when being thrown into the fire mid-season and mid-pandemic. I would recommend TJ for any customer facing role."

Never failing to innovate, TJ also brought new energy to a gift card conversion program, partnering with retailers to convert gift cards into tickets, bringing new and existing fans back to the ballpark. One could say TJ took his insights and dreams as a fan, and made them a reality for visitors to Cheney Stadium. Helping fans feel at home in what is often called our “Jewel of Tacoma.”

“Guest speakers in my business courses continually stress the importance of internships in today's employment environment” said Stan Emert, Executive Director of the Sports Enterprise Management program. “This Spring, TJ will earn his BA Degree from the Milgard School of Business with a major in Marketing and a minor in Sports Enterprise Management. I’m proud of TJ Barr. He will succeed in whatever field he chooses.”

What's Next?

Looking to the future and to satisfy a need, TJ is collaborating with Trish Zander, Director of the Milgard Success Center to grow the “Bark No Bite” Public Speaking Club. To quote TJ, "I get such a rush from public speaking and I believe everyone can develop their presentation skills. Nobody is perfect and practice can build a skill set that can translate into a prosperous career. I want to promote a comfortable and supportive environment to practice the art of public speaking. I hope this will be a lasting legacy here at UW Tacoma."

Visit the Milgard Success Center for more internship opportunities.

WRITTEN BY: Kathryn Adolphsen / January 19, 2022
PHOTOS: Provided by Tacoma Rainiers
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