Jared Eummer graduated from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University with a Bachelor of Science and specialization in Public Relations, Marketing, Advertising and Applied Communications. Over the past few years he has gained numerous experience in multiple departments such as Sales, Branding and Content Strategy. The vast knowledge he has developed has led him to his current role in the Corporate Partnerships department at the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Sponsorship Space had the opportunity to speak with Jared regarding his journey and his thoughts on the role of sports sponsorship.
Q. How did completing 3 internships in different departments help you in your career path?
Completing three internships in different departments helped me understand different perspectives of business. With Wells Fargo, I sought after my peers to open accounts for them with a local bank; it allowed me to bring my personality to the work place and increased my knowledge for financial literacy. With Pepsico, I was given my own route and responsible for the growth of 14 different accounts within the greater Jacksonville area; all of which had different needs and shoppers preferring different products. This role helped me build my knowledge of the beverage industry and allowed me to understand the strategies that go behind product placement. My time at Roc Nation happened to be my favourite internship – I turned down 4 job offers in order to take on this opportunity which happened to be the only internship I participated in which was unpaid. I worked within the Branding & Strategic Partnerships department as I sought after more knowledge of the industry – While at Roc, I did it all from ideation sessions for Tier 1 artists and athletes, worked at several experiential activations, pitched unsigned artists to A&Rs, reached out to brands on behalf of our client list, and much more. All in all, each experience provided me with different perspectives and groomed me into the professional that I am today.
Q. What made you want to work for the Cleveland Cavaliers?
I have been looking to work within the NBA for quite some time and knew that I wanted to start within the Corporate Partnership realm as my prior experiences aligned with the space – What made me want to work for the Cleveland Cavaliers is the awesome culture within the office and the understanding from the top-down that innovation drives business forward.
Q. What distinguishes the Cleveland Cavaliers from other teams in the area of Corporate Partnerships?
What distinguishes the Cleveland Cavaliers from other teams in the Corporate Partnerships world is our attention to detail and our thought process – When connecting with professionals across different leagues who work within the space, they often focus on who is spending and they’re willing to slap a brands logo on anything to get the deal done; within all of our properties - we focus on telling the brand’s story, amplifying their positioning and integrating them with our organization the right way.
Q. What were the primary functions of your role in the Organizational Development department before COVID-19?
Organizational Development focuses on not only scouting the businesses that would be best for our teams to partner with, but creating relationships with the key people within the organizations and staying on top of trends / industries that evolve daily.
Q. How have you and your department had to pivot as a result of COVID-19?
Outside of the never-ending work from home cycle, myself and my department had to pivot from client / prospect entertainment which primarily was held in person (concerts, games, dinners, etc) and created virtual opportunities to connect with professionals within the industry.
Q. What is one piece of advice you would give to potential sponsors when working with teams this upcoming season?
My advice for sponsors would be to be open to hearing what teams may be able to provide your brand – The opportunity Covid has provided to everyone within this industry is the ability to think of things non-traditionally. Those who have chosen to evolve during this period rather than complain will be well off once all of this is over; seek out partnership professionals who are not running away from what is the current normal and ultimately are looking to provide what’s best for your brand vs. what’s just “available inventory”.
Q. What is your most memorable sports related experience as a fan?
Unbiasedly speaking since I wasn’t here yet – Witnessing Kyrie hit the shot over Curry in game 7 2016 was my favorite moment to witness as a fan; A close second is Ray Allen’s shot vs. the Spurs in 2013.
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