Three COB Entertainment Management Alumni part of award winning sales team

Three COB alumnae received global recognition when Wyndham Worldwide named their seven-member sales team at Ramada Oasis Hotel & Convention Center in Springfield “Sales Team of the Year” for 2012. The award was announced at this year’s Wyndham Revenue Generation Summit in Puerto Rico. Wyndham Worldwide represents more than 7,000 hotels around the world and is headquartered in Parsippany, N.J.

Three sales team members are all alumni of the COB Entertainment Management program —  Jackie (Kirk) Bandera, 2006; Rachel (Swihart) Isaac, 2007; and Whitney Morelock, 2012.

All three say they were thrilled to receive the recognition and truly enjoy working for Wyndham.  “When I met the staff they were so welcoming. And the general manager, Missy Handyside, was so motivational that I knew I had found the high-energy workplace I was looking for,” says Morelock, who is catering sales manager.  Bandera, convention services manager, and Isaac, sales manager, agree and say the supportive leadership team, owner stability and positive morale are what keep them loyal to the Oasis and Wyndham.

They say the College of Business played an instrumental role in their recent success. Morelock was a member of the Entertainment Management Association, which enabled her to travel to large events around the country and get behind-the-scenes exposure to logistics and management. She values the hands-on classroom experiences and the three internships she completed prior to graduation. “During my time as an EMA major, I was able to work as Dr. Philip Rothschild’s student assistant, gaining event and networking experience,” says Bandera. “I also worked as a building manager in the Plaster Student Union, which gave me perspective on events.”  In her position, Issac says she has “used all of the information I never thought I would back in college.  On a daily basis, I use information from my COB classes and from general education as well.”

Morelock, Bandera and Isaac are each looking forward to continued success with the Oasis and Wyndham organizations. On behalf of the College of Business, we offer our congratulations for a job well done!