Josh Gilardi got a text message May 11 that sent him scrambling for a copy of that morning’s Daily Barometer.
“I couldn’t find a paper for the life of me,” said Gilardi, co-president of the Oregon State Marketing Club. “I got one the next day and took two or three copies. It made my day.”
The text told Gilardi that Marketing Club was picked as one of the top-3 student organizations at OSU in the Barometer’s 2013 Best-Of issue.
“We figured there are around 250 groups,” Gilardi said. “So to be in the top three in the whole of OSU, that’s amazing.”
The club’s award wasn’t the only College of Business connection, with Weatherford Hall winning for best residence hall and for Bing’s Cafe, which was named best place to eat on campus.
Karissa Moore, co-president of the club with Gilardi, said the honor validated the hard work they and all the members have put into the club.
“We put so much time into providing students with opportunities for now and in the future and to me, getting on the Barometer best-of list was the students’ way of saying ‘Thank You,‘” Moore said. “I feel like a proud parent.”
The section was organized by another college of business student, Nathan Bauer, who serves as the Barometer’s business manager.
Bauer said the section, in its second year, helps the paper connect with students and local businesses in a different way from its everyday offerings.
“We realized it’s something that people enjoy, and it’s all about staying relevant to the community,” Bauer said. “We’re adding value to the paper to keep people reading.”
Bauer and his team organized the all-online survey, which drew more than 1,000 responses. After tabulating the results, they contacted businesses and organizations to write profiles of the winners.
“That issue was really driven by the business side,” Bauer said. “We were the ones who got the photographers, wrote the articles.
“Getting something to go to press takes a lot,” he said. “That was the biggest eye-opener.”
That commitment meant Bauer and the rest of the staff was still putting the finishing touches on the section late into the evening.
“One sales rep and I, we were there until 1 a.m., finishing everything,” Bauer said. “I have a lot more respect the writers and editors now.”
