If it’s cold it’s sold! One of the key phrases I learned during my summer internship with Republic National Distributing Company – Gallo Division. My name is Rylee Knapp and I am so grateful to share my experience working as a High Noon Street team member this summer. If you take one piece of advice from this post it’s all about networking.  

High Noon display at one of my favorite accounts

Our SoCal High Noon Street Team this summer!

Where it all started: Transferring as a junior to Chapman during the spring semester posed some unique challenges. It was the height of internship season, with tremendous competition among the student body. I knew I found my calling when I saw Gallo/RNDC representing the High Noon brand at my first career fair. Not only do I love the product, especially the passion fruit tequila in the variety pack, but I also made a huge effort to really connect with my recruiters, Massimo Lesti, a Chapman alum, and Bailee Johnson, whose energy was unmatched. I was persistent, followed up after the career fair, and attended their informational meeting. This position was very sought after, so the career and development center was very helpful in building my resume and prepping me with my “elevator pitch.” From the start, the network I created was strong.

Marley Seaburn – Chain Sales Representative and fellow Chapman Alum

My Sales Team “Gorgeous” at our Area Sales Meeting

The RNDC Gallo company wasted no time in creating a supportive culture to recognize and appreciate the hard work my SoCal team of interns put in this summer. I had the pleasure of learning and growing under a strong team of chain sales representatives in the SoCal area. My primary tasks included following a 7-step merchandising call of creating relationships with store managers, restocking the cold boxes with High Noons, and helping build POS (point of sale) displays on the store field. In addition to providing efficient servicing in my accounts daily, I leveraged my strong communication skills to build relationships with store managers and successfully place High Noon orders on behalf of my sales reps. Working and collaborating with Marley Seaburn, a fellow Chapman alum, was a highlight of my experience, and I gained invaluable skills.

With just one semester of classes under my belt, my Chapman communication and leadership courses prepared me well for success in this short 8-week fast-paced internship. My servant leadership course LEAD397 with Dr. Gregory Warren taught me how to serve as a way of leading. Creating trust and serving my sales team, as well as each store manager in the accounts I called on, allowed me to help my SoCal team hit a new record, ending July with over 69,000 cases of High Noon on the store floors!

My Chapman communication courses taught me how to effectively communicate with all sorts of personalities. I truly have first-hand experience, learning how to communicate with aggressive and silent retailers. Being a successful and competent communicator is essential in this position for building strong relationships with my team and retailers to achieve our sales goals.   

Massimo Lesti – Fellow Chapman Alum and Recruiter

Even though my position this summer was solo-based, the company made every effort to create bonding events to promote team building. The interns who were over 21 were able to attend an Area Sales meeting at a local bar to discuss strategies and goals for improving our missions and ad incentives for the wine and spirits industry. Our focus for the High Noon category was to have a +2 plus two mentality. In every account, we strive to have 3 separate sales points for our product. I pitched and built a display of Iced Tea High Noons, which is one of my most significant accomplishments, and I won the most “hand-sold cases” within my team of interns.

High Noon Street Team at the OC Fair

Another fun summer memory was spending a day with my High Noon Street Team at the OC Fair sponsored by the company. Not only did I enjoy the fair with my coworkers, but I also had the pleasure of meeting Quinn Renner, the Chain Division Sales Manager of RNDC, and got to hear about his experience within the company. I had so much fun working in the field with my recruiter, Bailee Johnson, my district manager, Connor Lang, and Taylor Fields, who all had amazing feedback after each workday.

Bailee Johnson – The sweetest recruiter

If you like starting your day bright and early on the weekend, being in a physically active job, merchandising, selling products, or if you have a social battery that never tires out, this position is for you! Take advantage of all the resources Chapman has to offer and build strong relationships with your advisors. Shout-out to Ezequiel Jimenez, my Chapman academic advisor, who supported me throughout my first semester, and Arleen Bejerano, who helped me throughout the summer as my internship advisor. Go to that seminar, ask questions, and network. Thank you to everyone I met this summer for teaching me the ropes to being a successful High Noon merchandiser sales rep! I am so grateful for the experience this summer working for an incredible, supportive company, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds.

Learned from the best