This fall, the Principles of Marketing class took their marketing proposals to the World Trade Center (WTC) in Tacoma, Washington. There, they presented their findings in front of more than 50 business leaders and professionals.
“I shared with my students that I am personally very proud of this entire class, for the sterling work they displayed,” said Stephen Pilgrim, professor of marketing and economics. “They made us all very proud.”
These proposals were part of a final project. The class, taught by Pilgrim, was broken up into six groups. Each group was assigned a company that they would be in direct contact with. Students would evaluate their organization’s current state and create specialized marketing strategies for them. By the end of the quarter, students presented their findings and proposals in front of the companies’ leaders for immediate and helpful critique.
Three teams took on local companies—see Real-world success for more. The others took on tech companies with the WTC. One team worked with Comcast, one of the largest tech giants in the U.S., and helped prepare a market expansion strategy. Another helped TierPoint, a data center with 40 facilities located nationwide, and created a market adoption strategy for their new product, Azure Local. The third group worked with Valentine NLL, a cybersecurity IT company with links to the federal government, and proposed an image building and branding strategy.
Out of their marketing strategies, students prepared video presentations to take on a one-day trip to the WTC. Pilgrim led the trip with the help of David Lennox, dean of the School of Business, and George Perez, associate professor of management and marketing—whose collaboration and aid Pilgrim said was absolutely integral.
After their video presentation, students had to prepare for questions from a panel of professionals. Each team was well prepared. The first two teams ran into some technical issues and had to present in-person. Luckily, they knew their material well and managed to really think on their feet, presenting a quality proposal, nonetheless.
Pilgrim said the feedback he received from the business professionals in attendance was incredibly positive and that many were surprised the presenters were only undergraduate students. Pilgrim even said, “I can confirm that references for career and further studies, internship recommendations, and even some corporate employment opportunities have been discussed by some of the companies involved, including the WTC and their affiliates.”
For more information about the School of Business and to keep up with its students, visit wallawalla.edu/business.
Posted Feb. 20, 2026.
