One-of-a-kind student opportunities in sport and hospitality business led young alumna to dream job at Lambeau Field.
While precious few fans of the Green Bay Packers have been allowed in Lambeau Field on game day this year due to COVID restrictions, superfan Anne Gierach ’19 hasn’t missed a home game in two full seasons.
Since graduating from Concordia University Wisconsin in spring ’19 with a degree in Sport and Hospitality Business (SHB), Gierach has worked as a catering coordinator for Delaware North, the hospitality partner of the Packers for Lambeau Field, including its 1919 Kitchen & Tap and select restaurants at the Packers’ Titletown entertainment district in Green Bay.
Related: Concordia partners with Green Bay Packers to showcase its MBA program
“This job is perfect for me because I get to help people make memories at events at Lambeau Field,” says Gierach.
She landed her “100 percent dream job” after meeting the company’s management at a networking event hosted at Lambeau Field. Gierach attended the event with Professor Dan Underburg, program chair and director of the Department of Sport and Hospitality Business.
That networking event was just one of many unique opportunities Concordia makes available to students in the competitive world of sports and hospitality.
“Anne deserves all of the credit,” says Underberg. “She used the opportunities provided by the SHB program to prepare for her role with the Packers, like volunteering at a Super Bowl and the Carson Wentz Charity Softball Game. She has truly earned her success, and I couldn’t be happier for her.”
Gierach is grateful to Underberg and the entire business faculty for providing her with the experience and networking opportunities that made landing this position possible. She was also a Concordia student athlete on the women’s basketball team and acknowledges Coach Stacey Brunner-Jones as a role model for demonstrating leadership, hard work, and goal setting so effectively.
As catering coordinator for Delaware North, Gierach works with groups “from beginning to end” to make sure they have a positive experience at Lambeau. Pre-COVID, she and her colleagues hosted nearly 1,000 groups and events annually.
In the 2020 season, things are certainly different, but the show still goes on and people still need to eat. Gierach and her Delaware North colleagues provide grab n’ go fare for the crew, staff, press box, and limited guests and groups on game day. They also manage groups and events at The Turn in Titletown.
Gierach is already preparing for Saturday’s home playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams, at which 6,000 fans are allowed to attend. If the Packers make it to the Super Bowl, and she is confident they will, the Delaware North team at Lambeau Field could be involved in limited events, parties, and sendoffs.
Gierach, the Green Bay Packers, and Super Bowls are forever bonded together. Her parents like to say that she was “born to work for the team during a championship year.” Gierach was actually born in 1997 during a Sunday playoff game and the team went on to win the Super Bowl that year. Her birth and first few days were solidly green and gold.
Gierach is proud to work for Delaware North and encourages Concordians to explore employment opportunities listed on the company’s website at www.delawarenorth.com.
“I was looking to work for a company that aligns with my personal values and I’m pleased to say that both Delaware North and the Green Bay Packers are my perfect fit.”
— Lisa Liljegren is vice president of marketing and strategic communications.
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