Bill Chope & Emma Hamrick Developing a Young Career in Marketing

Another alumnus who has taken an interest in creating internships for FSC students is Bill Chope ’71, president of Crest Automotive Group, three dealerships in the metro Detroit area. At an event in Detroit for alumni and potential students, Associate Provost Dr. Mary Crowe asked him if he would consider taking a student from Michigan as an intern, and he agreed.

“I’m always looking for a way to help students from Michigan,” said Mr. Chope, who received FSC’s Alumni Achievement Award in 1982. “In our business, one of our great concerns is developing young people, and if I can help them at the beginning of their careers, I’m glad to do it.”

Emma Hamrick, a sophomore with multiple majors in advertising, marketing, and communications, was invited by Dr. Crowe to apply for the internship on the strength of her writing ability and was selected for it after an interview with Mr. Chope. She was given a marketing internship at the Crest Lincoln dealership in a Detroit suburb—the third-largest Lincoln dealership in the country—where she helped with commercial shoots, ad placements, and event planning. She also learned about day-to-day operations, including customer service.

“I had no idea how complex the dealership industry is,” she says. “In my position, I’ve seen the foundations of the business all the way up.”

Hamrick says the internship has given her some key insights on marketing.

“I get to see the customer satisfaction surveys. As a result, I think I understand much more about customer targeting. We covered that in an advertising class, but here I’m actually seeing how what I learned is relevant,” she says.

Mr. Chope says the internship has benefited his company.

“Emma is really an exceptionally bright young lady. We do a tremendous amount of TV advertising in the Detroit market, and she brings a lot of enthusiasm and fresh ideas to our marketing efforts,” he says.