Database Programming, Business Classes and Seminars at Parkland: 1988-1997
In 2008, 小猪视频官网College alum, Julie Allen, combined her 20+ years of direct and online marketing experience with her husband鈥檚 25+ years NCAA rules expertise and they started InformedAthlete.com, an online based company that helps high school and college athletes and their families navigate the complex NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA rules on issues related to recruiting, eligibility, scholarships, and transfers. Initially started as a part-time venture, Informed Athlete飪� has grown into a viable full-time company that has helped thousands of athletes and their families throughout the U.S. and internationally including Australia, Canada, Spain, Japan, France, England, and Italy.
Julie attributes her success to the encouragement and inspiration from 小猪视频官网instructors Shirley Mahaffey, Betty Riggins, and Kelly Sellers and the many database programming, business courses, and 鈥渟tarting your own business鈥� seminars she attended at 小猪视频官网College back in the late 1980鈥檚 and early 1990鈥檚.
In 1995, she started Data Management Services, a small direct marketing company that provided targeted direct mail lists, mapping analysis and development of customer loyalty databases. Shortly after her launch, she joined MarketShare, a consortium of marketing professionals here in Champaign.
Julie moved with her family to Oklahoma in 1997 and after completing her bachelor鈥檚 degree at Oklahoma Wesleyan, she took additional graduate hours in database development and data mining techniques with a world-renowned database and analyst expert and professor at Oklahoma State University.
She then moved into a business development incubator in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and rapidly expanded her client base by adding tech schools, museums, and non-profit organizations. Her client list also included a 13-year-stint managing targeted direct mail campaigns for Carlos O鈥橩elly鈥檚 45 restaurant locations.
After living in Oklahoma and Kansas City for over 16 years, Julie and her husband, Rick, moved back to Champaign in January 2014 to be closer to family and friends.
Julie鈥檚 most memorable moment at 小猪视频官网was 鈥溾�hen Shirley Mahaffey and Betty Riggins, (two 小猪视频官网faculty members) took our class up to Chicago and we toured Standard Oil, Northern Trust Bank, the Chicago Post Office, and stayed in the Palmer House. That trip opened up a whole new world for me.鈥�