Jeanine Koszalka

In the world of marketing and PR there’s branding, and in some cases, brandy.

As tasting room manager and national sales rep. for Clear Creek Distillery, Jeanine Koszalka handles branding and brandy. She’s savvy about bottling, marketing, sales, public relations, managing the tasting room, and eggnog. Wait, eggnog? Jeanine recently judged eggnog concoctions from 12 local restaurants and bars.

“We tasted and judged. Because we happen to make brandy, a very common ingredient in eggnog, many participants used our products.”

The 2006 Communication Alum says the program was the right fit for her, particularly the urban campus and the faculty. Jeanine relished her experience as a teaching assistant to faculty member Jil Freeman, and also looks back fondly on her public speaking course taught by Kenny Bagley. “Bagley really let everyone be creative in the course, but he was still really serious when it came down to grading and critiquing.”

Jeanine loves her job at the “small company that makes booze” and credits part of her success to working at an internship while at Portland State. Her advice to any student interested in marketing or PR is to secure an internship.

The PR pro also recommends that undergraduates challenge themselves by taking a graduate level course. When asked about the transition from student to professional she says, “love what you do.”

Jeanine’s work ethic spills into her personal life. She is passionate about painting, and confesses if she could meet any famous person it would be Pablo Picasso. She’d like to pick his brain and learn more from him.

“To meet someone else would be disappointing or even disturbing after learning what they are really like. What I love about Picasso is on the canvas. Meeting him would be a bonus. He communicates in vivid colors and in bold blocks. As I change, I interpret these paintings differently, but the paintings themselves stay the same.”

Story and photo by Melissa Shavlik