After receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Sports and Business Management from East Stroudsburg University (ESU) in Stroudsburg, PA in 2023 – where he played football for the Warriors – Paul Carreras followed a path typical of recent college graduates looking for a job — anything to help pay the bills. But an earlier internship Corporate Images and Team Sports, in nearby Allentown, PA, in the summer of 2023 had shown him a much more attractive way to build a career. So after a brief stint cold-calling clients for a financial services firm, he reconnected with Corporate Images owner Rich McGinnis and since last August he has been a corporate and team sports sales representative selling to high schools, businesses, organizations and youth programs.

Carreras is an example of the young men and women the team sports business is looking to attract for a career in the world of sports. So after meeting with him at the recent Sports Inc. meeting in Tampa, FL, Team Insight sat down with him to explore his journey, what he likes about his job now and hopefully provide some advice to other recent college graduates – and team dealers – looking for the next generation of leaders.

‍You were an athlete in college, but did you ever think there was a way for you to work in the world of sports post-graduation?

I played football at ESU and as I looked back at my childhood the only thing I was really interested in was sports. I knew at a young age I wanted to be involved in sports in some capacity — maybe as a coach once I was finished playing. ‍

So what steps did you take in that direction?

‍When I got to ESU and entered the Sport and Business Management program, it opened my eyes to more opportunities in the sports world besides just coaching. Different roles in sport organizations such as operations, sales and marketing — maybe even as an athletic director. Although it opened my eyes to different career paths, it was still something I was unsure of. I was pursuing a degree with no real plan on what would be my next step into the sports world. That’s something a lot of students now can relate to.

How did you end up at Corporate Images?‍

It was through my summer internship for college. I needed to do an internship at a sports organization or sports-related business. Leveraging my contacts and relationships, I reached out to Bobby McClarian with the Five Star Heart Project. ‍

Who is Bobby McClarian?‍

Bobby and I met as my high school football senior season ended. He was starting a College Prep workout program and recruited local high school talent to train and prepare for the next level, but our relationship did not end once I left for ESU. So when I was looking for an internship, Bobby connected me with my now boss, Rich McGinnis. ‍

So it was smooth sailing into the team dealer world?‍

Well, as Rich jokes now, “I needed an intern like I needed a third eye,” but he wanted to do a favor for Bobby. With Bobby’s high recommendation, Rich took a chance on me to be an intern for the summer.‍

Great story – and typical on how anyone gets a job these days. So how did the internship go?‍

I did a bit of everything. I pride myself on being a team-first guy and anything that Rich asked me to do I did. He wanted me to understand the company’s process and the reasoning of how they did things and why. ‍

Did you get to do any actual selling?‍

I would prospect select territories for our sales team. I would research sport organizations and high schools and farm contact information for them. I would also reach out to new contacts trying to generate business. While doing that I would sit with Rich to understand how the business side of things operated — learning how to price out and quote custom apparel, how to purchase orders through our vendors and how to place work orders for our production team. I would also sit with our sports sales manager, Phil Snyder, to learn about hard goods and custom uniform orders.‍

Did you get to do any of the “dirty” work?‍

Oh, yea. I was also thrown into the production side of things. I would work in screenprinting, helping with catching and packing apparel. I also screenprinted shirts and learned about burning screens, multi color prints/designs and more. I would also help count in and package finished product for our sales reps. This helped me learn more about the product we are selling. By doing a bit of everything, I learned how both front and the back end worked.‍

Did you think it would lead to a full-time job at some point?‍

When I started I was just happy to have a role at a company to complete my internship credit — and get paid during the summer. I never thought about this leading to a full-time job and honestly I did not know a role like this existed in the sports world. ‍

When and how did that change?‍

I quickly fell in love with the process of it all. As I went through my internship during the summer Rich was impressed by my work ethic and character as a college kid, so as the internship was coming to an end Rich brought me into his office to ask if this was something I could see myself doing. I told him I loved it and was grateful for the experience. I had no plan for myself after college. The summer internship felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for myself to create a career in the sports world outside of what I already knew.‍

So, again, it was smooth sailing into the world of team sports?‍

Well, I left the internship with a verbal job offer, but unfortunately the timing did not work out right away. ‍

How so?‍

Unfortunately, Rich was not ready to bring me on as a sales representative yet. This led me back to ground zero with no real plan or job lined up. With no true B2B sales experience and just a college degree there were limited-to-no roles available for me. This led me to start applying for entry level sales roles outside of the sports world. I was offered a role at ADP as a sales rep and took the job. I had no other job offers and with me moving back home, it was my only option. ‍

Sounds typical. So why did you leave the “corporate world?”‍

Before I even entered that corporate world I knew that this was not what I wanted to do. For me, ADP was a steppingstone into the sales world. The training and experience at ADP helped shape my sales ideology and skills. Cold calling people 40-plus times a day and being told NOOOO 37-plus times a day helped me understand how to be persistent, handle objection and just continue to put my head down and work.‍

How did the job come about?‍

Rich and I stayed in touch. He would reach out randomly and ask what I was doing and how I enjoyed it. He would always let me know “I did not forget about you” and “You are the next person we bring in.” Then one Friday morning I was getting my 40 dials in at ADP and had just connected with a potential lead when I saw Rich’s name pop up on my phone. I immediately “Dialer Disconnected” to answer his call. Rich told me that he was now ready to bring me on as a sales representative and asked if I was still interested. ‍

And your answer?‍

Before he could even get off the call, I told him I’d quit my job that day for this opportunity. I put my two weeks in at ADP. Although I enjoyed my time at ADP and it helped develop me as a sales rep, I always knew I wanted to be involved in the sports world and the opportunity at Corporate Images would provide that for me. ‍

So we have to ask: Isn’t selling sporting goods a lot better than cold calling prospective clients?

No comment, but, of course, yes. When I look back at my time ADP, I don’t like to think about my role in a bad light. Although it was stressful and a grinding job, it helped develop my sales skills.

So you were okay following that path?

Looking back on it, not starting at Corporate Images and starting at ADP helped me learn what it takes to be a successful sales rep. I took everything I learned at ADP and applied it to my role here. Bottom line, yes, selling sports goods and apparel is a bit more fun than selling payroll and talking about Tax IDs all day.

Now that you have been there for a while, what do you like about your job at Corporate Images?

The culture is family-oriented and built on service/integrity first. All my co-workers are great people and have strong pride for the product we produce and the company’s success. Rich is a lead-from-the-front kind of boss and that is someone that all employees want to work for. We all have one vison to be the best corporate and team dealer in our area. And I feel valued by my peers and boss. I am not just another number. They care about my success, my goals at work, outside of work and my future.

Anything else?

Yes, the freedom to create my own book of business and my own opportunities that drives me to be the best sales rep I can be for the company. Some may think of it as a con, but this job goes beyond just the office walls and workday. I am constantly thinking of new ideas and how to make myself more valuable. I love that it is a never-ending hustle and every day presents you with a different opportunity.

What advice would you have to other young men or women coming out of college about getting into the world of sports?

Simple: Never stop networking. Creating connections has been the most important and valuable part of my story. Not being scared to walk up to an employer or someone you would never talk with and just start a conversation. You never know what opportunities can come from just connecting with people. You may not like the role you are in or will be in, but continue to remind yourself that you are putting the work and effort in now to reap the benefits in your dream role.

And what advice would you give to team dealers to attract a person like you to be in the team business?

Be open to creating an internship program. Young college students may have no plan or idea what is next for them after graduation. Just like me they may not even know that a role like this exist. The idea of an intern may sound like another problem and more time taken away from daily business, but taking a shot on a young, hungry, creative and driven intern may create a great opportunity for your business’s future.‍

Finally, what’s next for you in the team business? Where would you like to be in a year, five years, 10 years?‍

I am a very in-the-moment type of person. I am process-oriented, not result-oriented. I come in every day to win the day, the week, the month, the year. I rarely get to sit down and think about where I would like to be in one year or 19 years. What I am focused on now in my role is continuing to build my book of business, bringing value to my company and continuing to establish myself as a key team dealer in the Lehigh Valley.