Published in The Bells on Apr 11, 2018
Kari Sanders (formerly known as Kari Reitmeyer) is a 2004 alumna who graduated with a degree in business administration and a minor in marketing. She attended a small Baptist high school so she knew that she wanted to attend a smaller Christian college.
While attending UMHB, Sanders participated in many events and intramural sports such as football, ultimate Frisbee and softball intramurals. Sanders also went to Mexico with the School of Business to study small businesses in developing countries and ended up meeting her husband, Keith Sanders (also class of 2004) on the trip.
Since graduating, she married her husband, moved to Waco and the two started an insurance agency together. They have two children Austin, 9, and Abigail, 2. Both parents both serve on the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) board in Waco.
“I knew since high school that I wanted to be in marketing. I have done different variations of marketing at each company and I have enjoyed them all,” Kari Sanders said. “I am still very happy that I chose marketing. It was the right path for me.”
After graduating, Kari Sanders began working in the advertising and sales department at Time Warner Cable in Harker Heights and transferred over to the marketing department in Waco within a year as a marketing coordinator. Afterward, she transferred to The Dwyer Group as a marketing specialist and was promoted to a brand manager focusing on national franchise marketing.
After nine years at Dwyer, Sanders decided it was time to try something else and moved over to Raising Cane’s.
“[As a marketing advisor,] I support restaurants by assisting with national marketing campaign coordination, negotiating collegiate and high school sponsorships, developing local marketing/community involvement strategies and much more,” Sanders said. “I am field-based, meaning I do not drive into the office in Plano every day. I work from home when I am not visiting the restaurants that I support. My territory ranges from south DFW to College Station.”
Sanders explained that each project she works on takes several months of planning and grand openings are usually the biggest events she plans.
When preparing to open a new restaurant, Sanders must first develop marketing plans for it, as well as coordinate any events that will take place during the opening, such as the first 100 customers receive a T-shirt, etc. Her more recent projects involved opening the Temple restaurant in 2016 and the Copperas Cove restaurant in 2017.
Sanders also said that later this year a Raising Cane’s will make its grand debut in Harker Heights.
madelines-corner.com 