Success, Fun and Rock & Roll

Jon Limber graduated from University of Findlay in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts in Telecommunication/Broadcasting but he found himself with quite a different career path. Limber currently works for Rock & Roll Express, an entertainment company that provides full service for event and wedding planning. While most college graduates leave their partying days behind them, Limber makes a living from them. “On a daily basis, I’m working with customers who are planning an event that is the single most important event in their life, at that time. Either I’m working with a starry-eyed bride who’s planning her best day ever, or corporate managers who are planning a social event for their employees or school representatives planning to make memories for their students. We are in the business of rocking a night that they will remember until their next big event (and most likely, we’re at that one too!).” Although he is the director of sales and marketing, the title doesn’t come close to describing his role for the company based in Sandusky, Ohio.
“My job title, although official, barely scratches the surface of my responsibilities. I’m in charge of developing marketing strategies, planning in house/off site events and
social media development including working with brides to make sure they have their ‘best day ever.’ On the other end of the spectrum, I am also one of the company’s entertainers.” Limber is also responsible for providing DJ services for events. “DJ is a bit of an ugly word within the company, because we do so much more. We came up with the title of entertainment director,” Limber explained. This title better exemplifies the full scope of customer service that the company offers. Whatever the customers want, they will receive. Their number one goal is handling all of the event details so that the couple can relax and enjoy their perfect day. Limber also has another role to top off his list of ‘other duties assigned.’ “I’m also a registered officiant in the State of Ohio,” said Limber. But did he grow up yearning to become an all-inclusive event-coordinating DJ officiant?

Limber said that it may sound a bit cliché, but he didn’t choose this career path. The career chose him. While in college, he had big dreams of becoming a radio star. In fact, the main reason he selected UF was because he could be on-air within a month of his freshman year. Findlay wants students to understand traditional equipment and to learn that best practices requires making mistakes. Practice allows students to make “rookie mistakes” in a controlled environment and then teach them how not to make them. It takes time to become a well-rounded professional and UF provides students with four years to do so.
“I worked very hard at 88.3 WLFC throughout all four years of school. I was everything from a DJ to program director and even worked up to becoming the general manager. I had many great experiences that prepared me for my first career. I experienced things and managed events for WLFC that most 30-year radio veterans never get to experience. I owe that to UF and I never take it for granted.” Limber shared. He also stated that he was hired through an internship with Clear Channel Radio (now iHeart Media) and became the promotions director for their Toledo based stations. Thanks to the tanking economy at the time, Limber soon found himself out of work. He took certification classes on new marketing techniques and picked up some sales training along the way. Thanks to his “goofy” personality, he was stolen away from a part-time job and asked to join the Rock & Roll Express team.
Limber attributes more than his broadcasting experiences to University of Findlay. He also feels that UF taught him many important job skills. Limber said “As a student, we used to gripe and complain about taking classes that we felt didn’t make any sense to us or had nothing to do with our goals. We may have felt that way at the time but now that I reflect on those days, I realize that UF already understood that no matter what plans you make, they’re always going to change. I’m not the big radio star that I set out to be, but I took a boatload of broadcasting classes,” Limber lamented. “My college dreams didn’t include taking a class in conflict resolution but it has come in handy many times during employee meetings that I’ve been in charge of.” He further expresses his gratitude by explaining “Findlay has an education system in place to make you a well rounded professional. Their professor selection is not by accident; they are looking for the best in their fields to provide learning beyond textbooks. Life stories hold a lot of validity in a student’s mind. ‘When will I ever use this in my life?’ is the age-old question they are able to answer.”
Limber feels that his education paired with his work experience over the years, helped him to get where he is today. Learning about management has allowed him to handle

a lot of high-pressure situations. “With every job I’ve had since graduation, I’ve been complimented on my skills in ‘the writing department’ and I know that I owe 90 percent of that to Findlay (and the other 10 percent to my high school teachers)” Limber mused. “It’s tough to explain how my education at UF helps me with my job now. Simply put, UF gave me the tools necessary to handle any situation that comes my way, and my story proves it!”
So what advice does this telecommunications turned sales and marketing director have for college students? “Have goals and work hard toward your dreams, but always keep an open mind. A career path is simply that, a path. It’s okay to change your destination when you have strong enough feelings for your decision. Accepting that fact will make any change you encounter easier,” he said.

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