Creating opportunities through building relationships

As President of Business Clubs America (BCA) of Philadelphia, Joleen Jaworski ’99 values the importance of meaningful relationships and fine-tuned communication skills.

Day in and day out, she spends much of her time focusing on “relationship marketing.” Through her work with BCA, Jaworski brings together an exclusive network of over 75 business leaders from the Delaware Valley and assists them in creating high-level relationships, which ultimately benefit their respective businesses and the region.

Raised in Voorhees, Jaworski’s path to success began in South Jersey, where her parents instilled a strong work ethic early on.

“Seeing them work hard inspired me to do the same,” she said.

When choosing a college, Rowan’s growing reputation and its Division III athletic program attracted Jaworski. She credits former Athletic Director Joy Solomen for her decision to stay in the region after Solomen opened her eyes to the opportunities available at Rowan.

While attending Rowan, Jaworski embraced the camaraderie and relationships that came with playing on the University’s field hockey team—a group, she says, that became her “Rowan family.”

At an early age, Jaworski recognized her entrepreneurial spirit and knew it was something she wanted to pursue. A major in communication, minor in business, and electives in the social sciences gave her the well-rounded education she felt would be the most valuable foundation for success in the business world.

“I still go back to material I learned in my sociology and psychology courses,” she said.

Upon graduating, Jaworski initially worked in marketing for the Arena Football League (AFL), a position that led her to Los Angeles. She then spent almost six years working for PPW, Inc., where she created large-scale marketing events for NBC, NFL, MLB and Sony Pictures. Jaworski worked on major projects, including Super Bowl sponsor events for over 10,000 visitors, as well as the NBC Olympic Sponsorship Village. The NBC Olympic Sponsorship Village allowed her to spend six months in Greece during the 2004 Olympic Games.

“I enjoyed the challenge of creating something from start to finish,” she said, “and I got to have my hands in a lot of different things. This experience was invaluable.”

Ultimately, Jaworski’s passion for building relationships and her commitment to effective communication brought her back to the east coast.

“I wanted to change the way people do business,” she said. “There are so many negative corporate stereotypes out there. I wanted to show people you can be really successful by being genuinely nice and helping others.”

Jaworski’s advice for current students and recent graduates about to enter the work force is to engage with people face-to-face and build relationships.

“Turn off your computer and phone, get out there and meet people, and make new connections every day,” she concluded. “You learn so much more through real-life experience.”