Phi Beta Lambda, also known as PBL, is a business organization at Catawba that is making a difference in the way students and faculty can shop! Alumni, faculty, and students of Catawba, donate gently used clothes to the PBL Clothing Closet. The members of PBL then post pictures of the donated items onto the Instagram page (@CatawbaCollegePBL_Closet). Not only do they post images of each item but the members of this club put together stylish outfits using different pieces in the closet. The prices are listed in the description box below each picture. PBL holds at least one blow out sale per academic year with amazing deals on all the items!

“The clothing closet started in 2015 when we needed a unique idea for fundraising,” President of PBL, Malen Eiriksdottir states. The advisor of the club, Dr. Thompson, came up with the idea and she wanted the students to use their marketing skills to market the closet.

PBL allows students to learn, travel, and grow as a business professional. In April of every year, PBL has a competitive event where students compete against other schools across North Carolina in various events and tests. Eiriksdottir feels strongly that it is a wonderful opportunity for the members of this organization, as it allows them to branch out and meet other students in the same club all across North Carolina.

Mary Scott Norris and Ashley McNabb, class of 2017, and Malen Eiriksdottir, class of 2018, competed in the Integrated Marketing Campaign with the Clothing Closet idea in April 2016 and placed first in North Carolina. The top two places in each event or test had the opportunity to represent the state on a national level. The national conference happens in June and since Eiriksdottir had to go back to Iceland over the summer, she was unable to compete. Andrew Chambers took her place and the three ended up getting second place in Atlanta. This was a very big achievement for Catawba’s PBL.

This year, students from Ketner School of Business that placed first or second went to Anaheim, California to compete on the national level. Social Media Challenge team, Jess Daniel and Caitlin Gordon, class of 2018, and Lauren Hardison, class of 2017, ended with sixth place and was the only school from N.C in the top 15. This year Catawba’s PBL member Andrew Chambers placed 5th in Retail Management and Jess Daniel placed 8th in Marketing Concepts.

This organization allows students to be in a professional atmosphere where they can prove their business skills that they have developed over the years. Being an active member of PBL gives you the experience needed in order to build your resume and allows you to network with business professionals, which could lead to potential interviews for an internship or career. Eiriksdottir explains that Vice President, Jess Daniel, was in an interview for a marketing internship and once she informed her boss she was heavily involved in PBL he gave her the job on the spot. Her boss was a member of PBL in college and instantly made that personal connection with her.

“I have been a part of PBL since my freshman year and have always been an active member. I joined PBL after I found out that they did competitive events. I am not an athlete or involved with theater or music but I still wanted to achieve something for the school and the PBL competitive events allowed me to do that. I became the president because I believe in the cause and the values of PBL and I want to get that across to as many students as possible.” – Malen Eiriksdottir

Some students join PBL because it looks good on a resume, but most students join because they want to get some experience and achievement in the field they potentially want to pursue a career in. PBL is a great opportunity for potentially business professionals to gain insight on their future career.