A select few get the opportunity to have a special tour of the Windy City, especially being able to have one for the Chicago Cubs facilities and beloved Wrigley Field in their lifetime, but seven Grand Haven High school Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) officers and adviser Chad Jettner had just that during their retreat which took place on Nov. 29-30.

While walking through the confines of the classic baseball franchise, the DECA officers were led by a Grand Haven alum, former three sport athlete and current VP of Marketing for the Cubs, Alison Miller. Miller is right in the thick of the greatest sports story of the century- The Cubs breaking the 108 year drought of no World Series title, and she was one of the few that made a dream that looked impossible to reach, become a reality for such a storied ballclub in rapid time.

When Miller began working for the Cubs in 2012, the Cubs had a season that was one to forget, 101 losses and second to last in the National League standings. Miller had to be keen creating ideas and solutions to keep the Cubs fan base with the team through the recent low points for the organization. Miller wouldn’t let the hefty task kill her enthusiasm nor her drive.

“We went out and told the fans that every season has a positive,” Miller said. “We pushed on all cylinders in marketing and told the fans to stay patient, having draft picks and home grown players bringing hope for the years to come.”

Using the same hard work and effort when attending Harvard’s Business school or playing friday night hoops, donning the gold and blue of the beloved Buccaneers, Miller would let nothing stop her from helping bring back Chicago to national supremacy.

“It was a fun challenge to go against and I was eager to take it on,” Miller said.

She began campaigns that were built around the history and tradition of the Cubs, using the prominent stadium as a key point to keep the ticket sales and fan attendance in the higher ranks of the MLB.

Miller was in her third year with the Cubs when people began to feel there was a chance for the cursed club. The Marketing team, led by Miller, brought out incentives for fans to hop on the bandwagon that were forgotten decades ago. Fly the W, a hashtag, was the focus and the national trend soon followed.

“I had the goosebump moment when Barack Obama was retweeting Fly the W,” Miller said. “It blew away our expectations by how popular it became.”

Miller and the rest of the Cubs Marketing team decided to stick with the trend this past season- really hitting home in the postseason to fire up the fanbase, supporting the club to a World series championship.

Except for being on a bigger scale, Miller’s work links directly to the competitive events of DECA.

Students in the DECA program face a variety of challenges like these on a regular basis during district, state and national competition. Senior Laney Decker, Director of Social Media for Grand Haven DECA, is intrigued by the work Miller does and strives to be in Marketing down the road.

“She (Miller) was just so cool and it would be sweet to be doing something like that in the future,” Decker said. “Talking about her work style with the two  brands that make up the franchise – the Cubs and Wrigley Field, showing us pretty powerful videos of what the Cubs stand for. Forming campaigns important to the brand and values they are built on.”

Decker also knows that in the industry of marketing, drastic changes can come along on the journey, similar to those of the Cubs operations currently, trying to find a new groove while sticking to their “Be a good neighbor” motto for the team, after becoming World champions for the first time in over a century.

“They are at a ‘What do I do now’ spot,” Decker said. “The whole team wants to be proud of the title but not bragging either, just trying to build upon the big accomplishment.”

Miller kept confidence and strength these past four years up to now- being on top again, what she has been tirelessly exerting herself for since she joined. For her, it is still “A pinch me kind of moment.”