College to Career: My First Job with South Beach Helicopters

At St. Thomas University, we are committed to the success of our students inside and outside of the classroom. Our College to Career series will feature and celebrate STU Bobcats and their internship and first job experiences. Get to know STU Bobcat, Brandon Pomeranz, and about his first job experience with South Beach Helicopters!

Name: Dr. Brandon Pomeranz
Major: I earned my bachelor’s degree in International Business with a minor in Marketing in 2012, a Master of Business Administration in Marketing in 2016, and a Doctorate in Sports Administration in 2019.
Where do you work and what is your title? I am the Marketing Manager and Co-Founder of South Beach Helicopters (SBH). SBH is South Florida’s Premier Helicopter Company offering private helicopter tours, aerial photography flights, and charters.
How did you find out about your job and secure it? South Beach Helicopters was created out of a passion for aviation. When I was an undergraduate student at St. Thomas University, I was learning about finding a niche in the business marketplace. Dr. Hagai Gringarten taught me a phrase when I took his Personal Branding class that I still carry with me: “One needs to ‘be distinct’ or they ‘become extinct’.” While I was enrolled in this course, my brother and STU alumnus Max Pomeranz and my mother Lisa Landsman Pomeranz were taking helicopter flyer lessons together. My family and I always enjoyed flying in helicopters. Growing up, whenever I’d travel, I’d always take a helicopter tour of the cities I visited to take it all in. I realized that there were no major helicopter companies that stood out to me in Miami. The next thing I knew, my mother, my father my brother Max and my brother Franklin who’s also an STU alum, were brainstorming. Then, South Beach Helicopters was born. There were no other helicopter companies providing luxury and private helicopter flights in South Florida before SBH was created. We marketed SBH heavily on social media and branded the company as the premier helicopter company in South Florida. Today, we have made our mark globally in the aviation industry and have become the top choice operator for people to fly with when in South Florida!
What does a day at work look like? A day at work for me includes creating new and exciting content for the company’s social media platforms. I showcase our day to day missions and work to partner with influencers and other top tier brands from around the world. In a short time, we grew our audience to 115,000 followers on our Instagram account and we’re constantly searching for new ways to showcase our helicopters to stay relevant in our evolving market. I also, schedule events, such as music video shoots, corporate events, new promotions and collaborations, networking with local concierges, and meetings with new and existing clients. I’m also directly involved with the tours. Those tours include scenic routes over Miami Beach, South Beach, Star Island, Key Biscayne, Downtown Miami, and Fort Lauderdale. SBH also flies to Orlando, Key West, Naples, and the Bahamas. We even have an option to fly our clients on thrilling doors-off photo flights! Recently, SBH was part of a music video shoot for rapper, Ace Hood’s new album Mr. Hood. In his music video for his new song “Big Fish” the footage of South Beach and Downtown Miami was captured through SBH!
What’s your favorite part about your job? The best part of my job is that I am always surrounded by positive energy! When people decide to take a helicopter flight, it is usually a special moment for them. Whether it’s their first time flying, we prioritize creating one-of-a-kind experiences for our guests. I love that I get to work with my family and that we get to have so many unique experiences together. Recently, we had the chance to assist in the filming of Bad Boys for Life. SBH assisted the aerial team “Team 5 Aerials” and pilots Fred North and Ben Skorstad while they were filming beauty shots of Miami .
What challenges have you faced at your first job and how have you overcome them? When SBH was created, I was an undergraduate student, on the STU Baseball team, and the president of the American Marketing Association St. Thomas University Chapter. A big challenge was finding the time and energy to give maximum effort towards my business, baseball, school, and the marketing club. I sacrificed most of my social life to make it all work. Being on the baseball team controlled most of my schedule. We’d have long bus rides and played many games outside of Florida. I used the bus rides to complete my school work, plan events for the marketing club and think of ways to help SBH grow. Now that I’ve graduated, I’d say our biggest challenges is ensuring that we always have a competitive edge over the competitors in our industry. With an increase in number of helicopter tour operators in the South Florida area, it is vital that SBH stay up to date on the latest technology in the industry, continues to make safety the top priority, continues to build on new and existing relationships with clients, continues to build the SBH brand, and continues to explore new areas for growth.
How does your job connect back to your coursework and extracurricular activities at STU? Playing college baseball at St. Thomas University taught me a lot of very important life lessons. I learned about the importance of discipline, how to work with a team towards a common goal, as well as how to take instruction from our superiors. I became a great player and a great leader off of the field. Making the choice to go to St. Thomas University was one of the biggest blessings I could have ever received. The world works in mysterious ways and as we grow we find new passions and interests along the way. When I was an undergraduate student, and I would think about my future, it would never in a million years have been me sitting here with a doctorate decree from St. Thomas University and running a business at 25 years old.
What advice do you have for Bobcats that are starting the job hunt? The best advice I could give to my Bobcat family is to find a job that will put you on a path to obtaining your dream job. Understand that you have complete control over the effort you put in and that is what could separate you from someone else. Make sure you never ever settle, never ever kick back, and always put your best foot forward, because every day you are getting one step closer to obtaining your dream. St. Thomas University is providing you with the tools you need; now go out there and go after it!
Describe your job in a GIF?