Courtney Gaudet joined EdgeCore Digital Infrastructure immediately following their acquisition by Partners Group in 2022, bringing her strategic, results-oriented marketing communications skillset and customer-focused methodology to the executive team. Throughout her unique career path from Oscar Mayer “Hotdogger” to EdgeCore Digital Infrastructure’s Vice President of Marketing and Communications, she has gained vast experience in strategic leadership.
Gaudet has worked in B2B marketing roles since 2007 and in the digital infrastructure space for 10 years. Prior to joining EdgeCore, Gaudet led the corporate communications team at Flexential in establishing a new corporate brand messaging framework and building a content marketing function from the ground up. With strong leadership acumen, she has successfully managed a number of teams through steady state and start-up situations—a skill set that includes both the big-picture thinking required for planning and the detail-oriented, hands-on approach necessary to see a plan through its execution.
Gaudet holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Indiana University, Bloomington.
There are so many ways someone can make their way into the digital infrastructure industry. Tell us a bit about your journey, what led you down this path, and how you got to where you are now.
After graduating from college with a B.A. in Journalism, I was all set to join a PR firm in Chicago. At the last minute, an interview came in for a role as a “Hotdogger” for Oscar Mayer, which would involve driving one of their six iconic Wienermobiles around the country for a year. After a successful interview cycle, I politely declined the PR firm’s offer and packed my bags for a year on the road representing one of the most legendary American brands in history. I had no idea what this job would really entail or how it would change the trajectory of my life and career—I just knew it was a grassroots PR position and would provide the chance to learn how a brand can impact its customers personally.
What I learned while representing Oscar Mayer has formed the backbone of my career. Everyone has a story to tell about their experience as a child, their current challenges, or the way they view the future. I learned to lean into every opportunity to get to know my customers, believing that their motivations, pain points, and expectations should be the foundation upon which we marketers build every message, campaign, and asset.
After my year with Oscar Mayer, I held B2C marketing roles in the real estate and ski resort industries before I began my next career milestone at a technology company introducing GNSS-based precision technology to the agriculture industry. I was responsible for explaining cutting-edge technology to farmers who had been planting and harvesting their fields the same way for generations. Unsurprisingly, once again, I found that listening to our customers was the key to ensuring the marketing messages we created resonated impactfully and drove sales.
