Words matter. That’s what Eric Van Steenburg said to the 13 students who first met in December 2015 to discuss starting a chapter of the American Marketing Association at Montana State University.

“I told them that there was a big difference between being a local club and being a chapter affiliated with a worldwide organization,” said Van Steenburg, assistant professor of marketing in the Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship who helped start the AMA chapter at MSU and has served as its adviser since its inception. “And the difference is the amount of commitment, desire and professionalism required.”