Matt Ulmer, ’04, and Mike Maier, ’04, were roommates and friends at La Salle University. Throughout the years since graduation, their bond has grown—including becoming colleagues at a digital marketing agency.

While Matt Ulmer, ’04, and Mike Maier, ’04, both grew up in the Philadelphia area; it was La Salle University that brought the two friends together.  

Ulmer, a communication major, and Maier, a digital arts and multimedia (DART) and communication double major, became fast friends when they realized they had a lot in common and were consistently running in the same social circles at La Salle.  

Their friendship grew throughout freshman and sophomore year and culminated in them becoming roommates for their junior and senior year. Along with a few other Explorers, they first lived together in the Manor and then the St. Miguel Townhouses.  

Their time as roommates created an even stronger friendship. Ulmer and Maier remember hanging out in the common areas with their friends watching episodes of American Idol at the encouragement of Ulmer, planning big surprises like Maier organizing a campus visit from Ulmer’s then-girlfriend, now his wife, and the growing pains of sharing a space like Maier joking he’d sometimes wake up with snow on his hair due to Ulmer leaving the bedroom window open. 

Through it all, their friendship was an integral piece of their La Salle experience. While Ulmer and Maier both took classes within the Communication Department, their time in the classroom rarely overlapped.  

“We were kind of inseparable outside of class. We did everything together,” Ulmer said.  

They both found their academic experience to be another highlight of their time on campus. 

As a double major, Maier found a lot of enjoyment from both. He found his niche within DART where he often helped with open houses and speaking about the program to perspective students. He also gained off-campus experience through internship work, something he felt prepared for because of his studies. 

Ulmer, who first became familiar with La Salle and its Communication Program through his father who worked in the University Marketing and Communications Department, found great guidance and support from his professors. He worked alongside Communication Professor Br. Gerard (Gerry) Molyneaux, FSC. Ph.D., M.A. ‘59, ‘58, to provide him with office assistant support and found “great rapport” with all of his educators.  

His time learning from them helped him discover his interest in public relations, and his education helped him hit the ground running when he entered the workforce. 

“I started doing the job and everything I had learned somehow clicked into place,” he said.  

Ulmer’s early career was in public relations while Maier began in website development and design.  

But in 2010, they entered a new stage in their careers and friendship—co-workers.  

When Founder David Sonn opened Arc Intermedia, a full-service, digital marketing agency located in King of Prussia, Pa., Maier was his first employee. When Maier shared the news with Ulmer, he was curious if the company would continue growing and hiring more employees as he was looking for a role that didn’t involve regular travel and allowed a remote work environment.  

Quickly after, Ulmer interviewed and became Arc’s second employee. This moment in their careers was pivotal for the Explorers.  

“David Sonn has been a great boss and mentor to both of us as we’ve been working in this company since we were both pretty young,” Maier said.  

Today, Maier serves as the vice president of technology and business solutions while Ulmer is the vice president of operations and client relations. The company has grown to about 10 full-time employees supporting clients across various industries including healthcare, finance, and sports.  

While Maier’s day-to-day is now more focused on digital research and development, he said the problem-solving skills he learned at La Salle have helped guide him in this ever-changing role.  

“Whatever is going on, how can we get this done? How can we accomplish this? It doesn’t necessarily matter exactly how you’re getting it done, like the individual steps, but can you figure out how to solve problems and how to accomplish things and how to get things done?,” he said. “So, that was probably my greatest takeaway through everything at La Salle and it’s pretty much what I hang my hat on.” 

For Ulmer, while he is no longer doing public relations, he’s found the skills very transferrable in the digital marketing space.  

Both alumni agree that being friends first, co-workers second makes for a strong colleague relationship. They’re able to be honest with each other and a bit more candid when it is required.  

“When you’re close with co-workers, it’s not the same as a decades-long friendship, so it just made it a better environment to be in,” Ulmer said.  

Plus, Ulmer and Maier agree that their Lasallian education instilled in them the tools they need to be successful including how to communicate and critically think, along with, always trying to do the right thing for themselves and their clients. 

“You learn how to be leaders,” Maier said.  

“That came from, in my opinion, a University that instilled the idea of thinking critically about everything. Don’t just memorize, don’t just learn, but learn the process of learning,” Ulmer added.  

— Meg Ryan, M.A. ’24