Erika Rodriguez ’15: The Eco-Conscious Marketer

In 2012, Erika Rodriguez was volunteering at an orphanage in Nadi, Fiji when a category 4 cyclone hit the island. The experience changed the trajectory of her life. “It was a near-death experience, a whole day of terror and the most powerful cyclone the area had ever experienced,” she says. “For me, it was life-changing. Seeing and surviving a natural disaster showed me that climate change is real. I knew I needed to do something.”

After graduating in 2015 with a double bachelor’s degree in marketing and international business, Rodriguez sought employment with companies that matched her concern for the environment. That led to marketing roles with ZipCar and Lyft.

But in 2020, during the COVID pandemic disaster, Rodriguez took a leap of faith and launched her own eco-conscious marketing and consulting business, calling it Nadi Marketing as a tribute to her life-changing experience. Today, she provides a range of marketing services, all geared to serve mission-driven companies, social impact organizations, and ecopreneurs.

“I only work with clients who are environmentally or socially responsible. They have people and planet in mind first before focusing on profit, which aligns with my values and education.”

Rodriguez strategizes content for websites, email and social media. She handles search engine optimization and creates custom digital and email marketing campaigns. She also helps ecopreneurs identify, build, and foster key brand partnerships while offering coaching programs to help them get a jumpstart on their marketing efforts. Her client base includes The Mighty Bin, San Diego’s first zero-waste grocery store; Zero Waste San Diego, a 501(c)3 non-profit that organizes the SD Fix-it Clinic events; and You Belong Here in City Heights, a collaborative co-working and event space.

As a first-generation college graduate, Rodriguez knows firsthand the tremendous value that the Knauss School of Business education provides. Its vision of inspiring students to achieve “innovation for good” underscores her determination to help small businesses and entrepreneurs create a powerful impact on the planet.