Profile Magazine Q2/20

At Philz Coffee, it’s not just about coffee. Carolyn Frey crafts a people-first culture that serves customers and Philz team members with kindness, generosity, and connection. P122

Barbara Turner supports sound minds and bodies at ASICS P136

How to lead a successful treasury function

INDUSTRY MVPS INDUSTRY MVPS

Q2/20

Intelligent Business at IAP

How Tracy Engelfried motivates her team to creatively address business development challenges

Rigging Out Company Culture

Stacey Gisclair on how she fosters a highperformance culture at Danos 60

Jignasha

Beyond the Bits and Bytes

Adrian Butler is transforming the restaurant industry as CIO of Dine Brands 63

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Kathryn Kruse

Bridgett Novak

Paul Snyder

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Gillian Fry

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But First . . . People

The first time I tried coffee, I hated it. I had stolen a sip from my mom’s mug one morning, and it tasted awful—too bitter for my sweet tooth.

Why would anyone drink something that didn’t taste good? But once I learned I could add sugar, there was no turning back. My mom now asks me if I want coffee with my cream and sugar.

Coffee is a staple in so many aspects of society. Looking for a place to chat with a mentor, friend, or someone you met online? Meet them at a coffee shop. Need a break from staring at your computer? Walk to the kitchen and refill your coffee mug. Scheduling an early morning meeting? Entice attendees with free coffee.

When the list of featured executives for this issue came across my desk, my eyes gravitated to one company: Philz Coffee. As I read about Carolyn Frey’s work as chief people officer, I knew we needed to feature her on our cover.

Carolyn might work at a coffee company, but her story is about more than coffee. It’s about creating a community and a company where employees are empowered to bring their full selves to work, whether they’re in the C-suite or behind the counter at one of the four new Chicago locations. When we met Carolyn at the Lincoln Park opening in September last year for the cover shoot, we saw her embody the Philz mission—“Better People’s Day”—as she interacted with customers and baristas alike.

Coffee is important, but so are the connections that happen around it, whether you’re in a coffee shop or a conference room.

So pour yourself a fresh mug and relax as you read through Profile.

Frannie

Sprouls

Managing Editor

Facebook: @gh.profilemagazine

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Twitter: @Profile

Gillian Fry

Focus: Treasury

“THERE’S

GOLD IN THOSE HILLS.”

Bob Castagna fortifies corporate growth with an openness to change and a nose for opportunity—but it doesn’t happen without company-wide support and a team that pulls in the same direction

By Paul Snyder

“The key challenge for any treasurer in building a strategic treasury function that is valued by management is to constantly and proactively be identifying opportunities to increase earnings, reduce volatility, and enhance strategic flexibility,” says Bob Castagna, vice president and treasurer with medical device manufacturer Boston Scientific.

Castagna plays a major role in helping guide the company’s financial dealings and security, but he’s quick to point out that the job is not his alone and the success of any treasury function relies on multiple people and departments throughout the company working in concert. During his nearly twenty-three years with the company, the company has grown from $500 million in sales to almost $10 billion in sales.

“The company is really focused on two things,” he notes. “Transforming patients’ lives through innovative medical solutions and being the most prolific provider of leading innovative technology to physi -

cians and their patients in the categories we serve.”

To be at the front of the pack on both fronts, Castagna says it requires deep investment (to the tune of approximately $1 billion) in research and development, supplemented with a strong M&A pipeline. Impressive as the dollar amounts being bandied about are, Castagna says Boston Scientific began as a very small company that needed to expand its access to capital markets to build the leadership position it enjoys today.

That meant everything from sourcing various bonds and bank capital markets around the world to ensuring transparent relationships with several ratings agencies so that their access to capital would come at a reasonable cost and support further growth.

A longtime partner of Boston Scientific that Castagna has worked closely with is Wells Fargo. “It has been a great pleasure to partner with Bob and Boston Scientific

At U.S. Bank, we believe that your company can reach its goals, no matter how ambitious, and we’re proud to offer the competitive products and services to help you reach them. Get started on making your possible happen today.

VP and Treasurer , BostonScienti

to support their growth and ambitions with our capital,” says Gina Peters, managing director in Wells Fargo’s Healthcare Corporate and Investment Banking Group. We look forward to continuing to strengthen our partnership.”

Beyond the financial investment required for growth however, there also needed to be strong personal investment.

“We also needed strong engagement with senior management across the entire company—from the executive committee to business development to all the different businesses and functions at Boston Scientific,” he says. “It’s about being in tune with what the company needs to do to support this growth and making sure the resources are there when we need them.”

Therein lies the path to success and growth, Castagna says. Company-wide engagement provides the best chance to create value.

“Any treasury department deals with all the issues of classic corporate finances, determining capital structure and advising management on what moves should be made,” he says. “When you pull back and can look at what’s happening in and around the company and take into account the capital market and regulatory environment including accounting changes and tax regulation changes, there’s a rich opportunity for a proactive treasury function to reduce enterprise risks and create value.”

That kind of 360-degree insight allows Boston Scientific to increase cash flow to provide the company more capacity to invest in technology and innovation for physicians and their patients.

“Over the years, we’ve been able to reduce working capital investments with hundreds of millions of dollars in receivables financing programs,” he says. “We’ve also championed a supply chain finance initiative in which we put together a cross-functional team that enables us to extend payment terms to suppliers while also giving them the chance to get paid

Heather Castagna

BobCastagna,

faster. This initiative increased cash flow by approximately $200 million to help fund the journey to fuel growth—a key component of our corporate strategy.”

Castagna credits his team with the ability to capitalize on new financial opportunities and says he specifically targets people who have the capacity to learn and also the energy, interest, and creativity to discover the best solutions to the challenge at hand. Not only does the treasury department at Boston Scientific foster that kind of engagement but the company

at large sets up leadership development programs and job rotations to give some entry-level hires a more holistic look at where they might want to take their careers in the future.

“We’ve had a lot of people in treasury who have gone on to impressive careers in other parts of the company,” he says. “What I look for is the ability to collaborate in addition to everything else. Whether it’s helping with legal, accounting, tax, the executive committee, we all need help from somebody to do what we do, and this de -

partment needs to be able to provide and obtain that help.”

The ability to provide support is also of paramount importance to Castagna because, as he notes, major change isn’t always welcomed with open arms. Sometimes people are satisfied in their roles and enjoy their comfort zones, so being encouraged to take a next step or tackle a difficult challenge can meet resistance.

“Before we started the supply chain finance initiative, for example, we had a steering committee made of members

“What I look for is the ability to collaborate in addition to everything else. Whether it’s helping with legal, accounting, tax, the executive committee, we all need help from somebody to do what we do, and this department needs to be able to provide and obtain that help.”

Empowering the future and beyond

Great ideas need passion and vision to grow. That’s why we’re proud to partner with clients like Bob Castagna, VP and Treasurer of Boston Scientific, who embodies these qualities to improve healthcare every day.

barclays.com/ib

from different functions of the company. We were getting thousands of questions and didn’t have all of the answers,” he recalls. “We had never done something like this before.”

“I had to pause one meeting and say, ‘You know, we’re in a wagon and we’re going west. We think west is that way, but we’re not sure. We’re taking fire along the way, but we’re going west because there’s gold in those hills,’” he continues. “The point was we’ve never done something like this before, but we’re going to figure it out and do it right.

“When we run into challenges,” he continues, ”we’ll solve them. Maybe we don’t

have all the answers today but be patient: we will figure out the answers together and find the gold.”

So it was and so it shall be. As long as Castagna remains at Boston Scientific, he’ll be seeking new opportunities and doing what he can to help his team, different departments, and leaders move boldly to the future.

“I don’t like change,” he says. “I love change. I constantly have to dial myself back because I see opportunity everywhere—it can drive people crazy. But if you’re going to be strategic and add as much value possible, a little patience goes a long way in influencing teams.”

“I don’t like change. I love change. I constantly have to dial myself back because I see opportunity everywhere—it can drive people crazy.”

THE TIME IS NOW

Rochelle Tarlowe had a decision to make. As senior vice president and treasurer at Avis Budget Group, Tarlowe had worked her way through numerous titles and roles. She managed the company’s thirteen-billion-dollar capital structure along with overseeing risk management, cash management, and agency evaluation, among other roles. Her boss and mentor had left the company, and Tarlowe was at a crossroads.

“I had to ask myself, was I happy to stay the course or did I want a new challenge?” Tarlowe says. “The reality is once you’re at place for fifteen-plus years, people assume you don’t want to go anywhere.” Tarlowe weighed the future obligations of onboarding a new boss along with ongoing organizational change and realized it was the perfect time to move on because there was more that she wanted to do.

The SVP and treasurer for Omnicom Group has considerable shoes to fill. Previous treasurer Dennis Hewitt’s tenure dates back to the early days of Omnicom. But Tarlowe is up for the challenge. “I think I was brought in to look for opportunities to do things a little bit differently and see where I could increase efficiency,” she explains. “We’re a very large global organization, so you’re always learning something new.”

A QUICK LEARNER

By Billy Yost

Tarlowe has only been at Omnicom since May 2019, but there is inherent value in catching the new treasurer in the middle of learning the ins and outs of the global organization’s business. The treasurer is focused on the effect she can have on Omnicom’s individual offices, which all fall under her purview.

Omnicom’s Rochelle Tarlowe on making a move later in her career and operating on a global scale

“Like many multinational corporations, we have multiple treasury offices,” Tarlowe explains. “I want to challenge everyone in these locations to think more than about the people around them. Think of those in Dublin and those in Asia; we can find ways to do things more efficiently and more collaboratively.”

The complexities of operating on a global scale, Tarlowe says, should be mitigated as much as possible by direct communication. She realizes that it’s not in every company’s ability to routinely send their executives around the world (Tarlowe was, in fact, en route to the airport on the way to London during this interview). The treasurer says in that case, solve for the problem.

“When you’re working internationally, there is absolutely no question in my mind that language in emails gets lost in translation,” she says. “I can’t impress enough what a difference seeing a face makes. If you can’t meet face-to-face, use videocon-

Rochelle Tarlowe , SVP and Treasurer , Omnicom Group

ferencing; you can find a way to make it happen.” If it has to be an email, Tarlowe says, make sure to be clear about your expectations and to ask a lot of questions that demand communication.

TAKING TIME

In preparing to make her move after nearly fifteen years, there is a lot that can be learned from the way Tarlowe set about seeking her next challenge. “I was lucky that I was happy in where I was, so I took my time in my job search,” Tarlowe says. “I looked for a good year and a half and didn’t take the first opportunity that came up.”

The treasurer also said the times when it seemed like there wasn’t anything out in the ether that matched up with her interests just made her more grateful to be where she was. There are benefits to job-hunting when you’re already happy in your role.

Since her career started, Tarlowe says she’s welcomed the adjustment to more

flexibility in the way people choose to work but stresses that sometimes, powering through is the answer. “We’re living in an era where men are taking more time off for their families and people are doing things differently,” Tarlowe says. “If you want to stay in the workforce, don’t worry about making excuses for your personal life, just plow forward.”

When Tarlowe’s own son was diagnosed on the autism spectrum, she says she may have scaled back her work some, but for her, the right decision was to stay engaged in her work career and continue her development. “It might just mean not taking that overseas assignment or not taking that extra project,” she explains, “but you’ll be able to advance your career much easier if you avoid leaving completely.”

APPRECIATING A DIFFERENT VIEW

As Tarlowe has progressed in her role, she has developed an appreciation for more

Courtesy of Omnicom Group

Scotiabank congratulates Rochelle Tarlowe on her recent appointment to Senior Vice President and Treasurer at Omnicom Group.

Rochelle is an innovative leader and brings a strategic approach to finance, and we wish her continued success.

At Scotiabank, we are committed to empowering women in business around the world. With our global connectivity and access to capital, we can deliver the comprehensive solutions that drive success wherever business takes you.

gbm.scotiabank.com

that empower results

Aon applauds Rochelle Tarlowe and her dedication, leadership and extraordinary contributions to Ominicom Group. Your commitment is an inspiration to us; we are honored to call you a long-time partner and friend.

Visit aon.com to see how Aon is helping organizations address risk and health, shaping their workplace of the future.

than the completion of a project or initiative. “I used to think it was about working on big transactions, but today I really value the opportunity to sharpen my leadership skills, to be a leader, and to motivate people,” Tarlowe says. “I think I’m at that point in my career where it’s not about a single objective, it’s the value derived from working with a group.”

Tarlowe says that, by her best guess, most people come to work because they want their work to matter and they enjoy the people they’re working with. She’s interested in finding ways to motivate her team no matter their role. “That’s my job now, just working with a much larger team in a multinational capacity.”

Frans Braniotis worked with Tarlowe while at Avis Budget Group, and looks forward to continuing partnership at Omnicom. “Rochelle is phenomenal at building relationships, championing collaboration, and fostering strong communication with

candid dialogue,” says Braniotis, Scotiabank managing director and head consumer of industrial and retail of US corporate banking. “The way Rochelle leads is effective and infectious, and it’s evident across her entire team.”

Tarlowe, who is based in New York, says appreciating the bigger picture is made easier by the beach house she occasionally finds weekend time to steal away to. The treasurer took a chance on a new position, and the view looks good. ƒx

For many decades, Aon Minnesota has served the upper Midwest by providing the best risk and health solutions to the community. We use proprietary data and analytics to deliver insights that reduce volatility and improve performance. To learn more about how Aon can empower results for your organization, visit aon.com.

We believe in the commitments

“I’m at that point in my career where it’s not about a single objective, it’s the value derived from working with a group.”

APPETITE FOR GROWTH

Meredith Vance wants to go further. As senior vice president and treasurer of an international IT services company, it’s safe to say that she’s already traveled considerable distances to secure that position, but she’s also learned a lot on the way—and that knowledge is a continuing source of power.

drive meaningful results prompted my desire for continuous knowledge, my appetite for accelerated growth.”

By Paul Snyder

“Looking back, my time as a treasury advisor in Big Four accounting firms gave me a unique opportunity to fast-track my technical treasury knowledge in different functional areas—and create and implement cash/financial risk management solutions for organizations across various industries, size, and complexity,” she says. “The compressed timeline required to understand a client’s business and operations in order to

That’s good news for NTT DATA Services, a global IT services provider based in Plano, Texas, that operates in more than forty-five countries. With Vance heading up the treasury function, the company is in the midst of an impressive growth streak that has included major acquisitions and large-scale international expansion. But Vance says there’s more opportunity to provide solutions and outcomes to its clients on an even wider global scale in the not-so-distant future.

When NTT DATA acquired Dell Services in 2016, a lot of things changed quickly

Meredith Vance on transforming the NTT DATA treasury function to find success on a global scale after the company’s 2016 acquisition of Dell Services

for the company. Where once it had been a North American operation, it now did business in more than forty countries that comprised nearly as many currencies. Vance had to adapt to the change and understand a new operating system just as quickly. The acquisition overhauled the treasury function at NTT DATA.

“We had a treasury organization before I joined the company, but the missions and goals of the function at that time were not commensurate with the growth and strategic acquisitions we were seeing. We needed to rebuild our core to be in a position to focus on the complex,” Vance says. “When I joined the company to begin this transformation,

I knew right away our focus needed to shift from purely operational to an operational plus strategic one.”

To the benefit of NTT DATA, Vance had experience with that kind of big-picture strategic focus. As a leader in the treasury function at PayPal, she helped steer the separation of the company from global commerce leader eBay in 2015, handling billions of dollars in assets while also playing a key role in standing up two separate treasury organizations—an endeavor she calls “instrumental” in the work she does now and for her overall career.

“It was certainly the most complex and highly visible project I had been involved in

my career. To be a key contributor in the separation of two multibillion-dollar organizations, our deadlines were tight, and quality could not be sacrificed for speed,” she says. “In addition to the broader company separation, it was a rigorous effort to strategically and operationally separate the treasury function, ensuring the right people, policies, systems, and processes were in place to stand up two equally robust treasury departments on day one.”

The preparation paid off. Bringing that kind of fortification to NTT DATA is a frontof-mind objective for Vance as she partners with financial juggernauts JPMorgan Chase and Lockton Companies, which she says

“When I joined the company to begin this transformation, I knew right away our focus needed to shift from purely operational to an operational plus strategic one.”

Meredith Vance , SVP and Treasurer ,

NTTDATAServices

support her efforts in transformation with worldwide market and risk management insights, global liquidity structuring, and managing the company’s cost of risk.

“Going from operating in a handful of countries to doing business in forty-four countries, with more than thirty-five different currencies to consider, we needed to think differently,” she says. “We needed to build a strong foundation that included a new governance framework, global liquidity structures, a foreign exchange risk management program, and a strong insurable

risk approach. We further enhanced our core with the creation of an International Treasury Center trailblazing establishment in the US and wrapping systems around our solution to automate. This has been a material contributor to the benefits we’re now seeing in mitigating volatility in the P&L as well as being able to protect our balance sheet.”

Understandably, she’s outfitting the treasury team at NTT DATA with proven, driven individuals. Vance says that she can tell within the first few minutes of conver-

on this well-deserved recognition. Her extraordinary vision, leadership and friendship have been vital in developing Lockton’s risk management partnership with NTT Data. We look forward to helping Meredith and her team achieve their goals for many years to come.

Making our clients’ businesses better.

cdevilder@lockton.com

sation with a potential candidate if they will be the right fit for her fast-paced, high-intensity organization.

“It’s about passion for what you do just as much as your technical abilities,” she says. “Experience absolutely matters, but passion keeps you focused on the road to success.”

It’s a lesson that Vance says she’s internalized from a very young age.

“I didn’t grow up envisioning I would be a treasury and finance professional,” she says with a laugh. “As far back as I can remember, I completely thrived on being competitive— whether that was in sports, school, or even in my first job. I always had the passion to be the best, but I knew that in order to do that, I had to continuously practice on the field or study or research—and I knew that surrounding myself with experts who could teach me was very important.

“As I’ve grown in my career, I prided myself on carefully choosing each opportunity in a way that allowed me to take on a new responsibility or functional area of the treasury while purposefully seeking an organization with a different complexity than before,” she adds.

That passion and desire for accelerated growth and seeking new challenges has her facing an open horizon of possibilities for NTT DATA. ƒx

Lockton Companies congratulates Meredith Vance and her team on this well-deserved recognition. Her extraordinary vision, leadership and friendship have been vital in developing Lockton’s risk management partnership with NTT DATA. We look forward to helping Meredith achieve her goals for many years to come.

“It’s about passion for what you do just as much as your technical abilities. Experience absolutely matters, but passion keeps you focused on the road to success.”

The Counsel and Contributions of an Immigrant

Andy Pham has made IP a revenue generator and written another chapter of a successful immigrant story

By BILLY YOST

Andy Pham is the American Dream, so you’ll have to forgive him if he seems a little suspicious of the narrative about how immigrants are criminals, job stealers, and lazy transplants from other countries looking to “take advantage” of the system. “I love this country, and I think that immigrants tend to embrace the ideals of this country more than actual Americans sometimes because we know what it cost to get here,” he says.

For Pham, that meant six failed escape attempts from post-war Vietnam. It meant a seventh successful escape—if “successful” means eleven days and ten nights at sea, having to fend off three pirate attacks and resorting to drinking his and his own family’s urine to stay hydrated. It means months in Filipino and Malaysian refugee camps and enduring the coldest Austin, Minnesota, winter in memory after he and his family moved there, given $200 per family member by the US government and wished luck in their new life.

Pham has started companies, lost companies, paid his way through school, and earned an MBA and a law degree at the same time. The now chief of staff at Talkdesk has repeatedly set goals, achieved them, and recalibrated his own personal American Dream, leveraging a wide skill set based in intellectual property (IP) and ultimately encompassing all the skills that made him the ideal candidate for “right-hand man” of Talkdesk Founder and CEO Tiago Paiva.

In previous roles, Pham had cultivated a reputation for turning IP into revenue generators for companies who either thought of their IP as a cost center or hadn’t been able to properly leverage their own portfolios to their full potentials. At Witness Systems, Pham not only created and built out an extensive IP portfolio but also fended off patent litigation from an industry leading competitor into what Pham calls “unconditional surrender.” He was a one-man wrecking crew of litigation, prosecution, open source, contract, human resources, mergers and acquisitions, and M&A due diligence work.

Pham, who is also the senior vice president of business and counsel at Talkdesk says that from the outset, taking on a chief of staff

Andy Pham SVP of Business & Counsel Talkdesk

role may seem a strange diversion for the engineer-turned-entrepreneur-turned-lawyerturned-IP-pro, but there is a lot more at play. Pham initially thought he was interviewing for an open general counsel position at the company.

“The funny thing is, the only person that interviewed me was the CEO, nobody else,” Pham recalls. “When he called me back, he said he didn’t want me to be the GC, he wanted me to be his right-hand man, to help him run the company as his chief of staff.”

The chief of staff position, Pham says, is no longer regulated to the political arena. “I think every CEO needs a chief of staff,” Pham says. “You can be a sounding board, a buffer between the CEO and the rest of the executive team and do those things that a normal executive assistant just can’t do.” Pham says he understands the pains of building and growing a company, and that his own expertise will, in essence, help amplify and augment Paiva’s best qualities.

“The most important quality you need for this position is trust,” Pham says. “If you can’t win over the CEO’s trust, you’re simply not going to be a chief of staff.” He says it’s his role to lend a listening ear or offer advice at the CEO’s most intimate moments, and that is a responsibility he could not take any more seriously.

Talkdesk is in the middle of intense expansion and is recruiting heavily. In the past eighteen months, the company has tripled in size and as the company grows, the need for an expanded C-suite will become a reality sooner than later. “When that time comes, I think you’ll see the chief of staff

AN EASIER ESCAPE

While Andy Pham’s escape and immigration to the United States sounds like the plot of a movie, these days it’s video games that provide him an easier getaway. “I like to pick up a game for a week or two and really get engrossed in a completely different world,” Pham says. “If you spend all your time in the same environment, you’ll get burned out, so I like to escape to a fantasy world from time to time.”

Congrat ulat ions, Andy Pham!

Chris S cherer and DeWitt LLP are proud to be a strategic IP par tner with Andy – a seasoned business and legal advisor to the C-suite at Talkdesk.

role really come into its own,” Pham says. Until then, Pham will be wearing a sort of limitless number of hats to ensure Talkdesk is on the right path at the right time with the right people.

Pham’s ability to reinvent his career over and over again is especially poignant given the way he originally found his way to the US. His capacity for entrepreneurship and self-motivation are what many in the US would consider “American values.” It’s why he’s so confused about why so many Americans oppose those who are fighting to come to the country for the exact same reasons.

“Are you going to tell me that I haven’t contributed?” Pham asks. “I was a refugee from a situation that we [the US] largely contributed to, but I still love this country. It may be silly, but whenever I hear the ‘Star-Spangled Banner,’ I still get goosebumps.”

The IP team at DeWitt LLP is well equipped to provide the full range of IP ser vices to its diverse client por tfolio. A M idwest regional firm with global reach, its IP professionals have technical backgrounds in Computer S cience, Engine ering and the Life S ciences. DeWitt suppor ts clients around the world in por tfolio management, litigation and licensing, in order to procure and protec t clients’ competitive positions.

“I love this country, and I think that immigrants tend to embrace the ideals of this country more than actual Americans sometimes because we know what it cost to get here.”

ANDY PHAM

Practical Principles for the Business-Focused General Counsel 5

By BRIDGETT NOVAK

When she was just seven or eight years old, Kindra Kirkeby bought a casebook on criminal law at a yard sale, telling her mother “becoming a lawyer is hard work, so I need to start studying now.”

Hard work is something very familiar to Kirkeby, who learned personal discipline, attention to detail, and the ability to quickly spot and correct imperfections as a competitive springboard diver throughout high school and college. These traits make her well-suited for her general counsel role focused on compliance and litigation.

Prior to joining NewMarket Corporation in 2008, Kirkeby spent eight years in ExxonMobil’s law department. With nearly twenty years of legal expertise, Kirkeby spoke with Profile magazine about the five principles she believes are essential to successful in-house lawyering and almost any professional relationship.

1. WISDOM IS ACQUIRED BY EXPERIENCE, NOT JUST AGE

Joining ExxonMobil directly following graduation from law school meant that I was younger than many of my opposing counsel or in-house counterparts. My first supervisor, Robert Wallis, was pivotal in helping me overcome any fears and selfdoubts, empowering me to make decisions and to trust my own judgment.

Supervising several million dollars in outside counsel and consultancy fees while juggling more than one hundred different matters was pretty overwhelming at first, but his support gave me the confidence I needed to think creatively and do my job to the best of my ability.

I learned so much from my first technical counterparts by partnering with and giving them the support and respect they deserved. I gained their trust and respect despite my youth and lack of a science degree. I spent a lot more time listening, learning when and when not to speak up. I wanted to be able to learn and absorb every minute detail and to provide insight, perspective, and solutions.

While building confidence in their own abilities and knowing what’s best for the company, in-house attorneys must be

Kindra Kirkeby

Assistant General Counsel

NewMarket Corporation

Honesty Integrity & Fairness

are central to NewMarket’s business strategy.

The opportunity to partner with NewMarket to further the company’s mission is a privilege and pleasure.

We congratulate Kindra Kirkeby on her achievements and wish her continued success.

mindful of the ultimate business goals, what is required of their clients, and how their clients envision success. The only way to provide business-practical advice is to know its values and goals. Developing proactive working relationships with internal stakeholders provides depth of experience earlier and provides a platform for being an indispensable team member.

Immersed in these priceless experiences, I didn’t realize I was building up a wealth of knowledge that couldn’t have been gained any other way.

2. KNOW WHEN TO BE THE EXPERT AND WHEN TO HIRE THE EXPERT

Starting in the litigation department and working with trial attorneys, I quickly learned how to hire the right lawyer and to know when one lawyer’s strategy may not be compatible with the desired outcome.

When I started at NewMarket, I immediately transitioned from a domestic role to a comprehensive global one. The EU had just started the process of registering chemical substances and components that were manufactured or imported under the EU-REACH (Registration Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals) regulations. Being thrust into an area that I was highly unfamiliar with, I researched and learned as much as I could. I also needed to know what our business needs and goals were; if I didn’t understand those, an outside counsel’s relevant experience and value would be indistinguishable.

As I went through the process, I realized that none of the firms or lawyers had any particular knowledge base that would be of significance and that our internal team had a better handle on these matters. Throughout the past decade, our internal team has been successful without the added external expenses of outside attorneys. Now that the space has evolved, we know who those emerging attorneys are and who to reach out to should our needs change.

Being able to triage and break down problems makes me an important contributor, enables me to reduce our reliance on outside counsel, and leads to more efficient use of

the experts we do engage. By having the right people giving the right type of legal assistance during my first two years at NewMarket, I was able to reduce the outside counsel fees by almost 90 percent. Part of being successful is knowing when to be the expert and when to hire the expert.

3. EMBRACE THE NECESSITY TO CONTINUALLY LEARN

I wanted to embed myself as a part of the problem-solving team, which meant I had to understand the underlying science and chemistry in addition to our business culture. I never imagined that, as a double major in English and philosophy, I would end up in a STEM-intensive legal job. That makes my job one of continuous learning, which I thrive on. The true value-added lawyering comes from the “how to think” process that begins in law school and evolves throughout your career.

When I was at ExxonMobil, all new general lawyers started in the litigation group. Firsthand experience is truly the only way to understand the sobering reality of civil litigation. Realizing that no two cases will ever really have the same facts or same nuisances details the importance of asking more questions, digging deeper, and continually learning about the focus of the matter.

Being a true partner in the business requires much more than knowing the product you defend or the policies. It requires having a seat at the table and the ability to provide the best options for the company— all things new lawyers aren’t necessarily taught in today’s legal education process.

At ExxonMobil, I was one of more than five hundred attorneys and in a subset of about twenty-five environmental-focused attorneys globally. While feeling anonymous at times, I reported to a chief attorney and, during my tenure, I only met or spoke with the general counsel twice. Transitioning to NewMarket, I came in as, and remain, the only attorney advising on environmental, health, and safety issues globally, and I have always reported directly to our general counsel.

While no less challenging, I had more visibility and opportunity right off the bat.

4. BUILDING CREDIBILITY REQUIRES INVESTING TIME IN RELATIONSHIPS

At ExxonMobil, I was one of two lead attorneys overseeing the company’s Superfund sites. In typical Superfund matters, any number of property owners, operators, insurers, indemnitees, and/or indemnitors are brought together as joint defendants to determine who, how, and what must be remediated and paid for. You have to collaborate to develop, allocate, and agree on effective and cost-efficient clean-up plans. The ability to partner, negotiate, compromise, and settle, as well as knowing when litigate, is essential for managing a Superfund.

I built alliances with many different types of professionals. By watching other attorneys and technical representatives interact with their peers and colleagues, I was able to experience firsthand what effective lawyering looked like. In fact, a relationship I previously established with my predecessor, when I represented ExxonMobil and she represented NewMarket, was how I learned about her upcoming retirement and the opening that became my current position.

It’s also extremely important to have good relationships with the people inside your company. At NewMarket, I sit on the global environmental health and safety leadership team, which interacts with our global manufacturing team on a biannual basis. Interacting with my clients face to face, and personally understanding the facilities, work, and challenges, helps me provide better guidance to make their jobs easier and more productive and to better manage unforeseen risks.

5. GIVE BACK BY MENTORING AND TEACHING THE NEXT GENERATION OF IN-HOUSE COUNSEL

I have been fortunate to have had numerous opportunities to give back. At ExxonMobil, I was a member of the law department’s recruiting committee, which allowed me to interview applicants, speak about their summer programs and open full-time positions, and mentor summer associates and new attorneys.

When I first moved to Richmond, Virginia, I taught a legal research and writing course at William and Mary Law School, my alma mater. Presently, I serve as a supervisor for the in-house clinical placement with the University of Richmond Law School, and I am a cochair of the Corporate Scholars Program with the Association of Corporate Counsel’s National Capital Region chapter.

Through those programs, I have been able to host many “new to in-house” law students since joining NewMarket. In addition to receiving my mentoring, the students are exposed to the type of projects and partnering in-house counsel work requires, and they can network with other professionals and gain priceless practical experiences. I see this training to be of infinite benefit to both the company and the participating students.

“Being able to triage and break down problems makes me an important contributor.”

KINDRA KIRKEBY

Ready for Change

When Jamie Hay graduated high school, she had no idea what she wanted to do in her career. “Neither of my parents went to college, or graduated from high school, so they weren’t exactly prepared to say, ‘Oh, here’s what you should be doing!’” Hay says. But after Hay landed an entry-level job in the finance department at industrial manufacturing company Ingersoll Rand, her path quickly became clear.

By SARA DEETER

“I grew up at that company, I really did,” Hay says of her eleven years at Ingersoll Rand. And during that time, Hay met someone who would change her life and career for good. “I believe that a lot of life depends on what we

Jamie Hay’s openness to new opportunities has helped carry her to senior financial and HR positions in a male-dominated industry. Now, Hay is ready to apply her expertise to a new challenge.

Jamie Hay Former EVP and CHRO BrandSafway

do and how we work, but a big part of it is also just luck,” Hay says of her chance meeting with Dave Gordon. “He encouraged me to take advantage of the company’s tuition reimbursement, and I ended up finishing my degree in three and a half years while I worked full time.”

According to Hay, leaving Ingersoll Rand— leaving “the nest”—was one of the hardest things she has ever done. But at JLG Industries, where she stayed for the next eight years, Hay saw her first opportunity to meld her expertise in finance with a position in HR.

“At the time, I was doing the healthcare benefit accruals for the US as well as managing the equity program, executive retirement plan, executive medical plan, and the company’s bonus program,” Hay explains. As a result, Hay notes, her experience translated rather perfectly to the programs and analysis position that the new CEO wanted to create in the company’s HR department.

It was a risk to leave a strictly financebased role, Hay says, but she had her eye on a future CFO position at that point in her career and was convinced that this HR position would help her achieve that goal. “I decided that if it didn’t work out, I would just get a job back in finance,” Hay recalls. “At least then I wouldn’t be lamenting what could have, would have, and should have been.”

Fortunately, that first HR role proved to be exactly the foundation Hay was looking for to build her career: from that position, she moved to top HR positions at Harsco

JAMIE HAY

Corporation, which was later combined with Brand Energy & Infrastructure. Most recently, Hay served as executive vice president and chief human resource officer at BrandSafway, a global provider of industrial and commercial services and solutions.

Throughout these leadership roles, Hay has strove to live up to the example that Gordon set for her. “He always took me to meetings and would say, ‘Unless they ask you to leave when we get there, you sit in that seat, keep your ears open, and your mouth closed—this is where you’re really going to learn things, things you can’t learn in a textbook or a class,’” Hay says of her mentor.

Airswift is a global workforce solutions provider to the energy, process and infrastructure industries. For over 40 years, Airswift has been transforming lives through the world of work. serving as a strategic partner to our clients and delivering the top talent needed to complete successful projects. Driven by three corporate hubs in Houston, Manchester and Singapore supporting 60 regional offices, we have a truly global approach and a reach that is unparalleled. www.airswift.com

Inspired by Gordon, Hay has always tried to be very mindful about her own hiring and mentoring practices, deliberately putting recent college grads in open positions and working closely with high-potential employees during her tenure at BrandSafway.

Of course, some relationships are easier to develop than others, Hay notes. “In this and any other industry, there will be people who underestimate you based on your gender or appearance,” she remarks. “But sometimes I think construction, and specifically industrial manufacturing, get a bad rap because they’re known as a man’s world: there are people everywhere, in every industry, who are going to be those one-off, squeaky-wheel kinds of people.”

The majority of the time, Hay says, you won’t come across people who make trouble just to make trouble. But even when Hay has encountered people who are difficult—and she has come across some “characters” in her time—she has always tried to find a way to

work with them that doesn’t jeopardize their working relationship.

“If someone calls me ‘darling’ or tries to intimidate me, I don’t get fixated on it,” Hay offers. “I’m not going to just give way to those individuals when they ask for the moon and the stars, of course, but I’ll work with the person to figure out where they’re coming from and how we can resolve the issue. I think there’s a way of responding to such people without making it World War III.”

But now, after decades of building her skills as well as building up those around her, Hay says that she is ready for something new. “It’s exciting to look towards that next avenue,” Hay says. “Looking back on my life, I’m proof that you can be literally anything you want to be. If I had listened to my high school guidance counselor, I would be somebody’s secretary right now—which is a great job, of course, but I was fortunate enough to come across people in my life who encouraged me to do so much more.”

Airswift is a trusted international workforce solutions provider and strategic partner to Jamie Hay and BrandSafway, as well as clients across multiple industries and continents. Our team of dedicated market specialists brings a transparent approach to the challenge of sourcing permanent staff to meet the requirements of our clients.

Ogletree Deakins is a labor and employment law firm representing management in all types of employmentrelated legal matters. Ogletree Deakins has more than 850 attorneys located in 53 offices across the United States and in Europe, Canada, and Mexico. The firm represents a range of clients, from small businesses to Fortune 50 companies. www.ogletree.com

Airswift is proud to be a partner to

and the team at BrandSafway

“A lot of life depends on what we do and how we work, but a big part of it is also just luck.”

JAMIE HAY

HR That Makes a Difference

Gerald Okamoto on union relations and a long HR career, most recently with Grace Pacific

By BILLY YOST

Gerald Okamoto has carved out a particular space that encompasses not just HR prowess but also a familiarity and comfort in union relations that is a certain rarity. During his career with GTE Telephone and Operations Group, the HR professional oversaw collective bargaining agreements that ran into the triple digits and, in the face of more hard bargaining, has maintained a patient persistence with the aid of empathy and understanding.

Okamoto spoke with Profile about labor relations, HR, and finding a cause that makes a difference.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MORE PIVOTAL ROLES YOU’VE TAKEN ON IN YOUR CAREER THAT HAVE REALLY HELPED SHAPE YOU AS AN HR PROFESSIONAL?

I was responsible for working with business units’ chief negotiators for approximately 165 collective bargaining agreements nationwide for GTE Telephone Operations and Electrical Products Group as the corporate point of contact. Although the industries were very different and there were regional and union differences, they involved people who wished to know they were being listened

to, heard, and understood. Finding solutions to meet our collective needs enabled us to find agreements to often very difficult situations.

These were not union concerns or company concerns, but employee concerns in which finding a mutually agreeable solution was often difficult to achieve. Winning was not the objective, as mutual agreements had to be reached, which would have to be ratified by the membership.

This concept enabled me to address very difficult relationship concerns when I moved to GTE Southwest, covering telephone operations in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Arkansas before moving to GTE Hawaiian Tel, and then Verizon covering the five boroughs of New York City, Long Island, and New Jersey.

For me personally, working in Hawaii after working in Texas, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma was a significant cultural shift. However, following Hawaii, I moved to Manhattan during the merger of GTE and Bell Atlantic (which formed Verizon).

Eight months following the move, standing on the thirty-third floor of our midtown corporate office building, I witnessed the second airplane penetrate the second tower of the World Trade Center. Watching the aftermath and then restoring service for Wall Street and lower Manhattan, locating family members,

In 1995, the founding lawyers of Marr Jones & Wang le the state’s two largest law rms to form what is now the largest law rm in Hawaii devoted exclusively to the representation of management in labor and employment law matters. Labor and employment law presents unique issues and requires unique strategies; we believe employers are best served by attorneys who have devoted their careers to this area of law.

being homeless, working a half block from the “rumble,” etc.—it made you consider and evaluate what was really important in life and what needed to be done to make the lives of others better.

HOW HAVE ALL THESE EXPERIENCES SHAPED YOUR LEADERSHIP? DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR NEW HR PROFESSIONALS LOOKING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

do, what they represent, and who they are personally are critical elements to remember. It’s important to keep them informed, so they do not get an angry call from a member who knows nothing about the issue. Yes, they will receive these angry calls from employees who have had corrective action taken or who feel they have been wronged, but if you communicate with them prior to this call, they are not left in a compromised position or one that is embarrassing.

ADMINISTRATIVE

SAFETY & RISK MANAGEMENT

GOVERNMENT CONTRACTORS

LEGAL COMPLIANCE

BUSINESS

Respect the time and opportunity you are provided to enable a work environment you would wish to exist. Focus on the employees, on what they value and want for themselves and their families. Develop a passion for what is right, not what is fair, and enlist others to achieve these objectives. Over and over again, I will always address the need to respect the personal, cultural, regional, individual beliefs, and behaviors of your employees.

As I communicate when I do training on ethics, conduct, and behavior: do not do anything you would not want the world to know you have done. Do not do something you would not wish to be on the front page of the newspaper or something that would make your mother would “pull your ear.”

YOUR WORK WITH UNIONS IS ESPECIALLY INTERESTING AND IS OBVIOUSLY A STRENGTH. WHAT DOES MANAGING AND CULTIVATING THESE RELATIONSHIPS LOOK LIKE?

Although unions have institutional needs, they are a business. Respecting what they

You will often have opposite positions on matters, but it is important to continue communications and hold mutual respect for each other. Even when the New York union representatives would tell me, “We know where you live,” I understood the reason for their position and did not let it be personal.

HOW CAN OTHER HR PROFESSIONALS WORK COLLABORATIVELY WITH UNIONS?

This will sound corny but treat them in the manner you would wish to be treated. If you made a mistake or failed to communicate with them, acknowledge this error on your part, apologize, and work to improve the relationship. This relationship is like a marriage, in which you did not have the opportunity to pick your partner. Yet, you need to adjust and adapt to ensure you are successful in achieving your business goals, while addressing the concerns of employees and their families.

Editor’s Note: At press time, Gerald Okamoto had retired from his position as vice president of human resources at Grace Pacific.

Intelligent Business

Tracy Engelfried on how she motivates her team at IAP Worldwide Services to find creative solutions to business development challenges

By SARA DEETER

Is it possible to work within a company and not be a business development person?

Some professionals don’t believe it is—no matter what department you’re in, they say, your ultimate goal is to advertise the company’s work and help it grow.

Whatever definition you use, Tracy Engelfried is unquestionably a business development person—as vice president of corporate strategy and business development at IAP Worldwide Services, she has played a significant role in helping the company stay competitive by reducing her department’s operating budget by 50 percent over the past two years while doubling the company’s orders (booked business).

At the beginning of her career, though, Engelfried never would have predicted that she could thrive in that kind of role. “I initially looked into becoming an FBI agent and even began studying for the entrance exam and preparing for the fitness test,” she says.

Tracy Engelfried VP of Corporate Strategy & Business Development IAP Worldwide Services

“But I realized that it was not right for me, that carrying a weapon didn’t appeal to me.”

Realizing that she was more interested in intelligence and analytical work, Engelfried soon found the opportunity she was looking for at the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI). She continued to work in government roles for the next decade, moving through a number of career-progressing intelligence and operations positions at the Defense Intelligence Agency as well as the ONI.

When Engelfried resigned from the government and joined the private sector firm, Phoenix Consulting Group, it was one of the hardest decisions she’d ever had to make. “I absolutely loved what I was doing, but I had just had my second child. I couldn’t go out on a six-month deployment, or travel into war zones,” she explains. “That just wasn’t the right step for me and my family at that point.”

The longer Engelfried stayed in the private sector, the more clarity she found about what truly interested and engaged her— namely, the operational side of business. After honing her business development skills as senior director of business development operations at DynCorp International, Engelfried transitioned to IAP in 2016.

She was “immediately impressed” with the passion of the company’s leadership, she says, and the company was undergoing changes at the time that presented unique opportunities to a business development specialist like Engelfried.

“The company had just completed a restructuring and recapitalization under new ownership and executive leadership team—the company was essentially starting over,” Engelfried says. “IAP was making great strides to grow the business and improve its profitability, and I really thought the company was on an upward trajectory. It was a winning team, and I wanted to be a part of it.”

IAP has a very lean infrastructure, Engelfried explains, which is a key part of its ability to remain a “winning” team within a competitive space like logistics, aviation, information technology, and national security services. In other words, one of the company’s top priorities is keeping costs down so that it can focus its resources and efforts on providing

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new solutions to its global governmental and commercial customers.

“When I joined, the CFO made it clear that I needed to stay within budget for the year,” Engelfried recalls. “The company had exceeded the business development budget the last couple of years before I joined.”

And Engelfried delivered. “Of course, it was difficult,” the VP says of the drastic cuts to the department’s budget. “I had to get my team on board. We decided that we had to focus our efforts on opportunities we had a higher percentage of winning—for example, you may have one opportunity worth $1 billion and another worth $300 million, but your chances of winning the $300 million job is much higher than the larger job—so you go after the smaller one instead. To do that, we instituted a process in which we evaluated each opportunity using an internally designed metric.”

The team looked at every opportunity— aviation, logistics, or national security—and examined the real chances of winning based on its capabilities, customer adjacencies, competition, and other questions in a weighted assessment. “The process actually measures the maturity of an opportunity from fifteen different dimensions, and that helps the company overall because we end up spending resources on opportunities where we have a higher percentage of winning.”

www.iapws.com

But even with that type of disciplined process in place, Engelfried says, there is an art to what she and her team do in business development. “I’ve found that if you want people to contribute the parts of themselves that drive creativity, innovation, and ingenuity, it’s important to create an environment where they can truly be themselves,” she notes.

Her leadership skills and success do not go unnoticed by the external partners she works with. “Tracy possesses a unique mix of discipline, drive, and creativity that puts her at the top of her field, and it’s what makes her such a great team leader,” says Karl Miller, CEO of Jingoli Power.

Engelfried works to create a welcoming and inclusive environment by being as open and transparent as possible, and by always truthfully answering questions to the best of her ability, even if she isn’t able to share all of the finer details.

“I’ve liked and respected most of the bosses I’ve had over the course of my twenty-fiveyear career,” Engelfried says, “but I’ve only trusted—and I mean really trusted—a few of them. I want to know that my team trusts me, that they know they can come to me with their problems. The last thing I want is to find out that it’s too late to fix something that has been brewing for weeks because someone didn’t feel comfortable coming to me about it in the first place.”

“It was a winning team, and I wanted to be a part of it.”

TRACY ENGELFRIED

The Human Side of Human Resources

Jignasha Grooms

at Epicor

By CLINT WORTHINGTON

For Jignasha Grooms, chief human resources officer for Austin-based tech firm Epicor Software Corporation, her passion is people and her purpose is service. These values were ingrained in her at an early age. Growing up in India, Grooms learned firsthand the importance of social responsibility and humanitarian work. She credits her family for inspiring her service-first worldview and for demonstrating the importance of leading by example.

Grooms notes that some of her fondest memories as a child center around volunteering with family members. Her grandparents would include her on weekly outreach efforts to fund schools in their community and put kids through schools who couldn’t afford to go otherwise. Similarly, Grooms’s greataunt, one of the first female attorneys (and female drivers) in Gujarat, India, drove her to different parts of Vadodara to deliver food to impoverished areas of the city. “Volunteerism has been a large part of my family DNA my entire life,” Grooms says.

When deciding a career path, human rights seemed the natural choice for Grooms. She spent four years working in the legal industry after law school before taking her people-first mind-set to the corporate world. She entered human resources for several major tech companies—including Dell and Cisco—and hasn’t looked back.

In her words, Grooms is “passionate about the human part of human resources.” That perspective is abundantly clear in the transformative employee culture she initiated at Epicor when she joined in 2016.

In her early days at Epicor, Grooms noticed a lack of cohesive culture at the company, which was formed through several mergers and acquisitions. To address this need, she focused on creating an authentic, inclusive people strategy that centered on the entire employee experience from start to finish. The goal: establishing “One Epicor.”

“I have the privilege of making sure that every employee feels respected and valued, and that we’re creating a level playing field for our four thousand global employees,” Grooms says.

employs her legal and business experience to bolster a more authentic, inclusive people strategy

Jignasha Grooms CHRO Epicor Software Corporation

Her people-first strategy is largely shaped by one of the most important lessons she learned from her legal and global background: the gift of objectivity. Grooms emphasized the importance of not making assumptions and meeting situations for what they are. The first step was listening in order to better understand employees—to understand the concerns, daily challenges, and different cultures that shaped each person. In today’s growing global marketplace, this inclusive global perspective is paramount.

Grooms also prioritized a supportive and transparent work environment with leaders who continuously communicate the purpose of Epicor and how each employee plays a role in helping Epicor achieve its goals. This

approach has produced significant results, including an increase of Glassdoor ratings, employee satisfaction scores, a higher customer retention rate, and a deeply engaged employee base.

With a thriving company culture, Epicor is also experiencing a high recruiting demand. But that demand comes with a large hurdle: handling the hundreds of résumés per job that flood into the company’s career site.

“There’s no way we’ll ever be able to build an HR team big enough to go through those résumés,” Grooms notes. To meet that need, she introduced tools and technology to help HR source for roles, including artificial intelligence platforms to find the best candidates among those scores of résumés.

In alignment with a people-first strategy, the recruiting team leverages AI, which informs them of the candidate experience and tracks performance metrics to see what works for an Epicor employee. These tools help Grooms and the rest of her HR team hire best-in-class talent (with best-in-class skill sets) who are a strong fit for the corporate culture.

As for Grooms’s own work with her team, her leadership style is very much aligned with her personal values of honesty, integrity, and transparency—and leading by example, just as her family taught her. She sets a high standard of conduct and performance for herself, which translates to her team members. “I set a high bar, and my team knows what it takes to reach it. They work hard, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun while we do it,” Grooms says.

For example, Grooms hearkens back to those fond childhood memories. Every quarter, she brings her team together to volunteer for different causes on behalf of the community. This could be doing hospice care in Bangalore or working at the Central Texas Food Bank in Austin. “It’s a great time to give back to others, remember what’s important, and share meaningful time with your work family.”

Bottom line, Grooms says, “When people are at the center of your business value proposition and you’re focused on helping them succeed personally and professionally, your company will also succeed.”

“I set a high bar, and my team knows what it takes to reach it. They work hard, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun while we do it!”

JIGNASHA GROOMS

Janet Wheeland

The Future of Groceries

Moodie Coretti leads the new e-commerce division at Rich Products with a laid-back approach and an eye on the future

By BRIANNA WRIGHT

Moodie Coretti got his first taste of the food and beverage industry working at a grocery store in college. He took on the job to pay for school, but he soon found that he couldn’t wait to get out of the industry. After getting his degree, he started working in a few sales positions, none of which fit with his career goals. So he ended up back in the food and beverage industry to work as a product manager for C&H Sugar. It was this position that led Coretti to realize his love for the industry. Today, Coretti is working to install new growth strategies to get the recently minted e-commerce division off the ground at Rich Products.

Headquarters: Buffalo, NY

Founded: 1945

Employees: 10,000+

Rich Products is a family-owned food company dedicated to inspiring possibilities. From cakes and icings to pizza, appetizers, and specialty toppings, Rich’s products are used in homes, restaurants, and bakeries in 100 locations around the world.

Your eCommerce Brand Advocate

In an average day, Coretti has a variety of responsibilities as director of e-commerce. These responsibilities include establishing long-term growth plans for new product innovations, developing internal systems to track and evaluate online growth, and working with all functional groups to accelerate e-commerce integration. Coretti handles anything and everything having to do with e-commerce, including content development, analytics, creating omnichannel strategy, and developing relationships with the suppliers. As director, it is Coretti’s responsibility to lead his team in a way that allows them to best perform these tasks.

Because e-commerce has only been running for a year and a half, the newly established division has been difficult to navigate. However, Coretti has proven successful in developing new initiatives within the department.

One of the most recent developments is the acquisition of the Christie Cookie Company. Christie Cookie, a gourmet cookie manufacturer, brings in a loyal consumer. This will help to create a new portfolio that will be appealing to a new customer space online. Christie Cookie has also maintained a strong direct-to-consumer platform within e-commerce. This plays into Coretti’s vision of creating a brand that focuses on consumers rather than professionals.

While focusing on the present, Coretti also looks to the future of Rich Products. The e-commerce division is looking to incorporate voice-activated and mobilefriendly technology in the short-term future. This will ensure that Rich Products maintains an appeal to the modern-minded consumer.

As Coretti has risen vertically within his career, his leadership style has adapted with his tenure. Coretti first thought to lead a team as an independent problem-solver would be the best method. When a problem would arise, Coretti believed that fixing the problem himself would be more efficient than coaching others.

Over time Coretti has learned to pause and remove himself from a situation. This allows for the rest of his team to learn to find solutions themselves. Coretti believes this method of leadership to be most beneficial for the long-term success of his team. Coretti also believes that the leadership support throughout the entire organization has contributed to the success of the e-commerce division.

Coretti takes great pride in the network of support his team receives, which even comes from the Rich family themselves. Coretti believes that it is this support that bolsters the success he and his team are finding at Rich Products.

STRATEGY

Bolstering the Drive to 25

Stacy Pearson on supporting Washington State University’s push to become a top research university

By SARA DEETER

Higher education is a business, but it’s also an experience. It’s a community experience, a transformative experience, and an inspirational experience, especially for first-generation college students. Washington State University’s Stacy Pearson, herself a first-generation college graduate, wants the WSU experience to be the best it can be.

Pearson has lived and worked in the Pacific Northwest for decades. After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Idaho, she traveled throughout

Idaho, Oregon, and Alaska working for organizations such as the Environmental Conservation Department and the Idaho State Board of Education. And it was that position with the Idaho education board, Pearson says, that really sparked her interest in higher education.

“I got to travel around to all of the public and private campuses in Idaho, and I became fascinated with not only the business of higher education but also the industry of education,” Pearson recalls. “It’s an industry that changes lives.”

Higher education gave her a career and opened up another world for her, Pearson says, but a large part of her success in that industry is due to her own curiosity. Pearson says that her primary goal is obviously to understand her specific position, but she is also driven to understand the broader culture and systems of the university.

“What are the student services like? The facilities? The academic programs? You have to know what the university’s mission, vision, and goals are in order to really do your job well,” asserts the CFO and vice president of finance and administration.

Most of the time, Pearson explains, this comes down to listening to people talk about their needs and challenges, identifying solutions, and collaborating with others to discuss their ideas. But for her, Pearson laughs, this has sometimes meant taking on projects and tasks that she “knew nothing about.”

“I was at Boise State University for more than twenty-one years, and during that time I faced a number of challenges, including the recession and a presidential transition. But it was nevertheless a single campus, so it was relatively easy for me to work with the president and provost to make financial decisions,” Pearson notes. But WSU sprawls across the entire state of Washington, encompassing regional campuses in Spokane, Vancouver, Everett, and the Tri-Cities, as well as a global online campus and the main campus in Pullman.

Each campus has a different environment and different character, Pearson says, which has made it somewhat challenging for her to create a budget model that addresses diverse needs. But right now, each and every campus is all pulling together to help the university

fulfill its goal of becoming one of the nation’s top twenty-five public research universities by 2030.

This initiative, called the Drive to 25, is designed to improve the university and the value of the WSU experience by attracting new students, new sources of funding, and new partnerships. “The mission of a land-grant university is to extend out to the citizens of the state and make their education, and the results of their research, very impactful to the state and its communities,” Pearson explains.

According to Pearson, WSU already has an incredible impact on Washington and its citizens. The university’s research benefits numerous industries in the state, from the

Stacy Pearson CFO and VP of Finance & Administration Washington State University

wine industry to the dairy industry to even the aerospace industry. The Drive to 25 initiative will help the university further that impact, as exemplified by the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine recently established on the Spokane campus.

“The medical school is a way to develop research and attract federal research projects,” Pearson says. “But it’s really touted as a community-based medical school, because third- and fourth-year students go to other campuses and communities for residencies and internships, which fits into our larger goal of helping to improve medical care and services in the more rural parts of the state.”

As CFO at WSU, Pearson is tasked with building the financial and administrative

MAKING THE COUGAR EXPERIENCE COUNT

1890

WSU founded as Washington’s original land-grant university

$357 MILLION

WSU’s research and development expenditures for FY 2017

$380 MILLION

Financial aid and scholarships provided to WSU undergraduates in 2017

4

Research and extension centers that work to sustain crop health and Washington growers’ productivity

39

WSU Extension offices that provide educational opportunities throughout the state

Turning insights into outcomes for higher

foundation to support all of that growth. In two years, Pearson has led a fiscal health initiative that has reduced the university’s operating deficit from $30 million to a positive balance of nearly $8 million.

To achieve that remarkable result, she and WSU’s leadership team—as well as all the faculty and staff at WSU’s other campuses—have focused on ensuring that resources are supporting Drive to 25 mission.

“We were all brought to this university to make it successful,” Pearson emphasizes. “So, it behooves us to find ways to work together and help each other meet our goals.”

Calm, Confident, and Collaborative

Avisheh Avini leverages a diverse career of private practice experience as chief legal officer at Union Square Hospitality Group

By BILLY YOST

Going in-house, for many lawyers, can be a brief stop at a firm before going across the aisle. Some even transition directly in-house out of law school, unworried about gaining the experience traditionally regarded as essential to seeing “both sides” of the outside-inside counsel relationship. Avisheh Avini took a different path.

The chief legal officer (CLO) at Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG) since 2016 had more than fifteen years of firm experience focused on M&A and capital markets prior to assuming her role with the hospitality company, which boasts twenty-eight James Beard awards.

“I really enjoyed private practice,” Avini says. “I just enjoyed being a lawyer, and that time obviously helped me develop my style.”

The precise specification of Avini’s leadership style comes easy by way of some recent effectiveness assessments the legal team recently underwent at USHG.

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“I was described as calm, confident, and collaborative,” Avini recounts. “Coincidentally, that’s exactly how I would describe my legal department.”

The CLO says that when dealing with a crisis or strategy session, remaining calm often unlocks the other two of those necessary c ’s. “If you’re nervous, that’s what is going to get translated,” Avini says. “You want to instill confidence in those around you so that your advice is well-received.”

Avini’s calm nature is evident in her voice, but she says working collaboratively is something that came a little less naturally from her firm days. “When you’re in-house, you’re not sitting in isolation coming to a legal conclusion, delivering that to a client and moving on with your day,” she explains. “One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that to be effective, you have to be collaborative, which means that not only do you have to take into consideration different perspectives to get the best result, but you need buy-in to develop an effective strategy.”

She says those negotiations are taking place in every aspect of her role, every single

day, and it’s an approach she encourages her team to take as well. Partnering with the business means transitioning from being a legal advisor to a strategic advisor—shifting your frame of mind from just focusing on the legal advice to taking into account the whole business and the financial impact of your decisions.

The CLO is also less inclined to see legal’s partnership with business as a necessarily hand-in-hand enterprise. “We absolutely consider ourselves partners but not necessarily members of the business team,” Avini says. “We need to convey that so there is that arm’s length distance to be able to provide perspective, both short- and long-term.”

It’s an important distinction from many in-house lawyers who see themselves as simple extensions of the business. “It’s important to communicate legal advice in a way that makes sense and clearly and directly conveys why they should have a vested interest in avoiding legal pitfalls,” Avini clarifies. “Our job is to bring them under our tent, and that means that the advice we’re offering is only as good as the way we’re conveying the analysis or guidance.”

Avisheh Avini Chief Legal Officer Union Square Hospitality Group Liz

Clayman

NOURISHING BOTH SIDES OF THE BRAIN

Prior to moving into law, Avisheh Avini thought she might pursue a PhD in art history. It’s a passion that remains to this day. “I try and nourish my soul through beauty,” Avini says.

At the time of speaking, Avini was preparing for a two-day modernist design class at Christie’s in London, including museum visits and an auction. “I love maintaining my studies and trying to constantly develop both sides of my brain,” the lawyer says.

The end goal, the lawyer says, is almost always the same. “Avoid telling the business ‘No, there is too much risk,’” Avini says. “You have to approach it in identifying the risk, then offering the low-risk, the midlevel-risk, and the high-risk way of approaching an issue depending on their particular risk tolerance. Even though identifying risk is second nature for lawyers, there is a distinct difference between theoretical and actual risk—the value comes in by approaching that difference through the business lens while also calculating the financial impact of a decision.”

Understanding those tolerances is just a larger part of understanding the business and the various stakeholders who operate within it. Adjusting risk tolerance was absolutely essential in moving from the firm world to in-house.

“As outside counsel, you become accustomed to knowing everything about a situation or matter, giving in-depth analysis, and moving on to the next client,” Avini says. “A general counsel has to make realtime decisions with limited knowledge and be prepared to live with the consequences

of those decisions because you don’t simply move on to another client.”

The lawyer says applying a wider lens to the legal role is vital to consider the financial impact of a decision and to manage risk practically to gain an edge for the business.

Avini admits that charting victories as a general counsel can sometimes get lost in the shuffle. “Not everyone is expected to understand how much work goes into a deal or how many legal pitfalls were successfully avoided,” she says.

Success in-house doesn’t come down to billable hours; it’s about relationships. “I know I’m doing a good job when I have my business partners reaching out for advice. That’s how they show that they value us and our services. When they seek us out, that’s when I know I’m on the right path.”

Mintz: “Having worked with Avisheh for more than a decade, we value Avisheh’s strategic and forward-thinking approach to complex issues, deep understanding of personal dynamics and ability to build consensus, and her unwavering commitment to getting the job done.”

—Charlotte Edelman and Michael Arnold, Members

A Better Place

To create a more resourceful world, Aditi Dravid helps improve company practices at Itron through efficiency and proactive legal services

By SARA DEETER

With decades of industry expertise and continuous investment in innovation, Itron has developed the industry’s most comprehensive, secure, and proven portfolio of intelligent devices, smart, foundational networks, and software and services to deliver the right outcomes for utilities and cities as Itron works to create a more resourceful world. Aditi Dravid wants to help Itron with its efforts in achieving unparalleled reliability, insight, efficiency, and opportunity.

As associate general counsel and chief compliance officer at Itron, Dravid does just that, supporting the company in its mission to manage energy and water by working with Itron’s customers to ensure their success, so that together, they can improve the quality of life, ensure safety, and promote the well-being of people around the globe.

“I know it might sound lofty to say that we’re trying to create a better world,” Dravid acknowledges. “But it’s the truth— and it’s unique, considering the profit- and

shareholder-driven expectations for most public companies.”

Itron’s social responsibility vision, including its goal of implementing renewable energy sources and building high-efficiency smart cities characterized by an enhanced quality of life, speaks to Dravid on a personal level as well.

“My parents grew up in India, and I remember traveling there every year as a kid,” Dravid explains. “There are so many water and energy resource issues in that country; Indian municipalities and utilities don’t have the same ability to safely, securely, and reliably deliver critical infrastructure services as we do in the US. I recall what at the time were these strange constant rolling blackouts during family trips back to India, because, growing up in the US, I was used to a way of living that is, honestly, pretty luxurious compared to a lot of other countries.”

Those experiences make Itron’s work especially meaningful to Dravid. Itron enables utilities and cities to make wise and resourceful use of water and energy. The availability of intelligent devices and

networks to power critical infrastructure services at the point of service presents enormous opportunities for enhancing the reliability of energy and water delivery systems to communities in more than one hundred countries—exactly what Dravid saw was lacking during her childhood trips to India.

To help Itron achieve its corporate goals, Dravid says that Itron’s legal team has likewise re-positioned itself to better serve its internal clients as well as company needs. The legal team is committed to improving its own services and, during her tenure with the company, streamlined contact review processes, facilitated clearer roles and responsibilities, and implemented additional technology and systems for legal efficiency.

In her role, Dravid hopes to continue transitioning away from reactive practices toward proactivity. “On the compliance team, for example, we’re trying to proactively identify areas of compliance and regulatory risks for the business teams so that they can make informed decisions ahead of time,” she notes.

While this transition has naturally created a few challenges, Dravid has relished the opportunity it has provided to leverage her wide-ranging legal experiences, from compliance and regulatory to litigation and employment matters. “I love being a lawyer,” she says laughing. “I love getting involved in the nitty-gritty of laws and regulations, and then applying the law in a common-sense approach to find legal solutions to support business goals.”

As AGC and compliance officer, she says, “I’ve tried to use my background to help create awareness in areas where the team did not have the bandwidth to do so before.”

Aditi Dravid

Associate General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer

Itron

Her background has been used at Itron for a very specific reason: its diversity. She is responsible for legal support in the following areas: employment, litigation, compliance, and regulatory.

After obtaining an undergraduate degree in finance from Washington University in St. Louis, Dravid went to work for an investment bank, a position that allowed her to fully realize her love of analytics and its intersection with law. Following her graduation from the University of Oklahoma College of Law, Dravid secured positions at an array of different organizations—an Am Law 100 international law firm, an oil major, and a privately held Goldman Sachs company that transitioned through an IPO to a Fortune 500 company during her time there.

As a result of working in such different environments, Dravid has seen and touched many different legal issues that whenever a situation has arisen at Itron, she has “previously either dealt with it directly or at least seen it to know how to approach it.”

But it’s not just experience that Dravid brings to the table at Itron—it’s joy as well. “I so enjoy the innovation and rapid evolution in this industry,” Dravid says. “It’s very intriguing and challenging—new subject matters and experiences all the time.”

Dravid says enjoys the dynamic, fast-paced environment because of her background as a litigator, even though it is a new industry for her. Her litigation background has been instrumental in her transition to corporate life, she notes, because it forced her to constantly ask questions and become an expert in new subject areas with every case she handled.

“My natural default is a desire to learn and understand, and I tend to ask a lot of questions,” Dravid says. “My litigation experiences also have taught me to keep perspective and remain centered—litigation can be so competitive and adversarial, but when you learn not to take things personally and give people the benefit of the doubt under strained circumstances, you really are better able to serve your clients.”

Is proud to work with Aditi Dravid and congratulate her on her recognition in Profile

“I so enjoy the innovation and rapid evolution in this industry. It’s very intriguing and challenging—new subject matters and experiences all the time.”

ADITI DRAVID

How to Structure Change

ASCAP’s Tristan Boutros on his affinity for innovation and his strategies for managing evolution

By SARA DEETER

Tristan Boutros innovates. As far back as he can remember, Boutros has felt compelled to streamline, improve, and organize everything around him. “I’ve always looked for efficiencies in everything I do, whether it be at home, school, or in my professional career,” Boutros admits. But at the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP)—a performance rights organization that collects and distributes music royalties for its songwriter, composer, and publisher members—those tendencies drive Boutros’s success as chief technology officer.

According to Boutros, his achievements at ASCAP are due in large part to his ability to see problems from varying perspectives. As a former scrum master, engineering manager, chief process officer, and chief operating officer, Boutros built a broad-based tool kit to use when approaching organizational opportunities.

He also holds more than fifteen professional certifications, is a professor at Columbia University, and is the author of The Basics of Process Improvement and award-winning The Process Improvement Handbook: A Blueprint for Managing Change & Increasing Organizational Performance.

Even as a University of Windsor student, he experimented with different business practices and approaches while earning a double major in marketing and management and a minor in computer science to learn how modern companies operated. He started his own small business—a “miniature Amazon” that sold entertainment products—with no formal experience in project or product management, supply chain, logistics, or financial operations.

“It was a fantastic learning opportunity for me,” Boutros says. “I was solely responsible for my own back-office needs and designing and developing all consumer-facing web experiences for customers. Combining that with my education and mentoring from friends and family was invaluable.”

In 2017, Boutros saw his passion for innovation and improvement mirrored in the mission at ASCAP. “The company has been around for over one hundred years,” Boutros says, “and yet there remains an extraordinarily strong desire to innovate within its culture and keep the company on a path of evolution.”

ASCAP’s new phase of evolution, Boutros says, is moving away from a traditional media organization to a product- and technologydriven organization that prioritizes member and licensee experiences. Member experience is especially critical because the board is entirely composed of member songwriters, composers, and publishers.

“That gives us a unique advantage,” Boutros says. “Our members want to make sure that they’re reimbursed fairly for uses of their music, and all of our internal motivation and design thinking is geared towards that.”

ASCAP is one of the most successful organizations of its kind. Operating as a nonprofit, the membership association hosts information on more than 11.5 million musical works, has more than 720,000 global members, and processes trillions of performances each year.

That exponentially increasing volume of data creates some challenges for Boutros and his team. “In order to handle the demand, we need scalable infrastructure and systems,” he says. “But the processes and practices we’ve been implementing on the ground have also allowed us to drive a more agile mind-set across the entire company.”

All of those processes and practices are collaborative and “socially oriented,” Boutros remarks. ASCAP holds quarterly planning sessions attended by hundreds

Tristan Boutros Chief Technology Officer American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers

of employees, providing an opportunity for everyone to cooperatively develop their priorities and strategies. Boutros and his team also help tech employees track their team and quarterly progress on visual dashboards available across the floors where their product development teams work.

“That’s what makes us so unique and successful,” Boutros says, “the combination of our Agile planning processes, starting at the individual level and tying upwards to corporate priorities and vice versa, as well as our organizational governance and dedication to our mission.”

Jim Torney, president of Essextec, has seen the partnerships that Boutros cultivates to further ASCAP’s evolution. “It’s an absolute pleasure working with a leader who understands the value of true Juan

Patino Photography

partnership to drive towards his vision for the future,” Torney says. “By instilling trust and accountability, Tristan seamlessly motivates for the greater success.”

Boutros is also leveraging ASCAP’s wealth of data to enhance the member experience: the most-used features, how often those features are used, and what members like the most about the ASCAP digital experience. “We want to make sure that whenever anybody is interacting with ASCAP, whether it’s on the phone or online or even on-site, they’re getting the most robust experience we can provide,” he explains.

The bottom line is to keep innovating and ensure you have the right foundations and processes in place to do so. “Never underestimate the need for continuous education and culture change,” says Boutros, whose

own culture change achievements have been featured in Forbes, CIO Magazine, and HuffPost. “It is critical that you respect the history of your organization and its culture, while driving innovation and evolution in order for your firm to stay relevant. It is a delicate balance, but one that is critical for any organization that wishes to differentiate itself from competitors.”

Build the right technologies, provide the right training and education programs, and let stakeholders know why change is needed, he advises. “As long as you manage culture and technology change well, balancing various needs and aligning them to the mission and mandate of the organization, while involving employees and the voice of consumers along the way,” Boutros says, “these journeys and transitions will be successful.”

“Our members want to make sure that they’re reimbursed fairly for uses of their music, and all of our internal motivation and design thinking is geared towards that.”

TRISTAN BOUTROS

Diversified Energy

By BILLY YOST

When Sadzi Oliva accepted Governor Bruce Rauner’s nomination to the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) in 2017, she wasn’t aware that she was making history. Oliva is the first Latina to serve as an ICC commissioner and, in her trailblazing role, is intent on helping Illinois continue to lead the way on diversity and inclusion outreach.

The Chicago native and single mother is redefining tired stereotypes of what a leader looks like as a member of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) and its Committees on Water and Critical Infrastructure and chair of the Subcommittee on Supplier and Workforce Diversity. Add to that the boards of a halfdozen other regulatory and public interest organizations, and it’s clear that Oliva’s most recent appointment is not an outlier—it’s a byproduct of a driven executive who just happens to be the first Latina in her role.

Oliva says the compounded pressures of feeling like a cultural ambassador of sorts are nothing new. “I have always felt more scrutiny

Sadzi Oliva Commissioner Illinois Commerce Commission

Sadzi Oliva is helping the ICC open doors to new talent, wherever they may be

Ed Collier

Diversity and inclusion are central to everything we do at Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas.

We have more than doubled spending with diverse suppliers since 2015 by making supplier diversity a key focus of our corporate strategy.

We take pride in helping diverse contractors compete for and win contracts with us and other companies, and we work closely with these businesses to develop and expand their capacity and expertise.

We deeply value the diversity of our workforce, which is 58 percent diverse, and have been intentional about making progress.

We expanded the diversity of our workforce in recent years—hiring four hundred veterans through the Utility Military Assistance Program, a partnership with Gas Workers 18007 and City Colleges of Chicago that trains veterans for careers as utility workers.

We remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring our workforce and the suppliers we do business with reflect the diversity of the communities we serve.

and more pressure because I don’t want to let anyone down,” Oliva says frankly. “I feel pressure to be more prepared and more ready than anyone else in the room because I never want to hear someone say, ‘Of course the first Latina would make that mistake.’”

The commissioner is also aware of the potential to use her position as a role model for future Latino leaders. That potential carries a responsibility of maintaining Oliva’s reputation as an attorney, a regulator, and a trusted public figure, and it’s one the commissioner doesn’t take lightly.

DIVERSIFIED ILLINOIS

The ICC has endeavored to diversify its own workforce, and Oliva has been an instrumental part of the process. Illinois has exceeded its own expectations in terms of vendor diversity spending. A 2018 study by the Illinois Utilities Business Diversity Council found that spending $1.05 billion on goods and services by minority-owned, women-owned, veteran-owned, and small business enterprises added more than $2 billion into the state gross domestic product in 2017.

“Because of the leadership that we’ve had with our former and current chairs as well as some of our past commissioners, the ICC has demonstrated that diversity and inclusion is a priority,” Oliva says. “This is something

everyone is now talking about nationally, and other states ask me how we were able to make such progress on this issue.”

The commissioner says the state is a thought leader in the space, especially because energy companies like Ameren, Nicor, People’s Gas, American Water, AQUA, and ComEd all have minority leadership at its highest levels. Recently, the President of Illinois American Water, Bruce Hauk, who is also Chair of the IUBDC, was awarded the Inclusion and Diversity Award by the National Black Chamber of Commerce because of his strides in diversity in the utility space.

That doesn’t mean Oliva’s appointment has been free of challenges. “Any regulator has the difficult task of making hard decisions that come down to affordability versus safety and aging infrastructure,” Oliva says. “That will always be a challenge.”

Oliva also says she’s working to make sure that D&I progress is felt in all the industries the ICC regulates. “The utilities get it, are onboard, and have absolutely made it a priority,” Oliva says. “But we recently had some of our regulated transportation industry submit mandated reports of their diverse spend, and there will definitely be a learning curve as we work to demonstrate that this is something that is being looked at not just by the commission but our general assembly as well. We hope

CHARLES MATTHEWS PRESIDENT

PEOPLES GAS

Jessica Kaminski

they understand the value and importance of having a diverse and inclusive supply chain in their industries, too.”

Oliva’s being named chair of the Subcommittee on Supplier and Workforce Diversity for the NARUC is a chance to spread the positive strides Illinois has made to other states. Those sessions have included looking for ways to include veterans in professional services roles. “Their specific skill sets make them stand apart for work in the utility space,” Oliva says.

The committee is also focused on finding new qualified diverse candidates for an industry facing a multitude of boomer-age retirements. “Where do you find these candidates, and how early do we try to start getting them involved in the energy industry?” she asks. “But even having those conversations is something I look at as an accomplishment.”

To this end, at the 2019 NARUC Summer Meeting, Oliva sponsored a resolution that passed unanimously: Encouraging the Inclusion of Minority-Serving Institutions in the Development of Long-Term Strategic Partnerships to Address Pending Retirements of Utility.

PROTECTING THOSE WHO NEED IT MOST

Since joining the ICC, Oliva says she’s almost incredibly proud of the new consumer

protections the organization has put in place to curb what some see as overcharging of customers and deceptive marketing practices of alternative retail electric suppliers.

As part of reoccurring policy sessions (deemed “Illinois Power Meter”), Oliva was able to speak directly to Latino households. “There are a lot of non-English speaking communities that are targeted by alternative electric suppliers, and we wanted to make sure the Spanish-speaking media could bring some awareness to what we’re doing to increase protections,” Oliva says.

The commissioner says it’s her job to work for the protection of all Illinois residents, but it gives her extra pride to be able to speak on behalf the community that helped shape her. Growing up, Oliva says her mother was the true embodiment of “what a Latina mother should be.”

Excuses were not tolerated, Oliva explains, and she was pushed to be the absolute best that she could be. This has come in handy after becoming a mother herself.

“When I can bring my perspective as a Latina, as a single mom, I feel that it’s a unique perspective,” Oliva says. “When my ten-year-old who plays hockey can still see his mom as a driven, tough person, I feel like a real success.”

Diversity and inclusion is something we live every day. It is threaded through every decision we make at Ameren Illinois.

Whether our folks are in the field modernizing our natural gas and electric delivery infrastructure or working in finance, legal, or administrative functions, it is important for our employees to reflect the people and communities we serve.

The same goes with suppliers and contractors. We actively open doors for diverse enterprises to compete for our business. Spending on goods and services from diverse companies has grown from about 12 percent to 30 percent in the last five years, with many more diverse firms on the front lines helping us build the energy grid of the future.

We believe that diversity and inclusion make us a stronger company. At Ameren Illinois, it’s a foundation that has enabled us to consistently deliver superior value to our customers.

“Because of the leadership that we’ve had, the ICC has demonstrated that diversity and inclusion is a priority.”

SADZI OLIVIA

RICHARD MARK CHAIRMAN AND PRESIDENT AMEREN ILLINOIS

Rigging Out Company Culture

Stacey Gisclair fosters a highperformance culture at Danos through strategic HR strategies

By KATHRYN KRUSE

Stacey Gisclair starts her week with a leadership team meeting. “We open with recognition of team members who have demonstrated our HPC (high-performance culture) traits,” explains Gisclair, vice president of human resources at Danos. “And we close with a motivational quote. Like this recent example, from Benjamin Franklin: ‘Tell me, and I forget. Teach me, and I remember. Involve me, and I learn.’”

Since 2007, Gisclair has shepherded Danos’ nearly three thousand employees on an intentional culture journey, sixty years after the family-owned and managed oilfield service provider launched its business, building, maintaining, and operating production facilities. “Our senior leadership team was on board with implementing aspirational, transformative ideas that move Danos forward while remaining grounded in company purpose, tradition, and values,” Gisclair says of the change.

The inspiration for Danos’ cultural transformation has its roots in an HR management

conference Gisclair attended in 2007. At that time, she had been with Danos for about ten years and had two decades of experience in HR. While at the conference, she had a moment of clarity: “I remember thinking, ‘What if? What kind of impact could an intentional focus on culture have on Danos’ business results?’ I left Vegas all fired up!” she says.

“My passion for developing an intentional culture was timed perfectly with the owners’ creation of the company’s purpose statement, ‘Honor God. Develop great people to solve big challenges for our customers and communities,’” she continues. “From that time forward, we have worked to cultivate a culture that embodies our purpose.”

To ensure they started on solid footing, Gisclair researched companies with established “high-performance cultures” and identified the actions and policies that made them successful. Building a company culture can’t be done using someone else’s road map, however.

“Stakeholders are different. Business models are different. Employees are different,” Gisclair notes. “Every company has its

Stacey Gisclair

VP of HR

Danos

Misty Leigh McElroy

shaping the future

own unique culture. You have to shape your culture so that it matches who you are and helps you work toward your company goals.”

Gisclair found that at the heart of every successful, high-performance culture is its people. She sees every employee as an extension of the HR team. “From operations to recruitment and training, compliance and technology—across all fifteen of our service lines—we strive to put people and safety first. We are all part of the team and responsible for each other.”

That means staff members put on hard hats and steel-toed boots to visit field employees at work sites in the Gulf of Mexico as well as Permian, Eagle Ford, Marcellus, and Utica shale plays. It also means taking care of each other’s families, such as helping a spouse navigate health insurance claims while his or her partner works at a remote field location. “We do everything in our power to show our employees that we care for them, and we are here for them, no matter what.”

With the company’s focus on living out its purpose came many changes, both large and small. For example, the prestigious Employee of the Year Award used to be based primarily on cost-savings generated for the company. Now, Gisclair says, “it’s an employee-driven process that identifies outstanding team members who best embody our purpose, values, and HPC traits. Our employees of the year are examples of everything we strive to be as a company.”

www.mercer.com

A few years ago, a group of employees wanting to find a way to “solve big challenges for our community” came together with company leadership to create the Danos

Foundation, a nonprofit organization that administers grants, spearheads volunteer activities, and provides support for employees in need.

“It’s hard to express how fulfilling it is when employees demonstrate our purpose in such an impactful way,” Gisclair says. “That’s when you know you have the right people in the organization and that the culture you envisioned is thriving.”

By attracting and retaining employees who embrace their unique culture, Danos has been able to build a team that sets a very high standard for performance, both individually and collectively. “Our vision is to be the standard for operational excellence and customer service by which every company in our industry is measured,” Gisclair notes. “We are constantly working to ensure that what we are doing throughout the organization is in support of achieving that vision.”

Creating a thriving corporate culture is a never-ending endeavor. But when Gisclair pauses to reflect on the progress made, she is encouraged. Danos has increased its customer base, added new service lines, grown its employee headcount, and expanded its reach geographically. And she’s confident the company’s culture has been crucial to each one of these accomplishments.

“I was invited to speak about culture change at an industry conference recently,” Gisclair recalls. “As I reflected on how far we’ve come since that first spark of inspiration all those years ago, I hoped that I could give someone else that same insight. That someone in that audience would find him or herself wondering ‘what if?’”

At Mercer, we’re redefining the world of work, reshaping retirement and investment outcomes, and unlocking real health and well-being.

“You have to shape your culture so that it matches who you are and helps you work toward your company goals.”

STACEY GISCLAIR

Beyond the Bits and Bytes

How Dine Brands CIO Adrian Butler is transforming the restaurant industry

By RUSS KLETTKE

For Adrian Butler, technology is key to reimagining and transforming how guests enjoy their dining experiences. “We must ask questions of our guests, our franchisees, and of ourselves to uncover new ideas and approaches to innovation in order to deliver at our best,” says Butler, who is the chief information officer for Dine Brands Global, the parent company of IHOP and Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill + Bar. Butler uses this guiding principle to put the guest at the heart of Dine’s technology innovation and transformation.

“At Dine Brands, people are at the center of our core values,” he says. “The way people feel and their overall experience in and with our restaurants inspire how we design and build technology.”

Butler is transforming technology from a function within the organization to a critical business component which drives guest loyalty and contributes to franchisee

profitability. “When I first came into the restaurant industry, it was underserved by technology,” Butler explains. “I felt that I could play a big role in not only transforming my organization, but also helping to reshape the entire industry.”

As a CIO, Butler has a unique and broad view of the organization, which helps him to identify opportunities and business needs. No longer are CIOs simply charged with managing infrastructure or providing back office services—they are essential leaders operating at the center of the organization. “CIOs sit at the cross section of every business decision,” he explains. “They identify opportunities, risks, and provide overall business solutions—not just IT.”

His vision for technology leadership sprouted roots at an early age on his family’s farm, where he learned that at the center of any flourishing enterprise is valuing people and hard work. “Growing up on a farm, everyone pitches in and I was taught that everyone is valuable, regardless of their

role,” he says. It was an early introduction to the importance of teamwork and being open to doing what’s needed to get the job done.

“I encourage my team to be open to learning new skills and working outside of their comfort zone,” he adds. “It’s a valuable tenant I learned at a very young age and is the foundation of my view on leadership.”

Butler recalls a pivotal moment in which the possibilities of technology struck a chord. “When I was about ten years old, I remember seeing the power of technology on a television commercial,” he said. “It was to announce the creation of a global IT company called Unisys Corporation, which combined Burroughs and Sperry Corporation. I saw the excitement of what this merger could create, and it planted a seed of curiosity for technology.”

He figured out that the path from farm fields to discovering the world was to earn a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Grambling State University, where he joined the US Air Force ROTC program, and upon

Adrian Butler

CIO

Dine Brands

graduation was commissioned as second lieutenant in the US Air Force, ultimately achieving the rank of captain.

“The notion of servant leadership was born while I served in the military and had a profound impact on my career,” he said. “The Air Force exemplified a model of leadership and people development that resonated with me and gave me the tools to lead, develop, and partner with people to achieve extraordinary results.”

Later he earned an MBA and a doctorate in management, which supported an impactful career in leading large organizations through major technology transformation. Today, Butler shares the expertise he’s cultivated as a member of the board of directors for Potbelly Corporation and Capella University, as well as a member of the board of advisors for Collins College of Hospitality Management at California State Polytechnic University.

Similar to farming, technology is about establishing a strong foundation for growth while being agile and flexible to make changes quickly and with precision. “The value in technology comes from when we use it to solve real world problems for real people, while still giving us the connections necessary to what we all need to feel part of a community,” he explains.

From the back of house to the front of house, technology enables IHOP and

Applebee’s restaurants to create a frictionless, enjoyable experience. “Our franchisees, and their needs are dramatically different today than five years ago,” Butler says. “This is largely driven by consumer expectations and how they view the use of technology in their daily lives. Our goal is to be where they are, remove friction, and make it easier for guests to choose us.”

“It’s not enough to simply meet guest expectations in this industry. We must wow them and exceed their expectations,” he continues. “Technology enables us to put the power of choice and convenience in their hands by delivering a completely integrated experience, be that in our restaurants or through our various digital channels.”

Butler explains that empowering the organization to think beyond the bits and bytes of technology to how it drives value creation, impacts our guests and our restaurants is the best part of the job. “We are contributing to making people’s lives simpler and better each and every day.

“It’s an exciting time for technology in this industry,” he continues. “We are experiencing a transformation in which IT is moving beyond a tactical function to a business imperative. Dine Brands is leading this charge by pushing the boundaries to deliver technology and a best-in-class user experience that will propel our business.”

is proud to recognize Adrian Butler for the transformational leadership he brings to his teams

“Technology enables us to put the power of choice and convenience in their hands by delivering a completely integrated experience, be that in our restaurants or through our various digital channels.”

ADRIAN BUTLER

Full Staff Ahead

Cronos Group’s Jennifer Ellis is an HR pro whose latest act is scaling the start-up into an industry leader

By BILLY YOST

The quiet city of Stayner, Ontario, a community of 15,000, is not one’s first guess for one of the fastestmoving companies in one of the most quickly emerging marketplaces in the world. The city, better known for the severity of its winter weather, is home base to one of most prominent companies in the developing cannabis industry: Cronos Group.

Cronos Group has grown by leaps and bounds, and HR Director Jennifer Ellis has been with the company since it had only forty employees. Now over five hundred strong, Ellis is tasked with helping Cronos Group to continue to build out a staff that doesn’t need any additional lighting to fuel its growth.

Ellis’s own growth should be noted. The HR professional says that while she’s worked for

both an established pharmaceutical company and an outdoor consumer goods company, a piece of advice she received early on stuck with her during this past decade of her career.

“A VP I reported to at the start of my career, a strong woman who was great to work for, always said that one of the most important experiences an HR professional can have is working for a start-up,” Ellis says. “When I received the offer from Cronos Group, I remembered that advice.”

That’s not to say Ellis was wholly without the experience of building something from scratch. As an HR manager at her previous company, she was tasked with hiring 250 associates for a new store and rolling out programs and policies for all new hires. “It wasn’t a start-up, but it was a similar environment and similar demands,” Ellis says.

Since coming to Cronos Group in February 2017, Ellis says change is constant as the company continues to grow and evolve its business both domestically and globally.

Ellis says the results of the HR team’s handiwork are on full display in the company lunchroom where Cronos staff

MAKING CRONOS A WELCOMING EMPLOYER FOR EVERYONE

Jennifer Ellis says that when it comes to diversity, the department has full board support. D&I initiatives include:

• Tailor-made development plans for women in the organization

• Reviewing processes to combat unconscious bias

“We want to offer employees an experience and career opportunities that are unmatched anywhere else,” Ellis says. “We are looking at all of these components; diversity, women in leadership, retention initiatives, professional development of our people, so we can look back and say, ‘we’re there—we’re that employer.’”

assembles for company-wide meetings. “I think about the town hall meetings we have now compared to the all staff meetings we had in the past two years. Now we can barely fit everyone in our lunchroom.”

Ellis and the team are responsible for almost everybody in the room, and the HR director says it’s hard not to feel pride in these accomplishments.

Despite the influx of hiring, Ellis says finding the right talent still takes time and thoughtfulness. “We’re in a relatively remote location, and we’ve been growing at a rapid pace,” Ellis explains. “We look for people that really have agility and passion for what they do and are going to feel successful in a company that’s growing, fast-moving, and has a great energy to it.”

The HR director understands what she perceives as healthy skepticism toward the burgeoning cannabis market. “With this emerging industry, you have people who are

Jennifer Ellis Director of HR Cronos Group Courtesy of The Cronos Group

very eager to join a new industry, but you also have those that aren’t quite as sure,” Ellis says. Since the adult-use cannabis market was legalized at the federal level in Canada in October 2018, Ellis finds the hesitation has significantly diminished amongst prospective new hires.

Medical cannabis was legalized in 2001, and in 2018 Canada became the second country in the world to formally legalize the possession, acquisition, cultivation, and consumption of cannabis and its by-products. The ensuing “green rush” left few as poised as Cronos Group to capitalize on the emerging cannabis market.

As Cronos Group continues its expansion domestically and globally, Ellis says she’s tasked with the tough job of helping establish and maintain the company’s culture at a time of growth. It’s a tall order, but Ellis and her team are up to the job.

“I’ve always been motivated by a challenge. Not the title. Not the financial incentive. The challenge,” Ellis says. “Every year I’ve been with the company I’ve been blown away by the pace of growth, development, and evolution and we are nowhere near slowing down. I’m proud to be in a position where I can positively impact so many employees.”

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WE ARE PASSIONATE AND COMMITTED TO MAKING ARROW A SUCCESS.

“Every year I’ve been with the company I’ve been blown away by the pace of growth, development, and evolution.”

JENNIFER ELLIS

INDUSTRY MVPS INDUSTRY MVPS

You know the game. You know the players. And now, you’ll learn how the magic happens. Five executives share a behind-the-scenes view of how they help their organizations run smoothly to create the best fan and employee experience.

By BILLY YOST

THE POWER OF SKOL THE POWER OF SKOL

IT’S AN INTIMIDATING SIGHT. THOUSANDS OF FANS CLAD IN PURPLE with their arms raised in a V formation. A drummer beating a war drum larger than a human being in a two-beat rhythm to which fans respond with a single clap. Then, those same thousands scream a single word, “SKOL!”—a cheer borrowed from the Icelandic men's soccer team. The chant repeats until an honorary guest blows the traditional Gjallarhorn (think of a horn that might have fallen off of Paul Bunyan’s Babe the Blue Ox) whose low-rumbling Minneapolis blast is probably heard across the river in St. Paul.

The Minnesota Vikings have embraced a true Viking tradition, striking fear into the hearts of their competition.

Game day traditions and fan engagement are part and parcel to the dayto-day for Steve LaCroix. The executive vice president and chief marketing officer at the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings has spent nearly twenty years at the home of purple and gold, and with the successful debut of the Metrodome’s successor, US Bank Stadium, one might think things had slowed down for LaCroix. The team’s new suburban headquarters in Eagan has put training camp back closer to home and the organization under one roof for the

first time in decades, but LaCroix is looking for ways for the entire organization to contribute to another NFC championship run and, ultimately, a shot at the Super Bowl. LaCroix says that outside the white lines of the field, the Vikings’ focus is on providing a best-inclass fan experience. “I think some may consider US Bank Stadium to be the best sports stadium in the world with one of the best fan experiences,” LaCroix says. “We’ve employed all kinds of traditions and videos that we think are really cool experience for those who are there in person.”

From the waters of Lake Minnetonka, Steve LaCroix aids sparkling fan engagement to give the Minnesota Vikings a home-field advantage

STEVE LACROIX

EVP and Chief Marketing Officer

Minnesota Vikings

Courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings

If the war drums and horn blowing aren’t intense enough, there’s also a fire-breathing dragon that signals the team entering the stadium.

The organization has a lot to be proud of. US Bank Stadium was the site of Super Bowl LII in 2018, and the team was only one win away from being the first team in NFL history to play a home field Super Bowl. “It didn’t work out our way, so we made the most of the week and really tried to participate in it as much as we could,” LaCroix says.

The EVP has been to the past eighteen Super Bowls and hosting the site of the biggest game in football was a dream come true—even though it was the coldest Super Bowl of all time, somewhere in the neighborhood of two degrees.

US Bank’s partnership with the Vikings goes far beyond the name on the stadium. “Steve has a lot to do with that,” says Beth McDonnell, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at US Bank. “It is important to us to have a partner like Steve and his team at the Vikings to strategize together how we can make an impact on this community, which is also our headquarters market. Steve’s deep experience and expertise in sports and partnerships

“I HAVE A REAL TEAMFIRST MENTALITY. I’M A BIG BELIEVER IN EXECUTING STRATEGICALLY AND THAT AFFECTS HOW YOU GO ABOUT YOUR DAY-IN-DAYOUT BUSINESS. MY GOAL IS TO GET ALL OF OUR DEPARTMENTS WORKING TOGETHER SEAMLESSLY.”

is unmatched. We appreciate the numerous employee, fan, and community activations we have successfully launched due to his leadership.”

The harsh Minnesota winters inevitably give way to the harsh Minnesota summers, but they’re at least easier to practice in. In 2018, the Vikings organization moved into its new headquarters, Twin Cities Orthopedics (TCO) Performance Center, uniting the entire organization in the same location and bringing training camp back from Mankato for the first time in fifty-two years.

“It’s amazing to have our players practicing literally outside my window,” LaCroix admits. “To see hundreds of kids down there and our TCO Stadium full for the Saturday night practice under the lights is helping get our fans even closer to our brand.”

The 200-acre development will be home to more than football fields. The Viking Lakes development will include a 320 room, 4-star Omni hotel; new restaurants; residential housing; and an endless amount of possibilities depending on which way the organization decides to go, LaCroix says. “We’re looking forward to developing the entertainment and retail environment and really providing a live/work/play situation for our players, staff, and fans.”

And while the amenities are nice, LaCroix says there is no question about the organization-wide focus. “Winning obviously helps every part of the organization,” LaCroix says. “We are trying to empower every Vikings employee to think about how they can contribute to our onfield success. It’s part of our new strategic plan, and we’re examining what we can do to get those one or two more wins that will help propel us into the playoffs and be able to win the Lombardi Trophy.”

The Minnesota Vikings have come dangerously close to the trophy a handful of times over the

Courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings

past couple decades, and LaCroix says that Vikings employees will do whatever to give the team that added little boost.

From vendors selling food to the executive leadership team, LaCroix wants every employee to ask themselves the same question: “How is what I’m doing helping the team?” Wins or losses, the fanaticism of Vikings fans is well documented and LaCroix says that in eighteen years, it’s all the motivation he’s ever needed.

It might also be that sports are in the EVP’s blood. LaCroix is the son of Illinois Hall of Famer cross

country and track coach Bob LaCroix. “I’ve been around teams and athletics from day one,” LaCroix says. “I knew I didn’t want to take the exact path my father took, but I knew that I wanted to wind up in the business of sports.”

He spent ten years prior to joining the Vikings with the NBA’s Indiana Pacers, helping the team move into Bankers Life (formerly Conesco) Fieldhouse. “To be part of a new NBA venue and a new NFL venue in a single career is something I’ve been really blessed with and have never taken for granted,” LaCroix says. “It was a role that really set me up well for coming to the Vikings.”

With the fourth season in US Bank Stadium under way, LaCroix says his word for the year is collaboration. “I have a real team-first mentality,” the EVP says. “I’m a big believer in executing strategically, not just executing, and that affects how you go about your day-in-day-out business. My goal is to get all of our departments working together seamlessly.”

If the disciplined chanting of the Vikings Nation is any indication of the organization’s ability to work together as one, it’s going to be a good year for everyone wearing the purple and gold. ///

Courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings

At U.S. Bank, we proudly cheer on sports teams from amateur to professional. Athletics teach us to set goals and accomplish them through hard work, dedication and teamwork. We know that when you set out to achieve a goal, you’re making possible happen in our community. usbank.com/communitypossible

U.S. Bank is proud to support the Minnesota Vikings.

Victory starts with believing in yourself.

ON PAR WITH THE BUYER ON PAR WITH THE BUYER

John

JOHN GONSALVES SAYS HE always played TaylorMade products, even before he joined the company in 2011. Now vice president of direct-to-consumer and digital at the golf equipment manufacturer, Gonsalves is helping bring modern digital solutions to a fairly traditional sport.

Gonsalves’s initiative has earned TaylorMade the Best in Class eTail Visionary Award from eTail West for its subscription-based financing program called The Turn, as well as a cutting-edge online customization platform for its renowned Spider and Spider X putter. The VP’s early adoption of e-commerce is helping keep TaylorMade at the forefront of its sport.

EARLY ADOPTER

Gonsalves spent twelve years at GSI Commerce, from the early days of online retail into the 2000s. “My path was obviously a bit different from a lot of those in commerce. I didn’t come from a

Gonsalves has taken TaylorMade’s direct-to-consumer business to the front of the pack

technology or marketing background; I came from the merchant side of things,” Gonsalves says. But GSI proved to be a valuable training ground for everything tech, and Gonsalves built out extensive experience in infrastructure, customer service, and the other necessary components of a strong e-commerce offering.

The VP says he pitched countless brands in the early days, advocating for a move to direct-to-client commerce and the value of selling on the web. One of those clients was TaylorMade. “The golf space was a bit slow to adapt,” Gonsalves admits. “I came here a number of times to try to convince them to get into the direct-to-consumer business, but they weren’t really ready at the time.”

Around 2011, TaylorMade finally came around and, in turn, the hunter became the prey. “TaylorMade called and said they wanted me to launch their e-commerce effort,” Gonsalves recalls. “The timing was right for me, and so off I went.”

THE TURN

One of Gonsalves’s biggest victories thus far has been the introduction of The Turn, a subscription-based financing program that allows customers to make payments on clubs and, if desired, trade in and upgrade to newer models. If upgraded, payments on the existing clubs stop and payments on the new clubs begin.

Since its 2017 introduction The Turn has led to a 15 percent increase in sales and a 30 percent lift in overall conversions. “We realize that it may be cost prohibitive for some of our customers to behave the way that our professionals do,” Gonsalves explains, “and so we want to continue to find ways to optimize the buying experience and make it meaningful for the customer.”

“WE ARE REALLY PROUD OF BEING ABLE TO OVERDELIVER ON THE SERVICE EXPERIENCE AND HAVE A FULLY PERSONALIZED PRODUCT AT YOUR DOOR IN WELL UNDER THREE WEEKS.”

JOHN GONSALVES

VP of Direct to Consumer & Digital TaylorMade Golf Ollie Neglerio

The motivation for The Turn is TaylorMade’s recognition that as purchase cycles continue to elongate and consumers seem to be placing higher premiums on not owning as many consumer goods—an evolution is necessary on businesses’ part to meet consumers’ new expectations.

THE SPIDER

In May 2018, TaylorMade announced MySpider—a new personalized consumer putter program that allows customers to customize hosels, sightlines, and colors of one of the company’s incredibly popular Spider putter. The online platform boasts ease of use and Gonsalves says that outfitting a custom putter online is fun whether or not a purchase is the end goal.

“The putter is probably the most personal thing that you have in your bag. It’s the place where golfers can have the most personal expression,” Gonsalves says. “We are really proud of being able to overdeliver on the service experience and have a completely personalized product at your door in well under three weeks.”

The MySpider program has expanded to its new Spider X putter and HiToe wedges and Gonsalves says that more products are on the horizon. The VP says the ease of use online is an ideal entry point for burgeoning markets where e-commerce isn’t as highly adopted by consumers. While North America and Japan have matured their e-commerce capabilities and culture, TaylorMade is spending considerable time working to build infrastructure, competencies, and talent in Europe and South Korea where golf is strong, but e-commerce is still developing.

THE PAYOFF

With nearly twenty years of e-commerce experience, Gonsalves says having the continued opportunity to innovate and bring the sometimes-slow-moving sporting goods industry to the cutting edge is a gift that keeps on giving.

“Having spent most of my life in sporting goods, many companies were slow to adopt to e-commerce and direct-to-consumer sales, and golf was often even a little further behind than that,” Gonsalves says. “I’ve loved having the chance to meet the evolving demands of our consumers because I’m inherently curious of how people will continue to interact with our products.”

Jana De Anda, president of Excelerate Solutions, has seen how the consumer is always top of mind for Gonsalves. “He tracks consumer trends across a variety of industries to maintain clarity on the future and apply best in class approaches to his business,” De Anda explains. “John’s success is driven by his belief that golfers deserve innovative digital experiences and his willingness to take risks on their behalf. Our team enjoys partnering and collaborating with his team because it allows us to test the boundaries of conventional digital thinking.”

Gonsalves says that he still sees a great number of areas where TaylorMade can make golfers’ lives better, be it from the clubs in their hands or the way they use technology to enhance their experience. “I continue to be energized coming to work and solving interesting problems in a sport that I love.” ///

With well over 250 sites launched and supported, Red Van Workshop’s people are their strength. They leverage the collective knowledge of the entire team to troubleshoot problems and design new solutions. They also assist retailers by providing reverse staff augmentation to get client developers trained and up to speed on Commerce Cloud technology.

ONCE IN A LIFETIME, EVERY TIME

ONCE IN A LIFETIME, EVERY TIME

Chip Suttles on finding his way behind-the-scenes of four Olympic Games, the Vancouver Canucks, and the Seattle Seahawks

THE WAY CHIP SUTTLES EXPLAINS IT, it just sort of happened. He wound up not only as a spectator but also an integral behind-the-scenes contributor to four different Olympic Games.

For Suttles, those Games were simply extensions of international relationships cultivated during his first Olympics experience, the 1996 Atlanta Games. But the fact that Suttles kept being asked to return in progressively more complicated roles is a true testament that his skill set is world-class. Suttles continued to defy any sense of national boundaries when he took over the director of technology position for the Vancouver Canucks, an American working in the heart of hockey-dom.

Now as vice president of technology for the Seattle Seahawks for the past seven years, Suttles says he’s reached the summit of sports franchise experience in a league that he’s longed to be part of since starting his career. Suttles has seemed to have done it all, but by his own accounting, his job with the Seahawks is far from over.

“DON’T WE HAVE A CANADIAN WHO CAN DO THIS?”

Suttles’s first out of college job was with the Atlanta Olympic committee for the 1996 Games. He was twenty-four years old, a Navy veteran of Desert Storm, and promoted almost immediately.

“I was an assistant technical manager for racewalk, marathon, and road cycling, which were all in the same venue,” Suttles says. “I did that planning for a year and was promoted to the stadium venue tech manager position, which was the host venue for Track & Field, and included the opening and closing ceremonies.”

By age twenty-five, Suttles had one of the highest profile opportunities that he needed to enhance his skill set, including his people and project management skills. The young professional earned his Project Management Professional certification and took his talents to the 2002 Salt Lake City

CHIP SUTTLES VP of Technology Seattle Seahawks

Winter Games as the director of infrastructure planning. Then came the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy, for which Suttles would help develop all the game management systems while working as the PMO director for Atos Origin.

After cultivating a working relationship with Canadian Olympic Hall-of-Famer Cathy Priestner, Suttles wound up leaving Turin early to help prep the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games and tackle the high-

Corky Trewin

pressure role of director of broadcast integration, which functioned as more of an Olympic liaison role between the Games and the international broadcast rights holders.

“That job put some gray hairs on me,” Suttles laughs. It was four separate, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, and Suttles figured it was probably time to move home. But Canada wasn’t through with Suttles.

“The Canucks organization asked if I’d be interested in running technology for Rogers Arena,” Suttles remembers. “We made it to the Stanley Cup my first year there, and to be an American working for a Canadian Hockey team in Canada is just a hard honor to convey.”

When Suttles would cross the border on his return to Canada, he’d be asked who his employer was. When Suttles would tell them, Canadian border guards would often joke, “Don’t we have a Canadian who could do this?”

“Maybe so, but I’ve got the job right now,” Suttles would reply.

“THE PINNACLE OF SPORTS FRANCHISES”

When a recruiter reached out about a job with the Seahawks, Suttles was immediately game. Suttles arrived at the Seattle organization in 2012, the same year as rookie quarterback Russell Wilson. “I was fortunate enough to come into the organization at the right time,” Suttles says casually, another seemingly well-timed coincidence in a career full of them. Suttles approach to the vice president of technology position, however, was anything but casual.

“When I first started looking at CenturyLink Field, the stadium was twelve years old at the time and I immediately recognized some things that needed improvement, with a focus on primarily on the fan experience, I concentrated on the connectivity.”

Suttles sought a cellular and Wi-Fi solution concurrently. AT&T was contracted to implement a neutral host DAS that all four major carriers (Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, and AT&T) took part in to cover basic cellular

needs for the stadium. “Sometimes you just have a call your babysitter or just let your friends know you are at the game,” Suttles laughs.

For Wi-Fi, Suttles selected Extreme Networks after an extensive eighteen-month discovery, and with Verizon and CenturyLink as on board as partners, he feels they have a best in class solution. The first gen project was installed in 2014, and the five-year mark is about the lifespan Suttles was hoping to make with plans for NextGen Wi-Fi rolling out in 2020.

“We went from a one- to a tengigabyte backbone so we’re ready when we double the size of our Wi-Fi footprint,” Suttles says. “We do somewhere between 3.5 to 4 terabytes of traffic per game and with that expecting to double, we need to make sure we’re able to handle the traffic.” That’s meant a planned doubling of the 750 Wi-Fi access points in the stadium.

His commitment to delivering innovative networking solutions that enhance the fan experience at CenturyLink Field doesn’t go

“WE’VE SEEN AN INCREASE IN THOSE SCORES, WHICH WAS THE INITIAL GOAL. IT WASN’T TO INCREASE REVENUE, WE JUST WANTED TO PROVIDE A BETTER SERVICE FOR OUR FANS.”

unnoticed by Justin McAleer, general manager of CenturyLink. “Chip consistently delivers business outcomes by working collaboratively with technology vendors and his internal business partners,” McAleer says.

“Additionally, Chip has been a driving force behind the team’s innovative use of data analytics and new technologies to put performance-enhancing data and feedback loops into the hands of coaches, athletes, and the training staff.

“In short,” McAleer continues, “his unique blend of technology expertise, business acumen, and negotiating skills have helped the Seahawks be successful on and off the field.”

For what Suttles describes as a “lighter year” for IT related capital expenditures at the stadium, there is a considerable amount in the works. Adoption of digital tickets was around 50 percent last year; this year it’s expected to be in the high-80s. A continuing partnership with Verizon has made the Seahawks one of a handful of franchises that are 5G early adopters. This year, the stadium will include eight 5G antennas, and Suttles said the Seahawks have traditionally been and will continue to be well ahead of most organizations in this respect.

Suttles is especially proud of the Seahawks commitment to dominating their fan experience poll. The Seahawks consistently rank in the top five of all teams in a survey conducted by the league, and when the food and beverage scores were proving wanting, the organization responded by ending its outsourced vendor partnership and forming First & Goal Hospitality, an in-house food and beverage vendor that allowed the organization to have more hands-on control of quality, price, and experience.

“We’ve seen an increase in those scores, which was the initial goal,” Suttles says. “It wasn’t to make money, we just wanted to provide a better service and quality of food selection for our fans.”

There is a slew of other initiatives either in progress or on the drawing board, including a high-profile deal with a partner in the cloud space that Suttles says will be an invaluable supplement for the sport science program, as well as media and asset management and internal app development. But it’s not up for discussion quite yet, Suttles says. If he’s proven anything, it’s that the VP of technology has a thing for timing. ///

JERRY KILL Director of Athletics Southern Illinois University Courtesy of Southern Illinois University

BACK TO THE GLORY DAYS

BACK TO THE GLORY DAYS

Coach Jerry Kill returns to Southern Illinois University to refresh its athletics program

JERRY KILL IS AN INSTANTLY RECOGNIZABLE NAME IN THE Midwest. The three-time national coach of the year who led Southern Illinois University (SIU) to five consecutive NCAA playoff appearances and three bowl games in four-and-a-half seasons at the University of Minnesota has made rebuilding programs his calling card. What’s less known is Kill’s prowess at building facilities—he’s managed to get facilities built at every coaching stop along the way.

It’s why at the end of a long and successful coaching career, Southern Illinois University has brought the coach who turned around their football program in 2001 to make the same positive impact on SIU’s entire athletic offering. The new director of athletics has thirty years of coaching and a mastery for fundraising to help reinvigorate and renew sports at SIU.

He served as associate athletics director for administration at Kansas State but even short of that, Coach Kill says that it doesn’t matter the sport, the business, or the team, he breaks it down all the same. “What you’re trying to do to build success is to build a big

team, and it’s just like football,” Kill says. The coach’s expertise to easily break down these issues has led to numerous public speaking engagements from the educational to the corporate.

It’s also meant a strange vacation regiment for Kill as of late. “I went on vacation and people sort of laughed at me because I went up to TCU to take a look at Coach Patterson’s crew to give them an outsiders’ view of what they’re doing, and then Virginia Tech flew me down to do the same thing,” Kill laughs. “I don’t think I did the vacation right because I was pretty tired when I came back.”

When it comes to his own team at SIU, Kill says the ingredients are fairly simple. “I’ve surrounded myself with good people that work hard. I don’t think it’s complicated; I want to work with people that I know a lot about.” The coach brought in Liz Jarnigan, senior

woman administrator, and Jeff Jones, associate athletic director for internal operations, to round out the day-to-day affairs while he attends to matters of fundraising. “I lean a lot on people that I’ve had relationships with that I know are going to get in a foxhole with me,” Kill says.

Fundraising is an area where Kill doesn’t need to lean much. “That’s really my wheelhouse,” he says. “I’ve taken over programs that were not as successful and had to help fundraise. I’ve been in it the whole time with every program I’ve ever had.”

The coach says he looks to the example set by Wisconsin legend Barry Alvarez in building a career on relationships and utilizing those in order to help build out SIU’s sports potential. “Raising money is recruiting,” Kill says. “That’s all it is. You go recruit players and get the players. You recruit money to get us scholarships to get those players to win.”

In coming back to SIU in a wider role, Kill said he and his team had to essentially break down each department to see what was needed from academics to Title IX to training facilities to budget. “We basically audited ourselves,” Kill says. “Overall, we just had to get the right people in the right spots, and like a football team, you have to change the culture if it’s not successful.”

Kill says it’s his and his team’s job to give coaches at SIU every opportunity to win and if it will help, whatever it may be, he’ll do what he can to make it happen.

There are some new faces in the department. Kill hired the school’s first-ever women’s soccer head coach Grant Williams, women’s golf head coach Danielle Kaufman, volleyball head coach Ed Allen, men’s basketball coach Bryan Mullins, and track & field coach Rosalind Joseph. The new AD Courtesy of Southern Illinois University

sees the Saluki turnaround project as a three-to-five-year project that will take time, commitment, and intelligence.

Kill says part of his job is educating potential students about what a fantastic experience SIU offers its students. “The biggest thing here is that we’re kind of an unknown secret sitting on a national forest,” Kill says. “We’re surrounded by lakes, pretty country, and down-to-earth people. That’s what attracts people like me here.” The coach thinks that when seen up close, the school does a fantastic job of selling itself.

From a wider perspective, Kill says no one is operating under the assumption that he’s planning to spend another thirty years in an athletics director position. After all, he deserves an actual vacation at some point. But he’s determined to get SIU back to the glory days of when the then up-and-coming coach brought its football program into its prime. If Coach Kill has turned it around once before, he’ll do it again. ///

Editor’s note: At press time, Jerry Kill had left his position at Southern Illinois University.

Remember the days when you could find clothes in your closet? When your kitchen was simply for cooking? When you could actually fit your car in the garage? If stuff is taking over your home it’s time for another solution.

Rent

Banterra became SIU’s first corporate naming-rights partner of an athletic facility with the renaming of SIU Arena to Banterra Center in 2019. We did so, because of our faith in Jerry Kill. His leadership, character, and vision are a driving force for SIU’s success and provides confidence in this commitment.

“I’VE SURROUNDED MYSELF WITH GOOD PEOPLE THAT WORK HARD . . . I LEAN A LOT ON PEOPLE THAT I’VE HAD RELATIONSHIPS WITH THAT I KNOW ARE GOING TO GET IN A FOXHOLE WITH ME.”

THE PROCESS IMPROVER

THE PROCESS IMPROVER

Arizona Cardinals’ Christine Harms shares her knowledge of the bigger picture—and how to make it easier to attain

CHRISTINE HARMS IS A process improvement pro in sheep’s clothing. In fact, Harms is more of a force of nature who gives the initial impression of a calm spring day. Soft-voiced and quick to laugh, it’s difficult to imagine Harms walking away from a motorcycle accident, nursing a broken arm that was the unfortunate meeting place for Harms’ helmet and the asphalt. Or to imagine the self-described “hyper-busybody” who, when her duties can wait, actively seeks out coworkers to either work on crosstraining or to learn a new skill.

CHRISTINE HARMS Controller Arizona Cardinals

Nothing about Harms is what it seems. The controller at the Arizona Cardinals has a résumé of financial and accounting modernization that speaks for itself; and it’s a good thing because Harms has many other projects in the works to explain.

Harms has a habit of dragging company books into the modern age, and it underlines the controller’s genuine interest in what can be done to make something, anything, a little bit better. More than two decades ago, Harms began working at a restaurant but, after becoming better acquainted

with her bosses, wound up helping out with bookkeeping. “I really enjoyed learning the ins and outs of reconciling, inventory, and payroll, and I figured I should probably get my degree in accounting,” Harms says.

After earning an information systems-focused accounting degree, Harms figured she might as well get an MBA while she was at it. And after graduating, her boss figured she could learn accounts payable, and other hugely necessary skills, on the job and hired her as his assistant controller.

It’s where Harms developed and flourished as a process improver. “My job was to sit with these departments, get to know what their jobs were, and make them more efficient,” Harms says.

At the same time, Harms was able to help the accounts payable function see the value of company credit cards versus lengthy and fileheavy reimbursement. It reduced the staff from four expense report clerks to one working with JP Morgan Chase. “We had to find something for the other three to do,” Harms laughs. They wound up as Harms’s process improvement evangelizers. One of them remains—a point of pride for Harms, knowing she helped her team grow into new directions.

Courtesy of the Arizona Cardinals

MORE WEEKENDS LESS WORKENDS

GIVING INSTEAD OF RECEIVING

With almost ten years of nonprofit experience, Christine Harms says that coming to the Arizona Cardinals gave her the opportunity to be on the giving, instead of the receiving, side of contributions. As expected, she extensively reworked accounting for the charities functions, making it more efficient, and was able to work with the marketing arm of the organization to build more community presence for the Cardinal Charities organizational brand.

See how Vena customers got their weekends back.

After moving on to a director of finance role at nonprofit Youth Evaluation & Treatment Center, Harms was able to use an outside vendor to build billing software from scratch that included medical records and other notes that brought billing time from the state that had a typically turnaround time of eighteen to twenty-four months to two—the difference between two months and two years to get paid.

“The state enjoyed being able to adjudicate so quickly that they eventually started preparing us so they could spend more time worrying about their other bills.” Believe it or not, Harms got a government agency to pay a bill ahead of time.

After another nonprofit move, a motorcycle accident, a hospital stay that discovered a pituitary adenoma at the base of her brain stem and two surgeries to remove, and two children, Harms said she’d done everything she had set out to do. She’d wanted a controller role, a family, and cheating death a couple of times was a nice bonus. But it was time to figure out a new goal.

“I wanted to have my cake and eat it, too” Harms laughs. She wanted a job where she could balance being a mom with the joy she gets every day from making things around her operate better. The Arizona Cardinals was the answer.

Since coming to the Cardinals in 2010, Harms has helped modernize financial functions for all the companies that roll up

venasolutions.com

under her oversight. Moving to electronic records and accounts payable did away with paper (and the time spent printing and mailing) almost entirely.

One of Harms’s most lasting contributions to the organization has been uniting the financial department around Vena Solutions’ budgeting, planning, and revenue forecasting software that replaced two separate pieces of software that, in its own respect, weren’t able to do enough, particularly regarding accessing enough pertinent information from Microsoft Dynamics GP (formerly Great Plains). Harms says Vena’s proof-of-concept “blew it out of the park,” and the successful integration began in February 2019.

When she’s not busy attacking process, Harms takes great care in departmental cross-training. She’s a teacher at heart, having spent several years teaching nonprofit accounting for the University of Phoenix.

“I love sharing knowledge of the bigger picture,” Harms says, and it’s how she prefers to work. “I tend to do everything with a bit of reverse logic. I want to see the big picture and work my way down to the details. Then I take the details and work my way up and see what areas are the same. Those that are the same stay, the rest are not as important.”

The controller says as long as there’s a process or system that’s been done “a certain way” for reasons no one can remember, she’ll be there challenging the model. She may be smiling, but Harms’s résumé means business. ///

By BILLY YOST

Michele Castagnini on helping differentiate Luxottica as a digital pioneer

Photo Illustration: Gillian Fry

Michele Castagnini VP of E-Commerce Luxottica

The name Luxottica may not ring a bell, but through a series of strategic acquisitions and wise diversification, you’ve almost assuredly encountered its products if you wear a pair of eyeglasses.

Luxottica has grown from a small Milan-founded company to a nearly nine-billion-dollar enterprise that touches multiple avenues of luxury as well as more consumer-friendly brands. Among others, Luxottica owns retailers like Pearle Vision and Sunglasses Hut along with brands RayBan and Oakley. It also owns the licensing on designer eyewear like Prada, Chanel, Coach, Versace, Michael Kors, Tory Burch,

and more. Its 2017 merger with French lenses manufacturer Essilor made it simply and unequivocally the most important name in eyewear.

Vice president of e-commerce Michele Castagnini says that despite impressive growth, he’s focused on strengthening relationships with Luxottica’s consumers and perfecting the entire purchase experience.

Castagnini’s professional pedigree is similar to that of his employer: most of the names are immediately recognizable. The VP worked for Ferrari, Procter & Gamble, and Bain & Company prior to coming to Luxottica in 2014.

“One of the most important things I learned at Proctor & Gamble was a consumer-centric approach,” Castagnini says. “Any product or

solution you’re developing should be based on their wants and needs from the beginning to the end of their experience.”

It was a lesson that would inform a great deal of the VP’s efforts in the digital realm at Luxottica.

20/20 FORESIGHT

Since coming to Luxottica, Castagnini says he’s been intent on helping the company provide a unique experience for its customers as a differentiator from its competition.

With brands Ray-Ban and Oakley, Luxottica created initially online-only customization options (“Ray-Ban Remix” and “Oakley Custom”) that allow users to create their own custom combination of colors, lenses,

Courtesy of Luxottica

and even custom engraving. Along with the two brands’ websites, consumers can access the customization portals through SunglassHut.com.

“This was our answer to the consumer’s increasing desire to be different,” Castagnini says. “This is one of the biggest projects we did in the past few years and one of the most successful.”

Castagnini is excited that the online-only customization process is also moving into Oakley and Ray-Ban standalone stores. The company is perfecting “an innovative concept that allows eyewear consumers to interact digitally with Luxottica’s entire catalogue of products inside the practice of any optometrist or optician,” according to a Luxottica announcement.

The virtual interface, fully integrated with Luxottica’s digital infrastructure, is tailormade for each customer as it can be personalized in terms of graphics and logo and linked “intelligently” to the collections in-store. Customers can virtually wear any model of glasses appearing in the catalog in any variant available—even if it’s not in the stores.

The increased focus on the digital experience has made the need for online protection more important than ever. This led Castagnini to enlist Forter, a fraud protection service, and other partners to help ensure a safe and secure online environment.

A WIDER VIEW

Part of Castagnini’s ability to drive success at Luxottica is a result of his diverse experience.

“The most important thing for me is having worked in different functions in different business units across different geographies; it allows me to understand a wide variety of perspectives,” he explains. “When I’m designing a service that might be provided online, I’m thinking about our physical stores at the same time, or if we’re talking about a new product or design, I’m thinking about how that might impact our supply chain.”

Castagnini’s variety of roles has provided him with adaptability and a wider “big picture” view of the business. “My diverse experience puts me in other people’s shoes and helps me make sure we don’t get to a point where there is too much of a contrast between different functions,” he says.

Castagnini says his past leadership experiences also help make him effective at leading a global team of thirty. “I try to adapt my leadership style to the person or situation directly in front of me,” he says. “Every person has their own ideas and thoughts and emotions, and you can’t connect with everyone in the same way.” The VP says it’s incumbent on him to consider what approach is best for each member of the team.

“I generally set some ground rules and let people do what they do best,” he explains. “As long as they are delivering, I like to leave them as free as possible to complete a task in their own way, otherwise I’m at risk of killing creativity and good ideas. Diversity is key.”

The VP says it’s imperative to make sure his team is not only engaged but also always keeping Luxottica customers in mind in whatever job they’re doing.

“One of the KPIs we pay most attention to is our net promoter score,” Castagnini says of the indicator marking how likely a customer is to recommend Luxottica. “We want to make sure our customers are satisfied not only during the purchase process but weeks and months and years down the line.”

Founded in 2013, Forter has developed the industry’s most sophisticated fraud prevention platform, enabling global retailers to make real-time approve/decline decisions at the point of transaction and beyond. Leveraging a combination of sophisticated machine learning technology—bolstered by Forter’s global merchant network—retailers can deliver a seamless online experience as legitimate customers are processed quickly while fraudsters are accurately identified and blocked consistently. Serving retailers in markets including luxury, travel, hospitality, food delivery, and e-commerce, Forter is a key partner for driving top-line revenue—by approving more good customers and reducing declines—while also cutting the costs of fraud.

“Any product or solution you’re developing should be based on their wants and needs from the beginning to the end of their experience.”

MICHELE CASTAGNINI

Relationships Anchor Success

Lauren Cotton highlights the importance of building and maintaining relationships as an entrepreneur in the closeknit yachting industry

By SARA DEETER

Sun-soaked docks, crystalline waters, and smoothly sailing yachts. That’s the “office” crew members go to when placed for jobs by Cotton Crews, a yacht crew staffing company based in Palm Beach, Florida. Profile spoke with Lauren Cotton, president and founder of Cotton Crews, about the people-forward approach that makes the company so striking within the yachting industry.

“As a kid growing up in Fort Lauderdale, I always loved the water,” Cotton says. “I was always boating up and down the coast.” Cotton stayed true to her passion

Mark Woodbury

for water activities after graduating from Palm Beach Atlantic University, securing a position as guest services manager at a superyacht marina and service facility called Rybovich.

But Rybovich wasn’t just where Cotton’s career got started—it was also what laid the groundwork for her future work at Cotton Crews. “I made so many personal relationships, with the employees at Rybovich and the crew on the yachts,” Cotton explains. “Eventually, I realized that the relationships I had established could fill a niche in the industry.”

What Cotton saw was a notable lack of effective hiring methodologies for yacht crews. Captains and hiring managers in need of short-term or permanent crew had no comprehensive, cost-effective yacht staffing platform at their disposal. So, for lack of a better option, those positions would frequently be posted on Facebook, Cotton says. And the same positions would often be posted over and over again, resulting in further confusion for everyone involved.

Cotton Crews eliminates those problems, enabling captains and hiring managers to find top-quality crew members in a timely manner. “The relationships I made throughout my career paid dividends,” Cotton says. But although her existing connections were critical to her company’s successful launch, Cotton knew that she needed to create new and impactful relationships with her customers moving forward.

“That is kind of a big thing for us, being relationship-focused and customer-driven,” she says. “Ultimately, the marina, yacht, and staffing industries are all service industries, but I think people lose sight of that and of what service actually is. I always put customers first.”

In the nearly six years since Cotton established the company, she has continued to seek new ways to improve the service she provides to her customers. In addition to expanding her staffing services to New England, the Caribbean, and the Mediterranean, Cotton has founded a management company that provides safe, clean housing for crew members unable to stay onboard their ships; launched two apps to help streamline the hiring process for yacht crew; and begun extending the Mark

Woodbury

Lauren Cotton President Cotton Crews

company’s customized staffing solutions to land-based events such as high-end parties at local estates and estate positions.

“Ideally, I’d like to grow our customized client base,” Cotton says. “I’d love for our app platform to be the go-to place for all luxury staffing. We always want to be the first call for someone that’s looking to hire crew, and when I look at how many people we’ve converted to loyal customers, I know we’re succeeding.”

From the beginning, Cotton says, she knew that those loyal customers would be essential to her ability to gain credibility, particularly in a small, tight-knit industry like yachting. “It’s always a little harder as a woman in my industry,” Cotton acknowledges. “But I was pretty driven to find my champions and make them happy. Now, I feel that Cotton has a strong reputation in the industry because we do right by people, and really value people: we set ourselves apart with our honesty, values, and relationship-driven business.”

To that end, Cotton encourages her employees to foster relationships and give the business a personal touch whenever possible. But the employees themselves benefit from the personal touch that Cotton brings to every aspect of her work. “It’s a democracy here—I make it a point to ask and listen to my employees to make sure that we’re all happy with the vision and direction we’re going in,” Cotton notes. “But I also like to try to keep my employees happy, since employee happiness is directly correlated with their performance.”

Cotton takes note of what is important to her employees and strives to create hiring packages that appeal to key employees. One such employee, she says, is passionate about traveling. “So I try and make sure she does that—she’s going to go to the Monaco Yacht Show,” Cotton says. “We encourage all our employees to travel and set up programs to help them do that—people always return so fired up for work.”

Rybovich is most grateful to Lauren Cotton and Cotton Crews.

With a unique resort-style facility, our marina is typically home to as many as 70 superyachts and their 800 crew members each day. The services that Cotton Crews provided Rybovich over the 15 years since our redevelopment were essential in fueling our unprecedented growth in visitations by the world’s finest yachts. Today, thanks in part to the exceptional customer service provided by Cotton Crews, Rybovich boasts the number one marina market share in the world for superyachts over 180 feet.

www.rybovich.com

“Cotton has a strong reputation in the industry because we do right by people, and really value people: we set ourselves apart with our honesty, values, and relationshipdriven business.”

LAUREN COTTON

The Art of Negotiation Styles

By BILLY YOST

After graduating with an electrical engineering degree in China, Kevin He emigrated to the United States to pursue his PhD at Notre Dame. He worked as a software engineer for a short period of time before the first dot-com bubble burst.

“That got me thinking about whether working as an engineer and scientist was going to be a rewarding career for myself,” He remembers.

If career security were a concern, He would ultimately wind up in a position braced for more growth than any single job sector or title could ever possibly allow: bridging the gap between Chinese and US-based business. As chief legal officer (CLO) at China-based GoerTek, a tier-one manufacturer of consumer electronic products, He is challenged with ever-evolving IP and business disputes for the company, navigating his legal team in the complexities of negotiating with US businesses, and how operating with the legal team upfront is the smartest way to operate globally.

GoerTek’s Kevin He on how he keeps a foot planted in both Chinese and American cultures to foster a global understanding

He’s journey to GoerTek is a novel one. An ad in IEEE Spectrum for boutique firm Pennie & Edmonds would serve as the foundation for the rest of He’s career. “They were looking for people like me who had advanced technology degrees and could understand the technology behind patents,” He says.

Not having a law degree didn’t stop He, nor the firm from offering him a position. The lawyer-to-be would prosecute patent applications during the day and attend Fordham’s night school law program. The firm’s dissolution led to He and several partners joining Morgan Lewis, where He developed an interest in the Chinese market. He was able to land the firm’s first major Chinese IP representation, a USB flash memory device manufacturer named Netac Technology, who owns US patents.

He helped Netac litigate those patents against a major US competitor in the infamous east district of Texas. “The company was going public in China and they need good results of that litigation to show the strength of their patents, and we were able to reach a favorable settlement after two years of inten-

He Chief Legal Officer GoerTek

sive litigation,” He says. “While I was proud of the outcome, I got the feeling that I may need a more flexible platform to continue to develop Chinese business.” In search of more flexibility and business-growth potential, He moved to Troutman Sanders.

“That role gave me the opportunity to not only continue to develop my IP practice but to expand to more general business practices with a focus on clients in China,” He says.

The lawyer would wind up as legal advisor for GoerTek, which in 2013 was facing litigation from its larger competitor in the MEMS microphone industry, US-based Knowles. He says the case, which he oversaw, included two frontlines, the International Trade Commission (ITC) where the team was litigating the patents asserted by Knowles, as well as the US patent office where the team was working to have the asserted patents invalidated.

“It was a big fight but was eventually settled in early 2015, and it cleared the biggest hurdle for GoerTek to pursue massive growth.” The outcome was enough for GoerTek to ask He to come aboard as CLO, which he did in 2016.

Courtesy of Troutman Sanders

TEL: +86-10-65994801

FAX: +86-10-65994891

MAIL: ip@bridgeonlaw.com

WEB: www.bridgeonlaw.com

ADDRESS: 12th Floor, Kuntai Building # 10

Chaoyangmenwai Str. Chaoyang District,

Beijing, China, 100020

He says leading legal work at GoerTek has offered him the chance to counsel his own team in the art of dealing with Western (specifically US-based) negotiation styles. “Because I was educated in China and have also spent many years in the United States, I feel more proficient in working to bridge the gap between the two cultures,” He says. “This allows both parties to communicate and understand each other more effectively.”

When it comes to negotiating, He says generally, those in the US have a tendency to want to convey the appearance that their position is strong, tough, and unwilling to budge.

“I think those that come from Eastern culture tend to want to appear humbler; even if they’re in a strong position, they’d rather be observant and less forceful,” He explains. “Because I’m on the Chinese side, I encourage my team not to be intimidated because they wouldn’t be coming to us if they didn’t need something.”

When it comes to matters that are more informal, He says he’s learned to counsel his team that those in the States value “my word is my bond” much more than those in Chinese business might. “Credibility is a big thing to US business,” He says. “I tell my people to do what they say they’re going to do whether it’s in writing or not.”

From a larger perspective, He says legal has been allowed to grow at the pace of business at GoerTek, enabling his team to get out ahead of problems early and head off potential problems. In those times where they’re

forced to be more reactive, He relies on his legal team to reflect on how the situation could have been better and how legal can counsel the rest of the company to pursue a more positive outcome in the future.

“It’s very challenging because you’re dealing with something different every day, but as we continue to grow, I rely on my team to continue to educate themselves and bring that back to the team,” He says. “This is a dynamic work environment, so you learn to grow with the flow.”

Congratulations to Kevin He and Goertek Inc.

“Because I was educated in China and have also spent many years in the United States, I feel more proficient in working to bridge the gap between the two cultures.”

KEVIN HE

A

Steady Center

By SARA DEETER

Sarah Oglesby-Battle didn’t plan on a career in property management, or even in real estate. But today, she wouldn’t change careers for anything. As president of the residential division at Beztak Properties, an award-winning development, construction, investment, and management company headquartered in Michigan, Oglesby-Battle helps navigate toward the future while remaining true to the principles that have guided the company for more than half a century.

She actually began leasing apartments while she was still in college. “I liked watching HGTV and flipping through Architectural Digest. It was all about the pretty pictures,”

Sarah Oglesby-Battle speaks to the values and principles that have kept Beztak Properties grounded as it uses technology to drive into the future

she says with a chuckle. “Real estate sounded exciting, but I was a novice. Working with luxury apartments seemed like a great way to try and dip my toe in the water.”

While attending Arizona State University, Oglesby-Battle stopped by a luxury community under construction and, completely inexperienced, talked her way into a job. “Confidence speaks volumes in this business,” she remarks.

And Oglesby-Battle is proud of having built her career from the ground up. “I hope that it illustrates to current and future associates that there are avenues of growth within the industry and within the company,” she says. In fact, those avenues of growth are what have appealed to Oglesby-Battle throughout her twenty-two years in the real estate business.

“There are so many different paths for development, and so many different opportunities to pursue your interests,” she offers. You don’t have to be interested in real estate itself to pursue a career in the industry, OglesbyBattle explains, because full service organizations have many different facets, from construction and development to marketing, HR, and accounting.

“The industry can take you a variety of ways and provide an exciting career path,” she explains. “It’s important to me that we’re promoting from within when appropriate before recruiting externally. As a business practice, we reduce turnover by offering advancement.”

Oglesby-Battle’s talent took her to Beztak in 2011, directly following the last recession. “It

was a time when multiple owners and operators were losing assets,” she recalls. But that wasn’t the case for Beztak. “We’re known for holding real estate long-term,” Oglesby-Battle says of the organization.

Over the years, Beztak has developed a wide-ranging portfolio, including retail and commercial properties as well as senior living and residential communities, condominiums, and single-family homes.

But just because the company is highly stable, it doesn’t mean it’s stagnant, OglesbyBattle points out. “We’ve created a really dynamic environment,” she says. “We have a pretty close to perfect balance of steadiness and an unprecedented growth rate. That allows us to take our core values and practices and apply them to a constantly growing footprint.”

All Seasons Birmingham is a resort-style, independent senior living community in Birmingham, Michigan.

Courtesy of Beztak Companies

According to Oglesby-Battle, the company was managing twelve thousand units just four years ago. Now, they’re preparing to pass thirty thousand.

“It’s really rewarding to see that kind of growth because it means that team members across the company have embraced Beztak practices and created success for our clients in new markets,” Oglesby-Battle says. But throughout that growth, she says, “Our general guiding principles haven’t changed. There’s still a core value to provide excellent service by hiring the people that are passionate about serving residents.

“What we’ve added to that is technology,” Oglesby-Battle continues. “Today, our residents don’t want to have to come into a leasing office. They want to be able to do everything from the

palm of their hand. So, we’ve had to adapt and learn to provide that forum, and I think we do a really good job of it.”

Technology is also at the center of Beztak’s urban properties, Oglesby-Battle says. “Upscale urban properties tend to draw a discerning clientele with global exposure,” she notes. “They’ve seen the latest design trends, and they know what they want in terms of features and convenience, a lot of which is provided through various technologies.”

To accommodate those preferences, Beztak strives to provide an array of technology-driven amenities and innovative features. These include the company’s SMART apartment homes, which tenants are able to control through their mobile phones. Those homes also come with 24/7

IN THE NAME OF GREAT SERVICE

Everyone at Beztak, especially those on the frontlines, understands the company’s vision and feels empowered to provide great service, Sarah OglesbyBattle says. “I remember one community experiencing a large fire. Our people stood on top of a dumpster to direct traffic and help the Red Cross direct residents,” she says. “It could have been a terrible event, but the feedback we got was positive—and the response from the residents was so strong that the site actually gained occupancy.”

Sarah Oglesby-Battle President, Residential Division Beztak Properties

Joe Polimeni

access to deliveries, including packages with perishable items that need refrigerated.

While it can be a challenge at times to bring a robust offering of amenities to urban settings with limited space, Beztak isn’t backing away from that challenge.

“Our CEO, Sam Beznos, has a really adept understanding of how technology shapes a lot of the features that we advertise heavily. So he understands what’s going on more so than most,” Oglesby-Battle says. “He blends the long-standing approach of the organization—timeless design in A+ locations—with the conveniences that today’s renters demand.”

Oglesby-Battle sees Beztak’s blend of technology, strong core business practices, and growth as a perfect recipe for success. “We have the ability to deliver financial results coast to coast through the systems we utilize and we can also offer talented individuals, including the tech savvy millennial workforce, boundless growth opportunities that take a performer from their first position after college through to retirement. It’s a dynamic match, and this is just the beginning.”

AdMo Heights in Washington, DC, offers Amazon Alexa as one of its amenities.

Courtesy of Beztak Companies

Don’t Fix It. Build It.

Retail veteran Kim Lazerus on how she’s created a successful HR department at Maverik

By BILLY YOST

“Some have a passion for coming in and fixing,” Kim Lazerus says. “I don’t mind doing that. I can do that. I have done that. But it’s more fun to build it yourself.”

As vice president of HR for Maverik, Lazerus has brought an unrivaled level of expertise to her position precisely because she didn’t grow up in a people function. Lazerus cut her teeth on the frontlines of retail, opening Target and Best Buy stores in the Salt Lake City region and demonstrating a keen understanding for what the people working closest to customers need from HR.

In coming to Maverik, Lazerus was able to build out the HR function from the ground up

and help demonstrate that good HR can truly be a driver of business results.

“I think I have a different understanding of the business having actually worked in stores and developed such an appreciation for the work that frontline employees do,” Lazerus says. “I think that’s one of the things that has helped me accelerate my career so quickly in the HR space.”

Lazerus came up through Target’s management training program and was ultimately chosen to help usher in the red and white’s introduction to the Salt Lake City area. It was Lazerus’s first taste of building an entire team from scratch. After moving to Best Buy, she would eventually move into district and then regional HR roles, helping a successful southeast region turnaround that earned accolades company-wide.

When FJ Management CEO Crystal Call Maggelet asked Lazerus to come on board with the Maverik family of companies, Lazerus said the possibility of building out an HR function was too good to pass up. “All of the business units were fully functioning, but it was a small, family-owned business that didn’t have a lot of corporate structure, and the HR function was lacking,” Lazerus says. The job would turn into what Lazerus says is the best job of her career—but not without some serious work.

Of the executive leaders who were at Maverik at the time Lazerus came aboard, only two remained. “With the CEO’s support, I helped transition and rebuild that team,” Lazerus says. Within her own team, Lazerus says, “It was imperative to show our HR leaders how to build a strategic vision for

our people team and to challenge processes and create efficiencies so they could focus on people instead of on transactional work.”

Creating internal development programs to promote current Maverik employees instead of hiring externally has been a huge point of pride for Lazerus, as many of those promoted employees work their way to future leadership positions.

More recently, Lazerus says that redefining Maverik’s purpose statement has helped create a set of company values that are far more ingrained than when she came aboard.

“Our leadership standards have come a long way to empower each other, address conflict head-on, and provide expectations for the ways in which we respect each other,” Lazerus says. “When you’re coaching employees and leaders and trying to help them, we

Kim Lazerus VP of HR Maverik Braydon Ball

finally have some language that we all understand and can rally behind.”

Building out better expectations and standards, Lazerus says, drives positive business results because taking care of Maverik’s employees ensures that employees will take better care of customers.

“That mind-set has been instrumental in helping culturally shift focus back to Maverik’s frontline employees. We work for our store employees; they don’t work for us,” Lazerus says frankly. “We’re here because of them, and what we do at headquarters has to help shape that relationship.”

The HR team has significantly built out its “pay for performance” incentive program so every Maverik employee is able to connect their performance to their pay and have a chance at bonuses connected to store performances. “When you work hard, we want to reward you, and this is just one way we’re working to do that,” the VP says.

Maverik has also placed more emphasis on building relationships between leadership and employees—especially in regard to providing just-in-time feedback, a far

cry from the annual performance reviews of old. “You can’t change things in the rearview mirror,” Lazerus says. “We want our people to know exactly where they stand with their leaders and to either celebrate or redirect behavior when it occurs, because that’s when it matters most.”

The results of the company’s HR buildout are pretty clear. With the support of the people team, Maverik has hired excellent people to open approximately twenty new stores a year, filling in the company’s footprint where it needs to be more densely represented and looking into new markets.

“You can’t have that kind of growth if you don’t have the right initiatives in place for your employees,” Lazerus says. “That’s how I gauge my own success: have I done everything I can to make an impact on the people I support?”

Impact 21, a strategic partner of Maverik, is pleased to recognize the accomplishments of Maverik’s VP of Human Resources Kim Lazerus. Kim proficiently conducts all core HR functions, drives initiatives, and strives for operational excellence. Kim is a leader who inspires and empowers others at every level within the company.

“That’s how I gauge my own success: have I done everything I can to make an impact on the people I support?”

KIM LAZERUS

Own It, Earn It

Jennifer Ackart shares how she cultivates diverse teams at Raymond James

By BILLY YOST

Jennifer Ackart says she’s noticed a pattern over her twenty-five-years at Raymond James. “We’ve had people come and go during that time, but the people that seem to wind up leaving are the ones that want to just do a job,” says Ackart, the senior vice president, chief accounting officer for Raymond James Financial, and chief financial officer for Raymond James & Associates. “They want to show up at eight and leave at five without any true connection to the team or firm. They really don’t tend to fit in very well here.”

Ackart doesn’t mean it as a jab or judgment; these qualities are just indicative of

Jennifer Ackart

SVP, Chief Accounting Officer, Raymond James Financial

CFO, Raymond James & Associates

RAYMOND CARES

Through the in-house Raymond Cares program, nearly four thousand Raymond James employees are able to contribute in excess of one hundred thousand hours a year to a variety of organizations and causes. Jennifer Ackart says she’s seen the impact these opportunities have had on strengthening her team. They have participated in a variety of volunteer experiences: a hospice boardwalk, beach cleanup, serving meals at the Ronald McDonald House, planting gardens in underserved preschools, delivering Meals on Wheels, setting up food pantries, and creating birthday bags for children in the foster care system—which had a special meaning for Ackart, whose own children have taken in foster children.

the team she’s managed to surround herself with over the years. “The people on my team absolutely own it,” Ackart says. “Everyone on my team is willing to help cover for their colleagues. I can’t tell you how many times I walk through our office and hear people asking, ‘How can I help?’”

As Raymond James has continued to expand into new countries and territories, Ackart has accumulated a heaping of responsibilities that might make other C-suite executives shudder. “I’m not the kind of person that likes to do the same thing over and over,” Ackart admits. “Even at home, I’m not content to just sit and watch television; I don’t have the temperament for that.”

It’s the exact kind of temperament that has made her an institution at Raymond James.

BE WILLING TO BE OUTMATCHED

In striving to run her organization as team-oriented as possible, Ackart says there was a reality that she had to embrace, one that’s often difficult for less-experienced

managers and executives to come to terms with. “You have to be comfortable hiring someone who knows something that you don’t, someone who is smarter than you,” Ackart says. “The first time you do it, it’s intimidating, but it’s something I encourage all young leaders to embrace.”

The larger a team gets, Ackart says, the less likely the one leading the team is going to be able to competently handle each and every facet of a project. It just doesn’t make sense, and besides, Ackart adds, some of the best growth opportunities come with encountering expertise that is not one’s own.

“That sort of diversity in expertise makes the whole group stronger,” Ackart says. “I’m not looking for people who all think the same way; I want a variety of skills and thoughts.”

Ackart says she’s managed to assemble a team that relies on each other and is capable of picking up slack whenever necessary. The SVP says building a quality team has meant working to provide a space where every opinion is valued, and no one is made to feel as

if they are somehow above asking questions. “It’s vitally important that the team feel like they can share information in a safe environment,” Ackart says. “Everyone has to be able to contribute, or it just doesn’t work. After all, as a leader your success is a reflection of the strength of your team.”

That approach is a contributor to Raymond James’s impressive history of longevity including retiring CFO Jeff Julien’s thirty-two years at the helm. Ackart says CEO Tom James, son of the founder, still comes in at the same time every morning.

“There’s a culture of loyalty here that I think is unmatched,” Ackart says. Those who find their way to Raymond James have a habit of staying on.

FAMILY LEADERSHIP

Over the past thirty years, Ackart has raised four children, all just recently out of the house for good. Parenthood has provided an incubation lab of sorts for developing the SVP’s own approach to leadership. “I’ve set

really high expectations, and some people have told me that it’s unfair,” Ackart says. “But it’s the same at work: You need to own whatever you’re doing. If you don’t understand, ask before it becomes a problem.”

Ackart says she’s able to handle almost any situation as long as it doesn’t violate her number one rule: “Don’t surprise me.”

As Ackart begins a new chapter her own life that doesn’t involve the shepherding and oversight of her own children, she says she’s looking forward to serving on the cabinet of the United Way and figuring out the best use of Ackart’s seemingly endless can-do initiative. “I have to be active in something that matters to me,” Ackart says. “If I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it.”

Ernst & Young LLP: Tackling complex problems requires keeping an open mind. When we work together, we can see challenges from different perspectives more clearly, opening up opportunities to find better solutions. Collaborative teams fuel innovation, strengthen relationships, and help us build a better working world.

How can collaboration steer teams to stronger results?

“It’s vitally important that the team feel like they can share information in a safe environment. Everyone has to be able to contribute, or it just doesn’t work.”

JENNIFER ACKART

How to Manage a Workforce From Home

Jillian Pap on driving HR innovation with an entirely remote workforce

By BILLY YOST

The secret to Jillian Pap’s HR success, she figures, is that she never expected to end up in the field at all. “My background was in marketing, and frankly I was always much more inclined to operate on the business side. I thought that’s where I would land.”

Pap’s personal strengths and professional mind-set read like a laundry list of potential stumbling blocks for HR in general: she’s business-focused, risk-tolerant, and owns a true entrepreneurial spirit. “My experiences give me a much different lens as I’m developing programs and priorities for our employees,” Pap says.

Jillian Pap Director of People Experience Goodway Group

The director of people for Goodway Group leverages a nontraditional skill set to drive superior results for a nontraditional staff. She relies on culture, motivation, and technology to connect to an entirely remote workforce.

While Pap has headed more traditional HR functions, her overseeing a remote staff raises so many interesting questions about HR’s core responsibilities in building culture and making employees feel like part of a larger community. These initiatives can easily be taken for granted when all employees are under the same roof, but Pap has to be especially cognizant of just how her function can better unite an employee group that might otherwise feel disconnected—form not only each other but also their employer.

“One of the most important things overall in our priorities that is our North Star is the idea of bringing back the human component to a lot of these functions,” Pap says. “When I interviewed for this position, I didn’t have a video call with the team interviewing me. It was just a call, and that struck me as odd. It became clear to me over time that we have the technology but just weren’t leveraging it properly.”

Over the past year, Pap figures that about 98 percent of all company calls now employ a video component. It may seem like a small change, but at the granular level, all of those small changes amount to more meaningful and consistent interaction for remote employees.

“The best part about the video calls is that it wasn’t a mandate, it was just organic change,” Pap says. “People have just seen how much more effective it is to see someone, get a better idea of whether or not they’re having a bad day, and recognize other indicators you would see if you were passing the person in the hall every day.”

Pap says HR has also focused on building communities, virtual or otherwise, within Goodway to both foster interaction and

Jean-François Therreault

combat a common thread issue. “We have a high-performing, driven employee population, which is important with a remote group,” she explains. “The downside is sometimes people can’t turn it off; we can see people are working more.”

The company endeavors to help employees find more balance in their lives, which includes connecting regionally close employees together for monthly interactions, coworking spaces, or maybe just catching a ball game together. Onboarding is also a beneficiary of this push through the “buddy program.” New hires are connected with tenured employees to help them acclimate to the company and set them up for success. The pairs meet regularly to help connect new hires to the right resources and answer any questions.

HR is also working to improve its own feedback with its employees. The performance management system was, in Pap’s words, “blown up” in 2018. “We collectively realized it was not working, and so we’ve done away with ratings and those painful once-a-year awkward conversations,” Pap says. “We’re focusing on that North Star of personalized human experience and continuous coaching conversations.”

One area that hasn’t needed tweaking is the vendor partnership with LawLogix. “They’ve really provided a seamless employee experience,” Pap says. “We’ve heard such positive feedback about how stress-free mov-

ing to their dashboards and technology has been, and it’s one less thing that our employees need to worry about.”

Leading a remote workforce, however, is something Pap spends a lot of time not worrying about but continuously looking to improve. “I think what have previously been seen as ‘soft skills’—communication, collaboration, and flexibility—are really now just a job requirement,” Pap explains. “It’s so easy for me to ping someone on the team channel, but if you don’t have the credibility and trust you’ve worked hard to earn, it can easily be misconstrued.”

Building relationships with employees one doesn’t see in person takes more intentionality and many extra steps of work, but Pap says it’s crucial to being effective in her role.

Through all of these challenges, Goodway is the right fit for her because it’s a company that is intent on embracing change. “We use a phrase a lot here, ‘Learn, unlearn, relearn,’” Pap says. “We provide amazing opportunities for everyone to be challenged, become their best authentic selves, and live that motto.”

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“I think what have previously been seen as ‘soft skills’—communication, collaboration, and flexibility—are really not just a job requirement.”

JILLIAN PAP

With Growth Comes Great Adaptability

By WILL GRANT

Since Brian Bloch’s arrival as general counsel in 2016, SimpliSafe has redesigned its entire suite of home security solutions to include doubled sensor range, sound detection that can tell the difference between broken windows and broken plates, and a new video doorbell and lock on the way.

“We beta test and sometimes re-beta test everything to make sure it’s ready for prime time,” says Bloch, whose entrepreneurial spirit led him to seek out roles where legal is seen as an enabler of technology and business. His previous position had been at SharkNinja, where consumer products were front and

center. “SimpliSafe is an exciting, frenetic, high-growth, challenging place to continue to come to work every day.”

As general counsel of a lean legal team, Bloch leverages his entrepreneurially infused background to keep legal at SimpliSafe hungry, proactive, and finding innovative ways to build runway for growth.

Bloch represented SimpliSafe’s first internal legal hire, and in that role, it has been important to maintain the best parts of the company culture while working to define a clear identity of the legal department. “I think there was concern in bringing in a legal presence that would somehow take away from the company’s ability to be nimble and

SimpliSafe’s Brian Bloch enables his lean legal team to be internal ambassadors as the company expands internationally

We congratulate our friend Brian Bloch on his leadership and accomplishments as General Counsel of SimpliSafe.

entrepreneurial,” he admits. “It was my goal to make sure that this wasn’t going to put a dampener on that spirit.”

Bloch says company culture at SimpliSafe was one of the main incentives in taking the general counsel role. “Everyone is a contributor and a doer because there aren’t a lot of middle management layers here,” Bloch explains. “We have a saying that we all do floors and windows here.”

The internal growth of SimpliSafe’s headcount has provided a lot more demands of Bloch’s team. The addition of more engineers as well as marketers has meant that SimpliSafe’s capacity for more products and services has grown while legal numbers have remained steady.

Bloch says that in building the legal team, it requires professionals who do more than give lip service to the company’s agile and motivated spirit. “That entrepreneurial spirit is really in our bones so we can be an army of internal ambassadors,” he says. As

SimpliSafe continues to expand into new countries and introduce new products to its line, the GC says he and his team do whatever it takes to support the business and continue the company’s impressive growth.

“Our international expansion means there are different laws and regulations to learn by the book,” Bloch says. “There’s a lot of work to make sure the company is getting the support that it needs as we’re looking into other markets.”

SimpliSafe’s continually widening offering of products and services ensures legal always has its hands full. “For a company that’s quickly changing what’s it doing, we need to adapt,” the general counsel says. “As we become better connected to our customers, there are continually expanding privacy and information implications that need to be accounted for. Those differ from country to country and sometimes from state to state, and it’s incumbent on us to make sure we’re meeting all these requirements.”

Why Jones Day?

A true partnership based on communication, collaboration, conviction, and talent across specialties and jurisdictions.

“SimpliSafe is an exciting, frenetic, highgrowth, challenging place to continue to come to work every day.”

BRIAN BLOCH

As a small legal team, operating nimbly is an absolute essential. Bloch prides his team on understanding the company from the inside out. “That requires you to know the company, the products, and the details of the marketing campaigns,” Bloch says. “You have to be in tune with the business as well as your other internal clients.”

SimpliSafe’s two biggest competitors were acquired by Google and Amazon, which has changed the competitive landscape of the business and industry alike. Bloch remains confident in SimpliSafe’s near-term and long-term prospects. “We’re a company with great products that competes well,” he says, “and we have a fantastic team that will continue to innovate.”

The company’s competitive advantage is clear: its products are designed to be simple and easy to use. But don’t confuse “easy to use” with “less sophisticated.”

“It’s easy to add scores of features to a product,” Bloch explains. “We take an unbelievable amount of discretion and attention to detail and make deliberate design choices to ensure our products offer all of the capabilities and features needed to meet consumers’ expectations and the requirements of a first-rate security system, without overwhelming the customer with complex settings or instructions.”

Ease of use is key, and Bloch says the company’s entire line of products can move from location to location, if necessary, with little to no fuss. “We do all of this without locking customers into multiyear contracts,” he says. “We’re not drilling into their walls.”

The company is uniquely poised to continue to expand while being able to maintain a level of customer care that is second-tonone. “We often speak to our customers on the worst day of their lives, and that is never lost on us,” Bloch says. “Our job is to keep our customers safe and secure, and we will continue to develop potentially life-saving services and products.”

Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks PC: “It is an absolute pleasure to work with Brian. He has an incredible ability to zero in on important issues, elicit needed feedback and recommendations, and provide clear directives for action. As outside counsel, Brian allows us to work effectively and efficiently to protect SimpliSafe’s critical IP.”

—Bob Hunt, Shareholder

From the Bay Area

to the Windy City

As Philz Coffee expands to Chicago, Chief People Officer Carolyn Frey cascades the mission of “Better People’s Day” from the C-suite to the baristas

Words by FRANNIE SPROULS Photos by GILLIAN FRY

On one of the first warm days in June, a line of people wrapped around a building in Chicago’s Wicker Park. Customers chatted patiently as someone walked by offering complimentary coffee and delicious food samples. The day was finally here: the soft launch of Philz Coffee’s first store in Chicago.

“The reception we received was just phenomenal,” says Carolyn Frey, chief people officer for San Francisco-based coffee chain. “The biggest surprise to us was how many transplants from the Bay Area came by. There were so many customers who had their first Philz experience in San Francisco or had a friend who knew of Philz and told them to go; or were so excited to have a little piece of home in Chicago.”

As Philz Coffee expands across America, Frey ensures that the culture cascades from the C-suite to the retail baristas in new Chicago locations.

Chief People Officer

Carolyn Frey

Philz Coffee

The most important thing to know is Frey is a die-hard Philz customer. When she first moved to the Bay Area, she went to the Philz closest to where she lived and loved the experience. Frey had been at her previous company for fifteen years when a friend told her about the chief people officer role that he had been contacted for at Philz Coffee—it wasn’t a good fit for him, and he had referred her.

“He said, ‘While you’re not the most traditional candidate, I think you’re exactly what they’re looking for.’ And as a loyal customer, and with an insatiable desire to learn, I had to meet with them,” she explains. “I never in a million years thought I would either get the job or be interested in leaving my former company.”

The company culture and mission of “Better People’s Day” drew her in. What made a difference was the work chemistry she has with CEO Jacob Jaber, son of founder Phil Jaber. It’s very important, Frey says, that you have chemistry with the person you are going to work for and that your values align with theirs.

Leaving the company that she had been with for fifteen years was a scary prospect. “But I knew all the right elements were there to make it a very worthwhile journey,” she says. “Philz places such an emphasis on people, so it’s not a traditional, behind-the-scenes HR role. It really is one of the most important functions in a company because we’re in the people business, not the coffee business.”

Philz Coffee has three core values: put the customer experience first, be quality driven and process focused, and be kind and keep it real.

Every employee, from CEO Jacob Jaber to the barista, cares deeply about the mission— that’s about 1,200 team members across all locations. “We all have different jobs, but everyone shares that and that’s a pretty special thing,” she says.

As a chief people officer, it could be a daunting task to help the culture permeate across roles. For Frey, it comes down to one thing: obsession on leading through our values.

Positive behaviors are called out, and everyone recognizes those behaviors and

PHILZ COFFEE CORE VALUES

Put the Customer Experience First Employees put people first through personalizing every drink to the customer’s taste, one cup at a time, and treating all experiences as opportunities to positively impact someone’s day.

Be Quality-Driven and Progress-Focused

With respect to history and traditions, Philz always looks for ways to improve the customer’s experience.

Be Kind and Keep It Real

Employees are encouraged to bring their full selves to work and build connections with customers.

“So many of our teams are going to have other jobs or other interests. It’s important to know that you know you can work and that the hours allow you to do the things you need to do outside of Philz.”

CAROLYN FREY

“What we’re excited about is there’s nothing like a Philz, so there’s no kind of experience in the coffee that is similar to what we offer,” Carolyn Frey says of the successful Chicago location openings in 2019.

All coffee blends have been crafted for the past twenty-five years by founder Phil Jaber.

achievements. “It’s about talking about them, embodying them, and leading by example,” Frey says.

Retail workers judge a culture by its scheduling process. When you’re earning minimum wage and living paycheck to paycheck, it’s important to know that you’re going to be scheduled for the hours you need. And a business needs a certain number of hours covered.

In the industry, the scheduling focus is on the business. At Philz, employee preferences matter. When Philz wasn’t happy with any of the scheduling options available, it partnered with Legion Technologies to build a system that would provide a great team member experience.

At the time, Philz was Legion’s first customer. Philz invited Legion into the offices to work side-by-side to build a system that

worked best for the Philz. For the next year, the Philz team worked alongside the Legion team—“literally sitting next to them and going back and forth all day, testing it with our team members.”

A team member puts in the number of hours they have to work as well as their preferred days and times. The system then generates a schedule that honors the needs of both the business and the employee.

“Legion not only enhances labor efficiency by automating areas that were formerly labor-intensive such as scheduling, but it also enables companies like Philz to better accommodate today’s workers, including their needs for flexible scheduling and location sharing,” says Sanish Mondkar, CEO and founder of Legion Technologies.

Frey and the Philz team love the final product created alongside Legion. “We felt like it puts more control on our team members versus

“Philz places such an emphasis on people . . . HR is really one of the most important functions in a company because we’re in the people business, not the coffee business.”

CAROLYN FREY

a top-down scheduling system that you may or may not like,” she explains. “So many of our teams are going to have other jobs or other interests. It’s important to know that you can work and that the hours allow you to do the things you need to do outside of Philz.”

Philz Coffee is in fifty-two communities in five markets: San Francisco; San Diego; Los Angeles; Washington, DC; and now Chicago. Four locations—Wicker Park, Hyde Park, Lincoln Park, and Evanston—opened in 2020, and the market is perfect.

“There’s a pretty significant coffee culture in Chicago,” she says. “What we’re excited about is there’s nothing like a Philz, so there’s no kind of experience in the coffee that is similar to what we offer.”

With a successful launch in Wicker Park, Philz Coffee is on its way to making a mark in the Windy City.

Philz baristas take care of everything from grinding the beans to mixing in the cream and sugar.

At the Lincoln Park location, Philz employees share coffee samples outside the front door.

Legion uses AI to help reduce costs, eliminate labor ine ciency and boost employee engagement for the hourly workforce with advanced yet simple-to-use solutions for workforce management including labor forecasting, scheduling, engagement, compliance and time/attendance. Our results don't lie. 98% labor demand forecast accuracy. 96% of employee scheduling preferences are matched.

Crafting a “Feel Good” Atmosphere at Blink Fitness

By SARA DEETER

David Collignon on the technologies he has implemented to enhance the experiences of members and employees alike

When you enter any Blink Fitness gym, you will be greeted with a smile. You will see brightly painted workout rooms, carefully cleaned equipment, and people all around you ready and willing to help make your gym experience all that it can be.

According to Blink’s David Collignon, that clean, welcoming, “feel good” experience is exactly why 50 percent of Blink employees are former members.

“That’s actually a bit of a phenomenon, the conversion rate we’ve seen from members to employees,” says Collignon, who is the senior vice president of operations. “And that tells us that members in our gyms today know that we respect them—they like how we treat them, and they like the community that we create. They choose us because they know our values and the experience we provide.”

But, as Collignon explains, it’s not easy to build a team and operational system capable of consistently delivering that kind of member experience. “When you’re in the business of operations, your work never really ends,” the SVP says. “Every single day, you have to figure out how to deliver that experience, what the experience looks like, and how you can support it as the business continues to grow.”

A cornerstone of Blink’s success in consistently delivering on that member experience is the company’s mood lifter certification. According to Collignon, Blink has exhibited a mood lifter mentality long before they introduced the official certification— being a mood lifter is all about having an enthusiastic, service-oriented approach in everything that you do. And it’s not just anyone who can bring that level of service and create those kinds of personal connections every single day.

“We start with group interviews to identify the most qualified candidates,” Collignon says. “We look for people who exhibit leadership qualities and people who can bring a sense of confidence to the mood lifter position. It’s not easy to find those types of attributes these days, especially with the advent of technology, but we are so proud of our mood lifters because they really are our brand.”

David Collignon SVP of Operations Blink Fitness

In addition to finding and hiring the right people to bring onto the Blink team, Collignon strives to ensure that he is hiring those individuals “at the right time.” In fact, according to him, his efforts to hire the right staff at the right time represent the most difficult part of his job.

“It’s challenging to hire teams and create a culture and an environment where people are proud to work,” he says. “Becoming an employer of choice has been about attracting people who come to us and say, ‘I want to work for you out of all the other options out there in the hospitality industry, from restaurants and hotels to other fitness players.’”

As Collignon notes, a critical part of creating an attractive work environment—especially as Blink continues to grow its national footprint—is finding a way to consistently meet the needs of both the business and its employees. And he has found a perfect solution in Legion Technologies Inc.

“When we create employee schedules here at Blink, we have to account for experience levels and skill sets that are the same— suggest experience levels, employee availability, roles, and responsibilities. That’s hard to do without analytics and data from multiple sources,” Collignon says. “That’s where Legion Tech has come in—it was paramount to us to get the right technology in place so that we could get rid of all our old spreadsheets and manual processes and make things easier on our managers.”

Legion’s technology can determine exactly what’s needed at any given time, on any given day, at any given Blink location to meet our members’ needs, Collignon says, and it provides all Blink employees with ready access to their schedules through apps on their phones. “We’ve seen really strong results by implementing this technology,” he remarks. “And I think it speaks to our values as a company, to have this technology creating

a frictionless experience—and an enhanced experience—for our members, which in turn enables a more positive experience.”

Now, Collignon says, he and his team can evaluate the effectiveness of employee schedules immediately after posting them, which means they know right away whether they are serving their members and employees well.

“As Blink Fitness grows and is entering new markets across the country, most recently in Chicago, Houston, and Miami, it’s really important for our employees to be able to look back on their experiences here and think, ‘Wow, Blink really cared about me,’” Collignon emphasizes. “We are committed to developing all of our employees. We always spend time talking with our employees about their journeys at Blink, especially because it was often something about the member experience that they loved enough to become part of our team in the first place.”

“Members in Blink gyms today know that we respect them—they like how we treat them, and they like the community that we create. They choose us because they know our values and the experience we provide.”

DAVID COLLIGNON

On the Right Track

By PAUL SNYDER

With a deeply ingrained sense of loyalty to others, Lauren Miller helps foster a sense of trust at QEP Resources in the midst of uncertainty

ADVICE FROM HR

Lauren Miller provides pointers for those looking into leadership positions in the ever-changing oil and gas industry.

Embrace the digital age

“Technology has fostered so many innovative ways to attack problems. It’s a phenomenal tool that also brings real scrutiny from the public and our shareholders, which requires a greater focus on ethics and how we do our business. It’s a good thing.”

A benefit package is not enough

“Historically, the industry has focused on compensation and benefits as the main tool to recruit and retain people. Now, you have to focus on leadership and culture to drive performance.”

Be comfortable with change.

“Be ambitious but not impatient. I’ve seen people move into roles before they’re ready and damage their career as a result. Practice being agile and comfortable with constant change.”

Never jeopardize your integrity

“There is no position, project, or next step that is worth the integrity you bring to your job. The work you do will always eventually pay off.”

Laugh

“There are a lot of high-pressure situations. Being able to drive performance but also provide levity to situations is really important to keep people engaged and at less of a risk for burning out.”

Lauren Miller wanted the job that most people wouldn’t. In 2018 and 2019, QEP Resources, a Denverbased independent crude oil and natural gas exploration and production company, publicly announced a strategic review of the company and underwent a transition to “right size” the organization as it countered a tough market and dropping prices—the effect of which, as Miller puts it, was trimming the company’s workforce by nearly 60 percent over the course of an 18-month period.

Although she had devoted her career to various HR roles, the tremendous strategic and cultural shift underway at QEP necessitated leadership to manage the staff through a period of continued unpredictability, and Miller felt she could bring something to the role that so many companies lacked.

“It’s one thing to keep a team engaged for that long of a period, but to add a cultural shift during that long of a period of downsizing and uncertainty almost feels impossible at times,” she says. “We were dedicated to transparency and having faceto-face meetings with people where we would tell them as much as we could as we tried to weather this storm.”

Although the face-to-face meetings and information sharing did not stave off the reduction in the company’s workforce, it did foster a sense of trust at QEP.

“It’s so important to treat people right,” she says. “It has such an impact both for the people that remain as well as the people leaving, but also for your reputation in the industry. I’ve watched many companies get this wrong, and the long-term implications are incredibly damaging.”

Miller says even though she had no idea that human resources was a potential career path when she entered college, she’s not surprised she ended up in it. Although she describes herself as competitive, she’s also empathetic. “It always mattered more to me about how you get there rather than simply getting there,” she says. “You don’t leave

people in your wake, and you don’t create damage by trying to achieve success.”

That mentality was fostered in her from an early age. She began long-distance running at age nine, which grew into a competitive pursuit in high school. Although she says she was hard on herself and pushed herself to do better, her father (who was also her coach) kept that attitude in check.

“He would say, ‘What have you done for your teammate?’” she recalls. “Or, ‘I see that person is struggling. Maybe you should talk to them? Maybe you should ask that person to join us in a warm-up? How you treat others matters just as much as you performing well, and, really, makes me more proud of you whether or not you win today.’”

In other words, if you’re part of Miller’s team, she has your back. In assuming the role of vice president of HR at QEP, that means not only dealing day in and day out with the company’s workforce, but also its

leadership, shareholders, and the board of directors. She prides herself on supporting these various stakeholders and helping the workforce and leadership not only work together better but also understand each other and everything that needs to be considered.

Although it’s a long way from the high school track competitions, in another way, it’s not that different from the advice that her father gave her all those years ago.

“I love being able to connect people to resources and solutions,” she says. “I get to help others develop and achieve their potential. To see others succeed and shine is really one of the things that satisfies me most, but I also get to participate in the business of the company with both leadership and our board, and I find the complexity of those relationships really engaging. I get to be creative in problem solving every day. It’s invigorating.”

“It always mattered more to me about how you get there rather than simply getting there. You don’t leave people in your wake and you don’t create damage by trying to achieve success.”

LAUREN MILLER

Sound Mind, Sound Body

Barbara Turner on the value ASICS places on its greatest asset: its people

By BILLY YOST

Barbara Turner VP of HR ASICS North America

The success of the ASICS brand is said to originate with an octopus salad. In 1951, founder Kihachiro Onitsuka was enjoying a cold salad amid an otherwise failed occupational attempt into basketball footwear. Onitsuka realized if he could replicate the shape of the octopus’ suckers, he might be able to create a shoe capable of gripping the playing floor more effectively.

The design stuck if the name didn’t. The Onitsuka Tiger company eventually became ASICS, an acronym for the Latin phrase Anima Sana In Corpore Sano, or “Sound Mind

CREATING A BRIGHTER TOMORROW

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in a Sound Body.” For seventy years, the company has maintained high standards of affordable and high-performance footwear and athletic gear.

As vice president of HR for ASICS North America, Barbara Turner feels it’s precisely her job to promote a sound mind in a sound body and to ensure ASICS employees feel engaged, fulfilled, and rewarded. Turner says that engaging employees and making them feel holistically fulfilled not only in their careers but also in their personal goals is the difference between two startling different worlds.

“Most of us have worked at companies where we are excited to wake up and go to work,” Turner explains. “Most of us have also probably worked places where we dread going to work the next day. What’s truly shaped my own leadership style is recognizing the difference in the contribution of the employees in these two examples and my ability to literally influence the outcomes.”

Turner says that in coming to ASICS three years ago, she’s been able to make the

most of one of ASICS’ most fundamental principles. “Over the course of my career, I’ve worked at large, well-run companies and I’ve worked at some companies that haven’t been run so well,” Turner says. “Through these experiences I’ve observed that the best companies invest in their people.” Turner says that ASICS views their people as their greatest asset, a crucial philosophy for not only Turner to be effective in her own role but also in contributing to the top-to-bottom satisfaction of employees.

The VP is also a vocal advocate for ensuring the company’s talent strategy aligns with the business strategy. “It is critical to understand and balance both your current and future needs for talent. From there you must strategically build and execute action plans to meet those talent needs,” Turner explains. “I’ve personally seen and experienced the positive impact of employees who work at companies like ASICS that embraces strategic talent leadership, and it’s part of the reason it’s such a passion point for me.”

“I’ve personally seen and experienced the positive impact of employees who work at companies like ASICS that embraces strategic talent leadership.”

BARBARA TURNER

ASICS CORE VALUES

congratulate Barbara on being an inspiring and influential leader, and wish her continued success.

In focusing on people, Turner recounts a story she’s heard many times over but never fails to deliver its point. “A CFO asks a CEO, ‘What happens if we invest in developing our people and they leave?’ The CEO replies, ‘What happens if we don’t and they stay?’” The VP says she’s seen this situation play itself out day in and day out and it is why she’s committed to internal development.

Turner says that along with meeting the needs of today’s business, she partners with executive leadership and takes an active role as part of the team. “Whether it’s specifically HR related or another business topic, I ensure that I understand our business,” Turner says. “Our needs are changing every day, and it’s my job to ensure we’re always operating with integrity.”

When it comes to integrity, Turner says company culture is a huge part of ASICS’ success. “We’re very proud to live out the values set by our founder seventy years ago; we’re a brand of ‘sound mind, sound body’ and you can see that come to life in our of-

fices all around the world,” Turner says. “If you come to our Irvine [California] offices, you’ll see employees in workout clothes, utilizing company bicycles, taking part in a company-sponsored boot camp or yoga class, or even playing basketball in our company gym.” The VP says ASICS’ brand values truly are at the core of the business, and it permeates a culture of continuous improvement and collaboration.

And while culture is strong, the lowest employment rate in fifty years does offer some challenges regarding recruiting new talent. “What has worked for us is to show people the company has a purpose bigger than making a profit,” Turner says. “We make it a priority to show potential candidates that the company has a social conscience; employees can fulfill their personal purpose along with their professional purpose while working at ASICS.”

With more than twenty years of HR experience, one might think that Turner had accomplished all that she had hoped in her

1. Respect Rules

2. Be Courteous

3. Be Persistent

4. Work as One Team

5. Be Prepared

6. Learn from Failure

Seyfarth Shaw LLP congratulates Barbara Turner, VP of Human Resources, of ASICS, on her outstanding professional achievements.

field. She’s worked for small companies, larger public companies with thousands of employees, and helped drive HR innovation in consumer products, construction, power, and even tribal government gaming. But Turner says that the fulfillment she gets from her work is continuing to see the impact she is able to make to improve the lives of those around her. “It’s great that my professional goals and personal goals tie together so well,” Turner laughs. “It’s probably why I’ve been in this space for so long.”

Turner says her native SoCal roots means she’s always happy to be relaxing on a beach under the sun and that working for such a great company makes it easier for her to truly enjoy that time. She’s intent on spreading that message through her own voice and the voices of the employees of ASICS, the greatest brand ambassadors, who the company continues to emphasize as their greatest asset and best investment.

Mercer is honored to partner with Barbara Turner and ASICS in creating a diversified benefit offering to meet the needs of its employees. We congratulate Barbara Turner on being an inspiring and influential executive leader. We wish Barbara Turner and ASICS continued success.

www.seyfarth.com

©2019 Seyfarth Shaw LLP

“Through these experiences I’ve observed that the best companies invest in their people.”

BARBARA TURNER

Much More Than Lip Service

By SARA DEETER

“It’s not just about creating opportunities,” says Hannah Choi. “It’s also about making the case for that opportunity.” As the head employment counsel and chief diversity officer (CDO) at iQor, Choi uses her firsthand knowledge of diversity and inclusion programs to make a case for D&I initiatives that work for both the company and its employees.

A Korean American woman who came from an immigrant family, Choi is used to being included in her employers’ diversity programs. “In the past ten years at least, there’s been a big push for diversity in law firms—more women and more minorities,” she explains. “I’ve been placed in every diversity initiative by past employers, particularly in the law firm world. I know what it feels like when an initiative is implemented poorly and causes diversity fatigue.”

In Choi’s experience, many law firms often go into a sort of “loud” or hyper-focused mode when it comes to diversity, hiring numerous

women as well as people of color. “But then they don’t do anything meaningful beyond that to retain or develop diverse attorneys,” Choi notes. “They just put color all around themselves and seem to think that that checks the boxes, to say that they are a better place to work for women and minorities. But many diverse attorneys ultimately left those firms—there was a lot of talk about diversity, sure, but it was basically just lip service.”

After watching, experiencing, and hearing about many such programs, Choi knew what it would take to make a D&I program actually work for a company. The program would need to be intentional, she says, but also truly inclusive for its participants so that it could have a lasting and significant impact.

“In the past, I’ve witnessed an unconscious bias by some that D&I programs require a lowering of standards, which is not true. So, to overcome that, and to be truly be inclusive, I’ve learned you need the buy-in from everyone, not just from those who might benefit from a particular initiative, but from all levels of leadership as well as skeptics.”

iQor’s Hannah Choi is building a diversity inclusion program that is intentional and organic as well as impactful

A WORD OF ADVICE

“You can’t boil the ocean,” Hannah Choi advises. “I was so excited about this role when I first started—I wanted to go out and do so many different things. Now, I’ve learned to do things one at a time: the CDO position is a new opportunity for our organization, I can’t throw all of my ideas out there at once.”

Hannah Choi Head Employment Counsel & Chief Diversity Officer iQor

A managed services provider focusing on technology-enabled solutions and customer engagement, iQor operates in nine different countries and has over forty-two thousand employees around the world. The company provides business process outsourcing services, such as customer service and aftermarket services for the world’s best-known brands.

Despite its size, Choi emphasizes, the executives at iQor are highly approachable. “You can literally knock on someone’s door and say, ‘I have an idea for a new position,’” Choi laughs.

And that’s exactly what Choi did to secure the chief diversity officer position. She was already comfortable with that space given her experience as an employment counsel, the

CDO explains. She had not only dealt extensively with discrimination claims, harassment claims, and HR compliance but also helped developed several Affirmative Action Plans (AAPs) for iQor and other large companies.

But according to Choi, iQor’s clients were what really helped solidify her case for the creation of a CDO position. “They were asking about our diversity initiatives and whether we had a diversity officer,” Choi recalls. And soon after Choi proposed to become that diversity officer, the position was created.

Since stepping into this role, Choi has rolled out a number of D&I initiatives—for employees at iQor as well as the business’s vendors. One of her initiatives, called the inQlusion rule, is a take on an NFL rule that requires teams to interview diverse candidates for coaching and senior football operation positions.

“In our version of it, we have to interview at least one candidate who is female, a minority, veteran, or a qualified individual with a disability for every salaried position,” she explains. “There’s no requirement to hire certain people—it’s just a proactive effort to bring people from diverse backgrounds into the hiring process.”

Choi has also developed a paid maternity leave program for iQor employees working in the United States. “In all of the other countries we operate in, we’re legally required to offer our employees paid maternity leave,” she says. “But not in the US: we’re not required to provide any form of paid leave for working mothers.”

And when Choi and her team created a paid maternity leave policy for US employees, they found it fairly easy to make an argument for it. “We were already providing this benefit to every other female employee in other countries,” the CDO says. “So we were able to speak very candidly with our business leaders about the initiative and readily address their concerns about it.” Similarly, in the Philippines, where iQor has a large presence, the existing paid maternity leave was expanded to offer working mothers more robust benefits.

Choi has also helped expand iQor’s supplier diversity program, which is designed to connect more minority-, women-, veteran-, LGBTQ-, and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses, with iQor. She further makes it a priority to engage more women and minority outside counsel in legal matters involving the company.

“We’ve increased spend with such businesses by the millions annually because we recognize that sourcing services from such suppliers helps to sustain and transform our supply chain to reflect the demographics of the diverse communities in which we operate.”

But Choi isn’t satisfied with just creating new initiatives. Those initiatives are of course an important means of increasing awareness of the company’s commitment to diversity, Choi says. Equally important is Choi’s mission to ensure that that awareness includes an understanding that iQor’s creation of a diverse workplace is both intentional and organic. No lip service for her.

“It’s not just about creating opportunities. It’s also about making the case for that opportunity.”

HANNAH CHOI

Winning Culture, Winning Recruitment, Winning Company

Neustar is in the throes of a number of office moves, including the location of its headquarters—consolidating two offices from Sterling, Virginia, to a brand new, architecturally innovative and iconic building in the Reston, Virginia, Metro Plaza. It’s a sign of the company’s commitment to its defined values and dedication to creating a winning culture to keep it a fierce competitor in the information services and technology landscape, says Carey Pellock, Neustar executive vice president and chief human resources officer.

By BILLY YOST

The moves are a big investment in markets around the world. For headquarters-based employees, it will provide a more collaborative and connected work environment, plus an on-site metro station. “The new office will

Carey Pellock is an HR business partner focused on building the best and the brightest, from within Neustar as well as from the outside

Carey Pellock EVP & CHRO Neustar Inc.

THE WINNING KEY

Carey Pellock is passionate about HR, but early on, it seemed like she might prefer to sing for her supper. The EVP is a classically trained singer who says her dedication to her art translated to her professional career.

“You have to make sure you’re doing something for which you have great passion,” Pellock says. “I get the same exhilaration from my job as I did from being in musicals. It’s a natural excitement that you want to make sure you’re experiencing every day, otherwise you’re in the wrong profession.”

also enhance Neustar’s ability to attract and retain emerging tech talent, address current workplace needs, and foster growth in a sustainably minded environment,” said President and CEO Charlie Gottdiener in a September 2019 press announcement.

This mirrors the work that Pellock has championed in the past seven years as she’s risen to the top of the HR chain by being a fierce advocate for the candidate and employee experience as well as creating professional development and growth opportunities for Neustar’s more than 1,800 employees.

Pellock says she professionally grew up at Sallie Mae, where she cultivated the reputation for pivoting successfully between being a hands-on leader and a strategic thinker. “I had the opportunity to really step into all the HR functions,” she says. “I’ve worked in those specialized functions, I’ve led those functions, and in some cases, I’ve created those functions. I feel like it’s given me a really unique advantage.”

Her early talent management experience allowed her to view herself as a self-described “thoroughbred HR business partner,” able to work on behalf of all employees but through the pragmatic and necessary perspective of aligning with key business objectives. “Being a business partner also requires you to understand the business your company is in so you can really see employee challenges focused through their own lens,” Pellock explains.

Over the last year, Neustar sought to establish company values, a move focused on building a winning company culture. “It wasn’t the CEO and me sitting in a room saying, ‘These are the company values,’” Pellock explains. “We created a values and culture committee comprising folks across the company that drafted these values and really engaged the entire Neustar population.”

The EVP says that after an initial indicator survey, a second survey four months later showed engagement points up over 14 percent. “I couldn’t be prouder of this particular initiative,” Pellock says.

But she has much more in store. Neustar created an extended leadership team by identifying more than one hundred individuals at the company who they consider to be the next generation of leaders. “We’ve engaged them in a number of professional, personal, and business development opportunities,” Pellock says. “While we’re heavily focused on bringing in the best and brightest from the outside, we also believe we have a lot of these talented individuals already within the company, who we are happy to continue to invest in.”

Neustar’s challenge, however, is managing to employ enough prime talent at the speed of its own growth, a good problem to have if a company must have one. “We tripled our recruiting efforts that we did this same time last year,” Pellock says. “We’re very proud of

the efforts of our recruiting organization, as well as engaging hiring managers so they don’t feel this is an ‘HR’ exercise; they really own a significant piece of the candidate experience, and I’m happy to see them embrace this.”

Efforts to attract that talent have also been successful but did require an overhaul. “We took a look at our entire recruiting process and realized it was broken,” Pellock admits. “We spent a lot of time and energy making sure that our actual employee experience is the one that’s being relayed to candidates.” Neustar and Pellock spent an entire month focused on translating true employee experiences to sites like Glassdoor and other social and recruiting sites to better reflect what it means to be an employee at the company, and to relay what it feels like to be part of a winning culture.

Building a winning culture isn’t just about buildings or values or initiatives, Pellock says. It’s the way they’re translated. The culture of collaboration was borne from actual Neustar employees and is clearly evidenced by the way department “neighborhoods” will be established in the company’s new headquarters. Neustar’s commitment to improving its employee experience starts with making it even easier for employees to get to work, now poised immediately off the metro line. Pellock isn’t an effective HR leader just because she’s helping build a winning culture. It’s because she’s hitting all the right notes.

Courtesy of Neustar

Healthy Growth

Jon Kalina endeavors to create a culture and structure that will support Peeled Snacks as it expands within the natural and organic food space

By SARA DEETER

Jon Kalina CEO

Peeled Snacks

Natural and organic food companies are revolutionizing more than just the food industry—they’re inspiring new technological growth as well as a massive increase in organic and sustainable farming procedures. As CEO, Jon Kalina is taking Peeled Snacks to the next level through building— and rebuilding—company structures in order to make sure that Peeled is a key part of that wave of change.

When Kalina was first introduced to the natural and organic side of the food industry more than twenty years ago, the first thing that struck him was the sense of purpose displayed by companies passionate about healthy food.

“It wasn’t all about dollars and cents but rather the difference that people and companies were trying to make,” Kalina remembers. “We make a difference in people’s lives every single day, which is what makes natural and organic foods such a special industry. People in other industries, like automotive or tech, can’t say the same of the work they do.”

But while Kalina valued the spirit of the natural and organic side of the industry, he could tell right away that those companies still had a long way to go. “Those healthy crackers that were made ten, twenty years ago, they were terrible. The box itself tasted better,” Kalina laughs. “But today, you can’t tell the difference. And oftentimes, the organic product actually tastes better than the conventional one and is also a whole lot better for you.”

According to Kalina, that’s why Peeled’s dried fruits and salty snacks (like their organic pea puffs) are so popular. “Our dried fruit tastes as good as candy, but it’s healthy for you. And it’s great to see that working on the salty side as well,” he says. “Our salty products are such a great alternative to products like Doritos, which parents are always trying to move their kids away from.”

While it may not be in the same league as Coca-Cola or Pepsi, Kalina says, Peeled truly has become an iconic brand. “Like our mango—that vibrant orange. People know the company name, and they especially remember that orange color,” the CEO says.

THE PEELED WAY OF LIFE

When Jon Kalina joined Peeled Snacks, he knew that he needed to establish clear guidelines for the new culture he was creating. He and his team came up with fifty culture guidelines, then slowly whittled them down to ten that stood out the most, the ten they knew would take the company into the future.

1. Snack healthy, live well, be happy

2. Be a team player

3. Check your ego at the door

4. Think like a customer

5. Work like an owner

6. Do the right thing, always

7. Honor commitments

8. Be relentless about improvement

9. Create clear expectations

10. Celebrate success

For over 40 years Snak King® has prided itself on innovative entries into the snack category. From its early beginnings Snak King® produced a variety of unique products outside of the competition such as our famous Guacachips® and Salsitas®, which can be found in retailers across the US and internationally. Today, we continue to look ahead with innovation in multiple categories.

With each category come unique business relationships, partnerships in the industry that are extremely important to Snak King’s future.

One of our best examples of strong partnerships is with Peeled Snacks®. For over 5 years, Snak King® and Peeled Snacks® have been working together recognizing the trend for healthier, “better for you” snack options, high in protein but also great tasting. According to Nielsen®, under CEO Jon Kalina’s leadership, Baked Pea Crisps are experiencing increases at over 65.5% in units, and 55.4% in dollar sales versus a year ago.

At Snak King® we salute Jon Kalina and Peeled Snacks® for their continued success.

“The iconic nature of the brand was actually what sold me when I was recruited to come ‘fix’ Peeled. Even though the company was pretty small at the time, I just felt like the brand had so much potential.”

Since coming on board as CEO, Kalina has done everything he could to maximize that potential. Before he joined the Peeled team, he says, many employees didn’t have a specialized knowledge of key subjects like marketing or graphic design or operations.

“I found that a lot of people were just working as jack-of-all-trades,” Kalina says. “But that made it hard to drive the business forward. It was a radical risk I took, replacing those people with a core team who had the kind of experience I was looking for, but it was a risk that paid off.”

the company and told them about his plans for Peeled and how it would affect them. And he made sure to honor any commitments the company had already made.

“As a small company, you have to do all of those things to be successful,” he notes. “Sometimes you have to make tough decisions, whether you’re relocating headquarters or changing staff, and those decisions aren’t popular at first. But in the long run they do pay off, as long as you bring in people who you trust to work just as hard as you are.”

Now, having rebuilt the company culture and structures, Kalina is focused on expanding Peeled even further, growing both the popularity and the distribution of its products.

Check out our website at: www.snakking.com. For more information contact us through our website or call us at (626) 363-7711.

In addition to refreshing the team and establishing new culture guidelines to help them move forward, Kalina rebranded the company itself. He worked with his marketing partners to ensure that there was consistency in how Peeled products looked, whether sweet or salty. He met with all of his key customers and vendors in his first year at

“Our growth has to be well-balanced and our portfolio well-rounded,” Kalina says. “While we have core customers like Target, we need to push for new and different channels of distribution. We want as many folks as possible to be able to access Peeled products, whether that’s at Costco or a convenience store or a Hudson News stand on their way to catch a flight.”

“We make a difference in people’s lives every single day, which is what makes natural and organic foods such a special industry. People in other industries can’t say the same.”

JON KALINA

Silence Is Not a Solution

BGE HOME’s Tamla Olivier on speaking up and advocating for your career

By BILLY YOST

Tamla Olivier learned a hard lesson early in her career that she hopes more women can avoid.

“I approached my career with the mind-set that if I kept my head down and worked hard, people would take notice and great things would happen for me,” the president and CEO of Maryland-based home services company BGE HOME says. “I quickly realized that that philosophy only works for some people.”

After working diligently in a role at T.Rowe Price, Olivier says that when the

Tamla Olivier President and CEO BGE HOME

time came for a well-deserved promotion, she was passed over. “I just knew I was going to be tapped for the position, and when I wasn’t, I was left scratching my head about what had gone wrong,” Olivier says. “It was because I didn’t voice that I wanted the opportunity; I didn’t relay the value I was adding to the organization and let them know that I was ready to step into that role and absolutely kill it.”

That experience is exactly why Olivier has spent the latter part of her career working to empower women in their careers and encourage them to give voice to their goals. In spearheading D&I initiatives at BGE HOME and its parent company, Constellation, the nation’s leading retail energy supplier, Olivier has worked to bring more diversity to the often male-dominated energy sector. The company has engaged some novel thinking in working to get more women in the trades and encourage more girls to consider STEM-based careers.

When a colleague declined the position for which Olivier was initially passed over, the company then looked to her to fill the role—and she took it on with aplomb. But Olivier says that in a strange way, she’s grateful for not initially receiving that promotion

Lloyd Fox

early on in her career because it provided the necessary context for a significant period of growth. “I realized that I had to take an active role in my career,” she explains. “Don’t put your destiny in the hands of other people.”

The president says that doing the opposite lets silence limit one’s potential. “The idea of having a voice is one of the biggest pieces of advice I gave to my two daughters as well as the people I mentor and sponsor,” Olivier says. “It’s one of the strongest recommendations I can give because I don’t want other people to have to make that mistake before they figure it out.”

Olivier is also cognizant that a company that promotes a culture of inclusion is much less likely to leave its people behind. Despite the energy sector’s reputation for being mostly male, Constellation and BGE HOME are doing their best to combat the stereotype.

“We really started to pay close attention to any group we were partnering with, be it tech or trade schools, and I told them that I wanted to know exactly what they were doing to attract women to the trades,” Olivier says. “If they’re not, we’re not going to partner with them. If they are, I want to figure out how we can better work together

to make sure we’re spreading the message.”

That includes a Constellation-sponsored STEM Gems afterschool club with the mission of giving girls access to female leaders and hands-on experiences in science, technology, engineering, and math, while building their confidence to pursue careers in those fields.

When metrics were put to these efforts, Olivier says positive signs crept upward.

“That’s the funny thing about metrics,” Olivier says. “When you decide to focus on something, things start to move.” The solution for other companies may then rely on taking the idea of diversity and inclusion as not just an ideal but an active goal to work toward with key indicators and tangible numbers.

One of Olivier’s service managers came up with an inspired idea to get more women into the field. Olivier says they approached key women in their customer care centers to see if they’d be interested in rotating into the field for a designated period of time. “These are people who already interface with customers every day and understand our products and services.” They would be mentored by other technicians and develop their skills on the job. A sign of the effort’s success: none

COMMUNITY INVESTMENT

When it comes to community service, Tamla Olivier looks back to look forward. “My grandmother always had foster kids when we were growing up,” Olivier says. “She put many of these kids through college or trade school and made them feel loved and cared about.” That’s one of the reasons why Olivier chooses to invest her time in organizations that can aid children and families. She is proud to be involved with the Ronald McDonald House as well as Partners in Excellence (PIE), an organization that provides scholarships and other resources for Catholic school education in Baltimore. Olivier also led the creation of a mentoring program that pairs Constellation and BGE HOME leaders with seventhand eighth-grade students at a local middle school, to guide them in such topics as safe social media use and self-confidence.

“Don’t put your destiny in the hands of other people.”

TAMLA OLIVIER

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of the women who ventured into the field have been willing to come back into the office.

It’s also worth noting that the expert technicians who were charged with mentoring the upstart technicians—men who were used to working either exclusively with other men or with no one at all—have expressed great interest and pride in their young mentees.

“I’ve had technicians stop me and show me videos of these female technicians on the job,” Olivier says. “They are proud to be teaching, and they’re proud to be part of the program.” The company went from zero to eight women in the field, simply by deciding that it was a challenge worth tackling.

In coming to BGE HOME, Olivier says she’s very cognizant that an emphasis to be inclusive can’t live with her and her alone. “The folks around me have to understand why this is important, and we have demonstrated that if we decide to focus on it, we can get it done,” Olivier says. “They have proven it time and time again here; it’s been a phenomenal run.”

“The folks around me have to understand why this is important, and we have demonstrated that if we decide to focus on it, we can get it done.”

TAMLA OLIVIER

Exceptional Work Requires an Exceptional Anchor

A drive to achieve, coupled with staying grounded and focusing on authenticity, made Molson Coors’ Dawn Phillips into a change leader and strategic legal

By SARA DEETER

Dawn Phillips went to law school because she wanted to do something exceptional. When she was growing up, that meant becoming a doctor or a lawyer. The importance of working toward a high standard was stressed to her—even as a little girl.

“The Holy Angels School on the South Side of Chicago encouraged me—and all of its students—to produce and achieve,” Phillips remembers. “Those words were literally written on the walls of the school. Because of the early messages I received there, along with parents who poured confidence in me,

Associate General Counsel

Dawn Phillips

Molson Coors Brewing Company

Jami Vandewoestyne

I had a sense that there were no boundaries around my life, that I could do anything and be anything.”

That mind-set has never left Phillips, who is now associate general counsel at Molson Coors Brewing Company. “I’m always striving toward that higher standard and inspired by the excellence of those around me,” she says. “By leveraging the learnings along my professional journey, I have been able to embrace change, ground myself, and navigate from one space to the next as I reach toward that standard.”

After graduating from the University of Michigan Law School in 2000, Phillips started her practice on a very traditional path. She discovered an unexpected passion for legal work in the technology industry and found opportunities to counsel companies on a variety of issues. Later on, Phillips had an opportunity to practice with two other women in their own firm. As one of just three attorneys, Phillips says, she had to be a source of confidence for her clients and be very clear about what she knew—as well as what she didn’t.

“I learned how to use my resources and professional network for support and guidance as I handled new areas,” she says. “It was an amazing experience, and an empowering experience, because it was the first time I realized that I had everything I needed to practice law: I had all of the education, I knew where to find resources, I knew how to use my relationships, and I knew how to be diligent in service of my clients.”

To this day, Phillips is guided by that knowledge. “It provides an anchor and a level of self-assurance that supports me during the changes and challenges of my career,” she emphasizes. “It’s what allows and inspires me to be resilient authentic and agile in my practice.”

At the same time that she was learning and growing within her own firm, Phillips was also working as a counsel at a mid-sized firm that was later acquired by a larger firm. Deciding to leave her small, women-only practice, she eventually became a partner in the corporate department at that large firm. And when the firm landed part of the legal work for a global renewable energy compa-

ny building wind farms across the Midwest, Phillips was able to expand its role to become Midwest regional counsel for the company.

That was a game-changer, Phillips says. Her work on those renewable energy deals reminded her of the appeal of having just one client, and that appeal was one of the primary factors that drew her to her first in-house position at Motorola Solutions. “I wanted to be all-in with my client,” Phillips says. “Every day at Motorola, I felt that I was a part of the business, that I could give 100 percent of myself to the company. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”

In 2015, Phillips was approached with an opportunity to join MillerCoors (now a wholly owned US subsidiary of Molson Coors Brewing Company). When she joined, Phillips says, it was immediately clear what kind of company it was and intentionally worked to be. “Molson isn’t about being the biggest and toughest,” she says. “It’s focused on being the best by putting out innovative, wonderful products, of course, but in a very responsible way. It’s a very socially and ethically responsible company.”

“By leveraging the learnings along my professional journey, I have been able to embrace change, ground myself, and navigate from one space to the next as I reach towards that standard.”

DAWN PHILLIPS

MWH LAW

EMPLOYMENT LITIGATION TRANSACTIONAL TECHNOLOGY/IP PUBLIC FINANCE

Even within the legal department, Phillips says, that sense of responsibility is always clear. “We know that we could technically get away with certain decisions, but we choose not to go that route,” Phillips explains. “We’re always creating, always inventing new beverages and better ways for consumers to enjoy our products, but all of that is balanced with a clear intention to do things the right way and to provide the very best for our consumers.”

At Molson Coors, Phillips is responsible for global commercial transactions as well as innovation, research and development, and intellectual property. She also serves as the legal lead for the R&D Center of Excellence, which encompasses all of Molson Coors’ work on new beverages, new production processes, and new types of packaging. “When I think about all the work we’re doing now, and the initiatives I’m spearheading to protect that innovation, I know that we’re taking something good and making it into something great,” Phillips says.

According to Phillips, it is that desire to do great, to uphold the high standards first instilled in her at the Holy Angels School, that first drew her to Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. “My sorority aims to cultivate high standards among women, and to help those

women have a sense of unity as they go on to achieve and to provide service to the communities around them,” Phillips says.

She is also involved in a similar organization: Jack and Jill of America, which focuses on nurturing future leaders. “As a mother, that focus and drive to ensure that all children have opportunities to excel, is incredibly important to me. Jack and Jill helps children to do whatever they’re inclined to do, whether that’s through reading activities, leadership development, or volunteer work,” Phillips explains. “It’s the kind of program that stays with the children for the rest of their lives—setting high standards and cultivating leaders, just as my school and family did for me.”

“Congratulations to Dawn Phillips and Molson Coors for this well-deserved honor. Dawn is a great counselor and leader, exemplifying skills as a consummate planner and a skilled problem solver. Working with Dawn is always fun, challenging and rewarding.”

—Reginald J. Hill, Cochair Patent Litigation and Counseling Practice Group, Jenner & Block LLP

Swanson, Martin & Bell LLP is pleased to honor our friend Dawn Phillips. We are proud of our partnership with MillerCoors and appreciate the opportunity to work with Dawn and her team. We wish Dawn continued success as she continues on the path of leadership while steadfastly being committed to diversity and inclusion.

We congratulate Dawn Phillips for her tremendous career achievements and wish her continued success

“When I think about all of the work we’re doing now . . . I know that we’re taking something good and making it into something great.”

DAWN PHILLIPS

All About the People

By SARA DEETER

A person’s career is defined by the people around them. That is a truth that particularly resonates for Jennifer Cardella, senior vice president of global project and vendor services at Viacom and author of The Basics of Process Improvement. “It always comes back to people,” the SVP says, “the people on my team, the people at the company, and the wonderful people who support me and keep me grounded.”

As a student at the University of Windsor, Cardella focused on psychology and business—two fields in which she was able to understand the importance of looking at everything critically and valuing the input of those around her. The first day of class, her

Viacom’s Jennifer Cardella explains how time and time again, her career has centered on building relationships with the people around her

Jennifer Cardella

SVP of Global Project & Vendor Services

Viacom

psychology professor wrote an Epictetus quote on the board: “You were born with two ears and one mouth for a reason.”

“He promised us it would ring true throughout our careers, no matter what field we chose,” says Cardella, who still applies the quote in her work. “You have to listen and understand before you speak to gain the full value that those around you bring to the table.”

While she initially worked in accounting after graduation, Cardella soon shifted into the customer- and people-centric project management field—coupling her passion for processes and people. Moving through increasingly senior roles at IAC, BlackBerry, and Perspecsys Inc., Cardella continuously found herself fascinated with the technological aspects of her work. “Technology has a huge potential for making a difference in people’s lives,” she explains. “From making everyday tasks simpler to improving complex processes, technology is at the forefront of everything we do, and I knew I wanted to be even more immersed in tech.”

Excited to take the next step in her career, Cardella studied and trained to become a Certified Scrum Master, applying the business fundamentals she learned, along with the numerous tools she’d been employing in her career, while focusing on how technology intertwined with people would make for a successful project manager.

When Cardella decided to join Viacom in 2015, it was in part because the leadership team shared her passion for realizing technology’s potential and working on meaningful changes for the organization as a whole. Another key factor was the company’s reputation.

“The Viacom networks were what I grew up on,” Cardella says. With a portfolio that encompasses Nickelodeon, MTV, VH1, and Comedy Central—as well as film, digital media, live events, studio production, merchandise, and entertainment solutions—Viacom is “about stories and experiences, a culture of content,” Cardella notes. “People love stories, and when you add in a layer of technology and media platforms, so many people can access those stories, enjoy them, and relate to them.”

In Cardella’s opinion, the stories and experiences curated by Viacom are unique not only within the tech industry but also within Amy

Pinard Photography

VIACOM’S NEXT GENERATION

Mentoring is at the top of Jennifer Cardella’s priority list. Each summer, Viacom welcomes twenty high school girls to participate in a seven-week immersive coding course called Girls Who Code.

“It’s not just about learning to code,” she explains. “This program connects these young, smart, and inspirational women to other women leaders while showing them the importance of advocating for yourself, standing for your beliefs, and finding people to support you and drive you to flourish.”

After the program wraps, each student can apply for an internship in any division of Viacom’s technology department once they graduate high school. In 2019, Cardella welcomed a fourth-year intern back for an eightweek summer internship. “It feels like yesterday she was the shy student in the class on her first day of Girls Who Code,” she says. “Flash forward five years and she’s entering her senior year [of college] focused on a degree in project management, with a job lined up for her in my department once she graduates.”

Cardella had the support of her network and her family to achieve the impossible, and she wants the same for the women she mentors. “I enjoy mentoring so much, knowing we’re investing in their future, showing them there’s a need for women at the top, and making sure we’re creating a ladder for them to climb after us.”

“the industry in general.” She credits this to the creativity, agility, and innovative spirit of the people working at the company.

“We’re delivering content in so many different ways, and constantly adapting to an ever-changing landscape in over 180 different countries,” Cardella points out. “We’re at more than 4.3 billion subscribers, and it’s because of our people that drive the delivery of our values.”

Those values—empathy, bravery, and honesty—inspire Cardella in her everyday interactions with her team. “Relationships are so meaningful,” Cardella remarks. “And you know your relationships are strong when people give you their time.”

Cardella adds one more value to the mix: consistency. As she says, “You have to show in every interaction that you’re humble, that you’re actively listening, that you’re validating what people are saying, and that you want everyone to be part of the solution. Remember Epictetus? Being an active listener and giving someone with a different diverse outlook time to join the conversation will more times than not find a solution or an outlook not yet thought of.”

Bit by bit, those interactions add up and determine a department’s culture. And Cardella wants to make sure she builds “the right culture,” a culture in which her team feels important and empowered. “I love seeing

the potential in people and being able to help them grow,” Cardella says. “We have people here who started out as administrative assistants and became project managers, and people who started as program managers going into director roles. That’s because my leadership team saw the potential in those people and supported their growth.”

Her relationship with her team members hasn’t gone unnoticed by TechLink’s Tom Potenza, president, and Jennifer Hatton, senior account executive. “Jennifer has always been regarded as one of the best in the business and continues to lead by example at Viacom by tackling a multitude of initiatives and being a role model to many associates,” they say. “Jennifer is truly one of a kind, and it’s been an honor to work with her and support Viacom for the past five years.”

Cardella and Viacom work to put people first in various ways: a company-wide cultural council, a career-pathing program, company-wide annual community service days, and more.

“There’s no shortage of ensuring the right resources are in place for all associates,” Cardella says. “As our CEO Bob Bakish always notes: ‘The people at Viacom make Viacom great.’ Having our most senior leader support the culture, encourage the engagement, and drive the social impact, shows everyone the importance of people.”

“We’re at more than 4.3 billion subscribers, and it’s because of our people, and our values.”

JENNIFER CARDELLA

Financing Opportunities

By SARA DEETER

James Brigham firmly believes that good work creates opportunity. At Jacksonville State University (JSU), his work in accounting and administration creates innumerable opportunities for the university’s nine thousand students. And that’s what Brigham enjoys most about his role as chief financial officer and vice president of finance and administration—being able to leverage his expertise to make the campus a better place for its students.

Profile spoke with Brigham about his transition from the industrial sector to higher education, his goals and priorities as one of the university’s financial leaders, and the school’s

remarkable recovery after being hit by a tornado in March 2018.

CAN YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY IN FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION?

I think one of the biggest advantages I’ve had goes back to when I was in school—I had an excellent advisor. When I came back from the military, he took me under his wing. My major was in business administration, but he took me aside and said that I should think about majoring in comprehensive public accounting, that the opportunities I would get through that major would go far beyond what I’d get with a business administration degree.

James Brigham details his efforts to improve students’ experiences at Jacksonville State University and beyond

After graduating, I was fortunate to join one of the big eight public accounting firms. When I look back on what had an impact on my success, more than anything else it was those experiences in public accounting. Public accounting firms do an excellent job of creating and giving their employees continuing education while also focusing on the concept of excellent customer service.

AND WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO MOVE TO JACKSONVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY AFTER WORKING IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR FOR SO LONG?

I got a call from the assistant dean of the business school at JSU, who said she was in-

terested in talking to me about their top internal audit job. I was on my way to a speaking engagement in Orlando for a national conference, and I told her I would stop in Jacksonville on the way and meet with her. And I could tell she was smiling through the phone as she said, “You understand that this is Jacksonville, Alabama, and not Jacksonville, Florida, right?”

I had never even heard of Jacksonville, Alabama, but I loved the campus as soon as I saw it. My first impression was actually that it looked like Faber College in Animal House . I was so impressed with the buildings, the beautiful campus, and all the people I talked to.

James Brigham

VP of Finance & Administration and CFO Jacksonville State University

Matt Reynolds

WHAT HAVE YOU ENJOYED MOST ABOUT YOUR ROLE AT JSU?

Being around the students is a breath of fresh air. My main responsibility is to head up the finance and administration function, but I also try to be an advisor to the business students. I tell them what employers look for and how they can make themselves stand out from other candidates. It’s amazing to be around these young people and to help them through processes that will prepare them for the rest of their lives.

We call ourselves the friendliest campus in the South, and I think the university does an excellent job of treating each student as an individual, understanding their needs, and trying to help them be successful.

SO HOW DOES YOUR POSITION ENABLE YOU TO DRIVE SUCCESS FOR THE UNIVERSITY’S STUDENTS?

Quite frankly, when you look at the rising costs of higher education these days, you have to be focused on trying to keep accessibility high and the cost to students as low as you possibly can. Universities in general do not do a good job of cost control, and most faculty members are more focused on the quality of education, research, and classroom environments than on the bottom line. What I bring to the campus is an outside private industry perspective of understanding productivity. Each of our six schools is operated as an independent busi-

ness. We’re not looking to make a profit, but we would like to break even.

As CFO, I also oversee financial aid. That has given me an appreciation for what families have to do to put their sons and daughters through college. I’ve had students visit me almost every day because we care about them and take care of them.

THAT’S WONDERFUL TO HEAR. IT MUST BE CHALLENGING AT TIMES TO TAKE CARE OF STUDENTS, THOUGH. WHAT IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES YOU HAVE FACED DURING YOUR TENURE AT THE UNIVERSITY?

JSU was hit by a tornado on March 19, 2018, when I was sitting at home with my wife. Fifty out of the seventy buildings on campus were damaged, two of them beyond repair. But the silver lining was that the tornado hit campus during spring break, when all the students were gone. We would have had a devastating loss of life if not for that, but we actually had no injuries whatsoever. We are very fortunate, and those hard times have helped bring people together.

Another good thing, from a capital facilities perspective, is that prior to the tornado, we probably had somewhere between $35 and $40 million of maintenance required for our buildings. The vast majority of that is unnecessary now. At this point we are 90 percent recovered, and we seem to be in good shape moving forward.

The Sodexo Universities team thanks James Brigham for his unwavering commitment to a positive student experience at Jacksonville State. From everyday life on campus to rebuilding after a catastrophic event, we have benefitted from his leadership and look forward to our continued partnership.

“Being around the students is a breath of fresh air. My main responsibility is to head up the finance and administration function, but I also try to be an advisor to the business students.”

JAMES BRIGHAM

Let’s Talk IT

Legacy Reserves’ Cory Elliott is changing the way companies should think of technology and the people who manage it

By CLINT WORTHINGTON

Cory Elliott CIO

Legacy Reserves

For a lot of companies, Legacy Reserves chief information officer Cory Elliott observes, the IT department is dismissed as the “laptop and cell phone department.” When he first arrived at the independent energy company in 2013 to begin his work as director of IT, he saw fractured relationships between IT and management as a major obstacle for Legacy’s potential.

Now, as Legacy’s head of IT, HR, and real estate, one of his most important goals is to break the mind-set of IT as a utility and change the way companies think of technology and the people who manage it.

The son of working-class Texans who worked hard despite no high school education, Elliott takes inspiration from his father’s ability to build relationships with his workers, instilling values of servant leadership he follows to this day. He paid his way through technical college, graduated top of his class, and started at the bottom of the oil and gas industry with a help desk job at a Midland-based company. From there, he worked his way up the IT ladder at various energy companies until a connection with Legacy’s vice president of IT and tax landed him there six years ago.

When he first arrived at Legacy, Elliott immediately noticed some major misconceptions of IT’s role in the company culture.

“The challenge was in relationships, not technology,” Elliott says. Management didn’t have the necessary understanding of the importance of IT in the everyday operations of a big company like Legacy.

To that end, one of Elliott’s major goals as CIO has been to build relationships with the executive team, every manager, and as many employees as he could, and help them to understand the crucial role IT plays in their operations. For his first couple of years at Legacy, he supervised several data center builds, updated old tech, and rebuilt all the IT infrastructure.

After the department gained some confidence in the “plumbing” of IT, as Elliott calls it, the information gaps between divisions

became his next target. The staff holds regular “Let’s Talk about IT” meetings, which has become a catalyst for building those important connections. There, as with other conversations with employees and managers, Elliott and his team explain to operations engineers, management, and others the role IT plays in their everyday work. “We’re both in the business of fixing problems,” he frequently tells them.

All of these initiatives and more are central to Elliott’s premise that IT should be seen as more than a utility for management; they’re a vital part of the business. “I go through seasons of what I want IT to be considered,” Elliott admits, but one constant is that he wants IT to be taken seriously as a department within corporate and management structures. Elliott has made it his job to make the rest of Legacy see the value of their work by working alongside each and every department.

Perhaps it’s this holistic approach to departmental relations—the idea that every part of the business is connected—that aids Elliot in his recently adopted duties of managing Legacy’s HR and real estate departments.

“When you think about IT at its core, it’s really just dealing with people and places and things,” explains Elliott, noting that this expanded role is a “natural change” for him. Now, he gets to deal with the other side of the people equation, which he considers a thrilling expansion of his existing work in IT.

One major initiative for Elliott’s HR work has been implementing a new HR system,

which is currently in its second phase. “The existing system was just a payroll system, not a true human capital management system,” he explains. All the other systems that take place around payroll—recruiting, employee status changes, performance management, compensation management—existed outside of the system. “We were living through Microsoft Excel chaos trying to manage it all.”

Legacy has already implemented their replacement payroll system, which now includes more robust features. With phase two, which will be implemented during the next nine months, Elliott plans to bring in a website presence to aid in recruiting and solidifying a workflow for new hires. Furthermore, they will be implementing performance and compensation management.

“We’re taking out a lot of the manual processes, excel worksheets, and making it more systematic,” he explains. This will give management and executives a better set of tools to manage the business.

Between IT, HR, and real estate, Elliott’s job at Legacy involves putting on a lot of different hats. “If you’d ask me a year ago if I’d be in charge of HR and real estate, I’d say ‘hell no,’” he jokes. That said, the integration of these extra duties into his existing IT work strengthens his thesis that IT has a deeply unfounded reputation as a disposable utility. “The beauty of IT is that you can wait a year, and it’ll reinvent itself,” he says.

Whatever direction the field moves next, he plans to move right along with it, bringing the rest of Legacy along with him.

“The beauty of IT is that you can wait a year, and it’ll reinvent itself.”

ELLIOTT

Creating an Experience

Lori

By SARA DEETER

As senior vice president of dealer software solutions at Cox Automotive, Lori Wittman and her team don’t just harness the power of data— they harness the power of people, too. In fact, says the SVP, it isn’t only the software that she and her team members work on that has driven Cox Automotive’s success. It is the company’s dedication to leveraging its people capital that has allowed VinSolutions, one Cox Automotive brand Wittman leads, to achieve double-digit growth during her tenure there.

Wittman highlights Cox Automotive’s efforts to use technology to create highly relevant, personalized experiences for all consumers

For Wittman, who grew up on a farm in Kansas, the idea of a people-centric working environment is nothing new. “When you’re on a farm, everybody pitches in together to do the work, whether it’s picking sweet corn or gathering eggs,” she says. “I’m sure I grumbled about doing some of those things when I was little, but we really were all in it together. My dad led by example, and to this day that’s how I try to operate with my team at Cox Automotive.”

A division of Cox Enterprises, Cox Automotive leads the global automotive industry in comprehensive dealer solutions, from sales and marketing to inventory and service. A few years ago, Wittman says, Cox Automotive was growing fairly rapidly but didn’t feel that its clients were enjoying the experience that the company was aiming for.

“We knew we wanted to be able to leverage incredible technology so we could do things that other companies couldn’t,” Wittman says, “but we knew that people would be essential to creating a personalized experience for clients.”

To create that personalized experience, Cox Automotive turned to a concept called performance management, originated at Cox’s inventory solution brand vAuto.

“What that means is that someone at Cox Automotive meets with dealers to understand their business and performance metrics, then uses that information to figure out how our software can help them take their business to another level. Because at the end of the day, it’s about delivering results for our dealers,” Wittman explains. “It also means that we’re very intentional about the people we hire.”

Employees at Cox Automotive go through a comprehensive training program so that they fully understand everything about the company’s technology as well as the key concepts and priorities in the automotive industry, Wittman says. But unlike many tech-centered companies, Cox Automotive doesn’t only look for people with technological expertise.

“We hire people from a number of different backgrounds, including retail,” Wittman remarks. “That gives us access to people who fully understand what’s going on in the field. It’s the combination of these types of diverse backgrounds that makes it easier to leverage technology to drive results.”

In the past year, Cox Automotive has been trying to take the concept of personalized experiences to the next level. “We actually did a study on this,” Wittman says. “It’s intuitive to people that consumers want a personalized experience—that’s why Amazon is so popular. And that preference actually increases as the demographic gets younger.”

“But now we know from our research that consumers want a really strong relationship with their dealer,” Wittman continues. “A car is one of the most expensive purchases that we make in our lives and having someone that you trust guiding you through that is really important.”

To help dealers across the country build those strong relationships, VinSolutions has developed an industry-first product called Connect Automotive Intelligence. “The artificial intelligence powered tool actually takes data that comes in from other businesses in our ecosystem and uses it in predictive modeling,” Wittman describes. Customer data points are analyzed by the tool and then delivered to dealers as accessible, actionable insights, such as the prospective model of interest and budget. These insights enable dealers to better understand the people coming into their dealerships.

“Understanding people better is really critical for sales representatives and dealers,” Wittman emphasizes. “VinSolutions Connect Automotive Intelligence gives them all the information they need: when a person walks into a dealership, they know whether that person is ready to buy or not and what that person may be interested in.”

Those insights help dealers and sales representatives create the kind of tailored, highly relevant experience that consumers these days are looking for, Wittman says. “And it’s also a better experience for those working in the dealership: they can be so much more efficient with their time.”

Every month, Cox Automotive’s performance managers check in with their dealer clients to get a sense of what’s going on, what might need to be changed, and what those dealers think will help them be more successful. “Sometimes the solutions that we come up with aren’t what the dealers would have thought of; they aren’t how the dealers would have solved a problem,” Wittman says. “But we’re constantly combining really diverse ways of thinking about the car buying journey, and working with our dealer clients, in order to make our technology a catalyst for improving it.”

“A car is one of the most expensive purchases that we make in our lives and having someone that you trust guiding you through that is really important.”

LORI WITTMAN

Lori Wittman SVP of Dealer Software Solutions Cox Automotive

FEEDBACK IS A GIFT

As a young mother, Lori Wittman noticed early on that her two sons responded well to open, direct communication. “Through listening and talking to them, I learned about how they think, what’s important to them, and how best to guide them,” Wittman says.

Today, Lori’s sons are millennial professionals working in the software industry, and the lessons go both ways. “They continually reinforce for me the importance of communication if you want to influence and inspire a young workforce motivated by the purpose and meaning behind their work,” she says. “Feedback is a gift: whether you want to move your career forward, complete a project, or strengthen a relationship, communication is the way to accomplish that.”

Neglerio (TaylorMade Golf), Bradley Compton (NTT Data)

Meredith Vance, SVP and Treasurer, NTT DATA 17

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