The focus of our discussion here is to discuss our new purpose and values in a unique and dynamic way, and also to allow the company to get to know members of the MarketStar family, as well as the organizations that run under it, which is why we were really excited to have the opportunity to talk about Women In Business, to discuss its impact, to discuss plans that you, as a group in the organization and as a leadership team, have in play. So let's jump in and get to know Women In Business a little bit. What really is it about the organization as a whole that brings out passion for each of you? What is it that makes you willing to put in the extra time and effort that makes it impactful?

Tony Byrne is now officially the senior vice president of business development, marketing, at MarketStar. He was involved in rolling out the new Values that we now live by. We asked him to share some of his experience with it, and here is what he said:

They say people come for the job but stay for their boss. It’s proven time and again the top reason someone might move on from their current job is because they don’t align with their manager. Other reasons follow close behind, such as limited career progression or not enough opportunities for skill development. These may sound like singular and isolated issues someone might encounter in a job that isn’t fulfilling, but they can actually also tie back to having a manager that doesn’t prioritize their people. When employees feel their manager isn’t opening doors to more opportunities and isn’t looking to develop them professionally, is where they usually start to feel (rightfully so) devalued and start looking for better positions.

When shopping for sales talent, every company hires with diversity in mind. Unfortunately, diversity is more about hiring for compliance than success. Smart organizations hire sales talent with an eye toward inclusion, not just diversity. Inclusive hiring is reflected in not only how you hire, but also how you enable the people you hire.

To start off with what has already become a cliche, 2020 has been a rough year. As we enter these last couple of months, with many of us still in at least partial lock-down, it can be very easy to feel completely run down and out of breath. Those of us in sales world are having a uniquely difficult time due to an uncertain and equally worn out market. Between an election year, the novel and disruptive COVID-19 virus, and the upcoming holiday season, many people and companies are doing exactly what one would expect: Hunkering down for winter. Something we cannot lose, however, even with all the Zoom fatigue and evaporating budgets and constantly retreating goal posts, is our ability to truly listen to what people are saying to us. 

MarketStar is strengthening communities by transforming a long-standing food drive, Pack the Pantry, into a sustainable program that will provide support for the MarketStar Growth Pantry. The pantry is an Ogden School District-wide student and family tool to support the newly established Community School Student & Family Resource Center. This resource center is the result of MarketStar assembling community partners to mobilize a large-scale student food assistance program.