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What is the biggest challenge in your position?

With the continued integration of social media, personal marketing, direct marketing, paid and earned advertising, broadcasting and traditional print communication, finding the most effective mix is always a moving target. Add the complexity of our industry, where we are selling ideas versus a product and targeting specific executives at the world’s largest corporations, and every day is a new adventure.

Last year was a rough year for most businesses. How did that affect your daily workload?

It changed the type of projects I was working on. In addition to marketing ITAGroup to clients and potential customers, we stepped up efforts to be a vocal advocate for our industry. With TARP, public perception and the economy, companies were looking for direction, and elected officials were looking for information. The materials I worked on were designed to educate, while keeping our customers and employees focused on performance goals. The entire process involved an ongoing collaboration between our executives and representatives from various industry segments such as hotels, airlines and convention and visitor bureaus. … We are very strong financially and have great client relationships, so it was easier for us to make adjustments as the marketplace shifted and continue to grow areas of our business.

Have you learned some things through it all?

Absolutely. I’m sure there isn’t a business or professional that hasn’t learned something on this economic journey. For me, it is all about what you can do for your customers. The message I am advocating on behalf of my company is truly relevant regardless of economic conditions. Companies that invest in their people and understand the benefits of sound business performance practices typically have healthier bottom lines than those that do not. What I continue to discover each day are new ways to deliver performance improvement ideas to business leaders and policy-makers, so collectively we can be better positioned in times of economic uncertainties.

Are there any other trends you are seeing?

Over the past few years, I have definitely seen an increase in corporations investing in their most important assets – their employees – through recognition and reward programs. Traditional sales and channel loyalty programs have remained strong, but the economy really forced companies to look at engaging their entire employee base with tangible, non-cash rewards. And we’re seeing more integration in these programs. Companies are starting to realize they can bring a variety of employee initiatives, such as peer-to-peer/manager-to-employee recognition, years of service, wellness and training rewards, all under one umbrella. The results are efficiencies and better cost controls, while also elevating employee satisfaction and engagement.

Is ITAGroup practicing what it preaches?

Yes. While our internal programs aren’t nearly as large as what we would operate for a Fortune 500 client, we approach it with the same strategic mindset. Our employee program, for example, is called High Voltage Heroes, and plays off of the hero any one person in the company can be. The communications and Web site have that superhero comic book feel, making them vibrant and fun. The program itself includes peer, manager and executive recognition elements, sales and employee referral rewards, a robust wellness component, an employee suggestion element, team recognition and even a way to recognize someone for their ecofriendly efforts.

So if you had any superhero power, what would it be?

When I was younger, I always liked the idea of running really fast. Now that I’m older, however, I feel life tends to go too fast anyway, so I question why I would want to speed it up even more. Perhaps I’d like to control time and slow things down a bit. That would enable me to spend more time with family and friends, while also devoting extra time to testing new marketing strategies.