Marked by continuous growth and invaluable experiences, Pat’s path towards and on the Marketing team has been pivotal for his career. From print catalogs to web design and digital ads, he has been a driving force in shaping brands’ identities.
What led you to a career in marketing?
Pat’s design background made marketing a natural fit for him. “I started out doing a lot of print catalogs, brochures, and flyers, which eventually transitioned into web design. I started working on front-end website development and making digital graphics and ads which led me to working with teams of designers, developers, and content writers.”
What led you to Mazzella Companies?
After six years of working for an agency, Pat decided to branch out into freelance work, which eventually led him to working on a redesign of Mazzella’s website. “I had the pleasure of knowing the Mazzella family as a kid. Tony was my fifth-grade football coach, so I was aware of their family and business growing up.” After a year of working on graphics for the Mazzella website as a freelancer, and 22 years after being coached by Tony, Pat had his first interview.
“When I interviewed with Tony Mazzella, CEO, and the then Vice President of Marketing, Bill Franz, I found out that they were working on updating their catalog from black and white to color and incorporating recently acquired brands, so that was my first official project.” Coinciding with the catalog revamp, Mazzella Companies had just acquired a large new family of brands. Pat shared that the experience of combining both the acquired and existing brands at that time set the tone for what was ahead.
How has your role changed over time?
After a few years of graphic design work, Pat worked on building an internal communications library of templates to support an expanding team. “The growing and evolving team changed my role over time from art production to direction. I started working with additional designers as a mentor and leader, cultivating a team and helping to create a consistent experience for our internal and external customers.”
Pat says that the experience of growing the Marketing team from the ground up has been amazing. “When Bill Franz hired me, there were only three of us on the Marketing team. We were working on great projects, but we knew we were missing some skill sets, being ‘Jacks of All Trades’.” Since going down the path of building a team of Specialists, Pat says that he’s experienced a lot of proud moments watching the team succeed.
What professional development has Mazzella Companies offered you to be successful?
Pat shared that there have been several training programs that he and his teammates have taken part in online, in person, individually, and as a group. “As a manager, one of the most rewarding programs that I went through was the Front-Line Leadership program and that was really great because you go through an extensive, multiple week-long program where you’re getting to know others on an international level.”
It was this program and another by Dr. James Knight called Leading with Humility that helped him better understand what challenges managers experience and ways to overcome specific obstacles. Both of these programs helped enable Pat to mentor then Intern Evita Sola, now Brand Manager-Metals “It’s been a very gratifying experience to better learn how to lead the Design team. Learning how to help them build their own development plans and set goals for their career.”
Related: How Can I Advance My Career at Mazzella Companies?
What is a challenge the Marketing team is currently facing?
Pat says that right now the team is working towards optimizing Mazzella Companies’ brands for both the Lifting and Metals businesses. “For the Lifting businesses, we’re going through a lot of things right now from a branding perspective. In the past, we acquired several brands, which have felt disconnected and like separate entities, much like islands spread out. Our analytics show that we are stronger as one brand name, Mazzella, so we’re working with other departments to optimize our websites and overall brand equity.”
Another challenge the team is facing is rapid growth – both in team counts and team member moves. Pat shared that there have been seasoned team members who were ready to grow outside of the department. “Marketing is a great place to learn about the company, but we want to create opportunities for team members. That may mean moving up within the Marketing team or moving to positions in other departments, such as the Quality, Safety, Transportation, Reliability (QSTR) team, or even the Sales team.”
How do you ensure effective communication and coordination within the Marketing team?
As far as the Marketing team, there are multiple communication points. “We have a daily huddle so everyone can get in touch with each other and hear what everyone has planned for the day, weekly Marketing team tactical meetings to go over defining objectives, standard operating objectives, and any other strategic or additional topics that need discussed. I also lead a weekly Design team meeting with our Graphic Designers and Web Developer.” Finally, Marketing leadership has a weekly meeting towards the end of the week to discuss topics related to the entire team.
These meetings truly highlight a culture of creating clarity at Mazzella Companies. “We can talk about projects we’re working on, any roadblocks, and how to get around them. They are an open forum for everyone to speak their mind and bring innovative ideas to the table.”
Pat also leads monthly one-on-one meetings with his individual team members on the Design team. “Those are always a bit more personal. always try my best to help people get to a better spot in their career or help solve for problem areas they’ve identified.”
How do you foster creativity and innovation within the Marketing team?
For Pat, it’s all about leading with empathy to foster collaboration. “We have to work together. I know that sometimes it’s tough as a designer because we all believe in our work, but often times when you open your mind to other people’s ideas, it can formulate a design into something else, something better.”
How does the Marketing team collaborate with other departments or teams within Mazzella Companies?
“From a branding perspective, whether it be helping the Sales teams with custom sales collateral, the Leadership team develop a presentation, or working with our Shared Services teams to create posters, merchandise, or communications – we work across the board.”
Collaboration outside of Marketing isn’t more important than the collaboration within Marketing. Whether it’s a unique thumbnail to support the Video team, the layout for a Learning or Success Center post, or raising the bar on the websites, Pat says, “The Design team is a part of every project on some level.”
What tools and technologies do you feel are essential for a modern Marketing team to succeed?
To be a successful Marketing team, team members use several different programs including Adobe Creative Suite, WordPress, Constant Contact, Microsoft Office, SEMrush, Google Analytics, Lucky Orange, and HubSpot. “HubSpot is an essential tool for us in quantifying our success. We use it to measure website traffic, leads, and the engagement with the content we are creating.”
What skills and qualities do you look for when hiring new members to the Marketing team?
When it comes to bringing new team members on, it really goes back to their connection to Mazzella Companies’ core values. “The right fit will need to be humble, hungry, smart, and be a safe, lifelong learner.”
Not only will those core values need to be connected, but they’ll also need to connect with others. “We are a highly collaborative team and company. We want you to bring your innovation and creativity to help make our organization better.”
To help build a successful collaborative team, Mazzella Companies uses a team building model called The Six Types of Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni. The assessment helps prospective team members understand their keys to job fulfilment and hiring managers understand what gaps can be filled in. “We have a team very high in Tenacity right now and are always seeking to balance our team in the hiring process.”
The Sky is the Limit
From humble beginnings in a three-person Marketing team to spearheading impactful branding initiatives, Pat continues to work towards new heights, proving that the sky is truly the limit at Mazzella Companies.
