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FEATURE
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Rising Stars
S
tephanie Lyndon-Wheeler bought
promotional products in her first job
right out of college as a brand manager. She
left the company to take another job and when
it didn’t work out, she called her promotional
products distributor, with whom she had a
strong relationship, and asked her to put out
some feelers for another opportunity. “I told her,
‘I think I want to do sales.’ She said they were
expanding and that I should come to work with
her.” Lyndon-Wheeler jumped at the chance and
worked hard to quickly learn the sales side of the
business. Eight years later she was ready for her
next challenge.
A sales career wasn’t necessarily on the
drawing board for Lyndon-Wheeler, who studied
communications with an emphasis in public
relations at San Diego State University. “Since
age three I would tell my mom and dad, “Hey,
I’ve got an idea!” Always creative, in college she
put those skills to work whenever her sorority
ordered promotional products, usually t-shirts
and bags, for its events. After college, her role as
a brand manager was an opportunity to continue
using her imagination and resourcefulness.
Now 34 and expecting her first child as
this issue went to press, Lyndon-Wheeler still
calls the creative part of her job her favorite.
“Creativity is a daily requirement, whether it’s
creative challenge solving (never a problem,
just a challenge), new ideas needed or creative
marketing initiatives, there’s so much fun in the
creative process of branded merchandise.”
Lyndon-Wheeler’s talents as a savvy
innovator and sales dynamo have made her
a double asset within the Boundless team,
and influenced Pat Barry, senior VP of sales,
to nominate her as a Rising Star. “Stephanie
is passionate about the promotional products
industry—she’s a professional driven by creating
solutions and delivering results,” he says. “She
has seen substantial growth and has doubled her
business consistently throughout the past few
years. What makes this even more impressive is
the fact that she has done this with half a dozen
accounts that are working with her and doing
significant volumes—and is well on her way to
a multi-million-dollar year, having qualified for
multiple incentive trips within the company.”
Barry also describes Lyndon-Wheeler
as incredibly versatile. “She adapts herself
to different buyers, aligning with their goals
and working styles as well as understanding
their approach so she can create a custom
promotion that ensures her clients get the most
out of it.” He also notes that she has mastered
the fundamentals of the business—creativity,
providing excellent service, partnering with clients
and sourcing. She tailors her approach to each
client, whether they are younger buyers or more
senior managers and, in this way, earns their trust.
As a result, clients bring her in during the early
stages of marketing campaigns. He’s amazed at
the phenomenal relationships she’s able to build
with her clients.
“She is quick to leverage new technology to
ease the process and offer creative solutions, and
is always willing to lend a helping hand to peers,
but is also aware of when
she
may need help
and is unafraid to reach out,” he adds. “These
traits have primed her for continued success.”
Self-confidence comes easy for Lyndon-
Wheeler now, but that wasn’t always the case. In
2008, she developed severe allergies that made
her face swell. “I couldn’t wear makeup for a
full year while doctors tried to figure out what
was wrong with me,” she says. “When you’re in
outside client-facing sales meetings and sales
calls wearing no makeup—it was a scary thing
for me to do. But I had no choice, I had to pay
bills so I kept pushing on.” Not surprisingly, her
clients were supportive and many appreciated
her vulnerability. “Sharing my story took some of
our relationships a bit deeper and my clients often
related the adversities they had struggled with.
That year became my best sales year to date back
then,” she says.
For others wanting to follow Lyndon-Wheeler’s
success, she offers simple advice: “Just go for it.
There are a lot of skeptical people in this industry
who are fighting change and the ‘Millennial
takeover’ but I say just get up, put on a good outfit
and a good attitude, and work at your to-do list.
There is so much opportunity out there.”
Stephanie
Lyndon-
Wheeler
NATIONAL ACCOUNT DIRECTOR
Boundless
HER INSPIRATION
Lyndon-Wheeler says she has always
been self-motivated to achieve personal
success. “I’ve got this inner drive and
voice that motivates me to design a life
I love. I’ve had plenty of life challenges
but I just keep at it and feel blessed
to do a job I enjoy and I work hard
at not sweating the small stuff. That
said, my husband and daughter are
huge new motivators for me.”
THE INDUSTRY IN FIVE YEARS
She wants printed catalogs eliminated
and to see suppliers spend the money
on personal visits and samples. “I also
want to see a path to get more young
blood thriving in our industry and see
more long-standing industry programs
established to support the growth of
young, creative minds.” She also believes
in the importance of transparency for
supply lines and channels. “I applaud
our CEO Henrik Johansson in his efforts
and am excited to see what kind of
programs we begin to offer our clients.”
ON HER TO-DO LIST NOW
With a baby on the way, she’s searching
for a traveling nanny.
2016
34
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SEPTEMBER 2016
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