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A
s executive vice president
for distributor American
Solutions For Business, Justin
Zavadil is likely an expert at
wrangling—something he’s also
come to practice at home as the
owner of three horses, a Great
Dane and, this spring, a flock of
sheep. He and his wife, Alisha,
are also parents to three-year-old
daughter Willow, and they live
near company headquarters in
Glenwood, Minnesota.
“When I’m not traveling for
work, I tend to be a homebody,”
says Zavadil. “I love University of
Minnesota sports, and I attend
most football and basketball
games when I can.” Zavadil is
also an avid outdoorsman, and is
co-owner of a bar along with his
brother on the U of M campus,
which he bellies up to whenever
he’s in Minneapolis.
Meanwhile, back at
headquarters, Zavadil shares
what a typical day is like for him
as a member of the ASB team.
What was your first job
in the industry, and
what did you learn that
has helped you in your
work today?
My dad started ASB in 1981, so
I have been around the industry
my whole life. The first job I had
was stuffing envelopes for a print
job for the local hospital when
I was six. We had to stuff the
return envelopes into the main
envelopes. It was my brother,
sister and me, and probably
not the pinnacle of quality
control. As a high school student,
I worked in the ASB mailroom,
warehouse, on the maintenance
crew and did some data-entry
work. These jobs were important
for me to learn how the company
works and to get an idea of how
all the pieces work together.
After college, I was an ASB
sales associate for four years
before I started a commercial real
estate development company
with my brother and a friend. In
2008, I returned to the ASB home
office, and my brother continues
to run the real estate company.
How long have
you served in your
current role, and what
are your primary
responsibilities?
I have been the executive vice
president for about a year and
a half. I work with the senior
leadership team on a daily basis
to achieve the strategic goals we
set for the company.
Howdoyoucollaborate
withyour coworkerson
adailybasis?
Every day is different inmy
world. After Expo in January,
I traveled to Orlando to work
an exhibit with one of our sales
associates at the Ben and Jerry’s
National [Franchisee] Conference.
I amon the road about a third of
the time, working with customers,
sales associates and vendors, and
recruiting new sales associates and
groups. When I am in Glenwood, I
amworking with the different vice
presidents and their leaders on key
projects and integrations.
Collaboration is easy, because
Jus t i n Zavad i l
Justin Zavadil
helps his team
keep American
Solutions For
Business in
the race.
by
Jen Alexander
Galloping
Toward Success
Justin Zavadil enjoys a silly moment with his wife, Alisha, and their
daughter Willow, at home in Glenwood, Minnesota.
Photo by Stacy Kron Photography
90
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MARCH 2017
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