PPB September 2018

Rising Stars | FEATURE Her Inspiration The approximately 300 employees at Gold Bond. All of them have families, birthdays, life moments like weddings and broken bones—kids going to college, dream homes, vacations, cars. None of that can happen until I lock in an order that requires their support in production, art, warehousing and order entry. I would do anything to not let those people down. TheNext 24 Months I have a deep-rooted passion for the way we nurture our clients. That means constantly evolving who we are and what we do—then pushing the envelope on what has not yet been done. Technology is an arena that will change the way we interact with and serve our clients, such as sending text message updates on orders and other proactive tactics that make life easier for distributors. Best Advice Constantly self-assess. If you’re struggling, ask for help. If you have an idea of how to make your enterprise even more electrifying, give productive feedback. If you can find a way to take yourself out and stand on the outside looking in, ask yourself, where is my value the greatest? When you start locking in on what that looks like, you’ll be able to pave your own path. Britney Godsey, 30 Vice President of Sales Gold Bond B efore Britney Godsey joined supplier Gold Bond in 2010 in sales support, she was a promotional products buyer for three Tennessee locations of a national restaurant chain. The job not only taught her the value of promotional products but also helped leverage her creativity in developing client programs. However, it’s her enthusiasm, energy, confidence and ability to be memorable that has won her fans over the past eight years, ranging from clients and coworkers to business services partners and even her own competitors. Eleven industry pros nominated Godsey as a Rising Star, including Cathy Cummings, director of strategic development for The Magnet Group, who met her while managing the supplier relations department for a large distributor group. She was immediately impressed with Godsey’s outgoing personality, determination and drive to succeed. When Gold Bond was looking for a national sales manager, Godsey wanted the job but had no experience managing people. So, she read books, listened to podcasts, studied on the web and observed other managers—and got the job. She built a powerful sales team in less than a year. Then she set her sights on her next goal to become VP of sales. She nowmanages more than 40 individuals including inside sales, outside sales and customer service—and spends much of her time on the road to ensure satisfied customers. Godsey is also highly skilled at using social media to improve her personal brand and her company’s, and as a result is quickly becoming the face of Gold Bond. | SEPTEMBER 2018 | 33