PPB September 2018

DustinWicks, 37 Director of Business Development The Vernon Company D ustin Wicks started his career in computer software before making the unlikely move to promotional products. After graduating college, he joined a software startup and helped build it into a viable operation before selling a portion of the business. Ready to move on, and with an uncle in the promotional products business, in 2007 he went to work selling calendars for supplier Norwood, which was eventually acquired by BIC Graphic. A year and a half ago, he joined distributor The Vernon Company in Newton, Iowa. “We have given him the responsibility to work closely with our best account executives as well as our best customers and suppliers,” says nominator Dave Regan, MAS, Vernon’s director of sales. “He has done a terrific job in a very short period of time. No stage is too big or small. He is a leader and a team player who is able to pull people together to find common goals and then work to develop and execute plans to get the goals accomplished.” Regan says Wicks has also been charged with looking at all aspects of the 116-year- old family business. “He is not shy about constructively criticizing things that don’t look right,” adds Regan. “And, he is equally adept at offering up solutions to improve the very processes he criticized. Many people are good at one or the other, but it is a special person who can do both and bring people together in the process.” His Inspiration Anybody with passion for what they do inspires me. Early on in my career, I was focused on making as much money as possible, but I met a professor in school who was responsible for my decision to focus on business. He told me that he became a professor after leaving a tech company making more money than most would see in their lifetime because he didn’t have passion for the work. He wanted to help others achieve their own version of success—something that inspires me to this day. Best Advice My best advice was given to me in a speech we received in school from a former CEO. “Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling five balls. You name the balls work, family, health, friends and spirit. You’ll eventually understand that work is a rubber ball—if you drop it, it’ll bounce back. But the other four balls—family, health, friends and spirit—are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they’ll be permanently damaged or even shattered. Always strive for balance in your life.” ChangesHe’d Like To See Buyers will continue to become more demanding as buying processes outside of our industry continue to become easier. We’ll need to mimic this change and work to increase efficiencies and reduce redundancies through the ordering process of the supply chain. Blockchain and other decentralized ledgers, along with machine learning, will become necessary tools of implementation, and those that adopt these changes will dominate the promotional landscape. FEATURE | Rising Stars 48 | SEPTEMBER 2018 |