PPB October 2019

Jodie Schillinger, CAS Vice President Maple Ridge Farms Mosinee, Wisconsin Years managing others: 15 Why she was nominated: “Jodie has always been approachable and considerate, open with praise and tactful with constructive criticism,” says her nominator Shana Gardner, who has reported to Schillinger for 10 years. “She works hard to make every employee feel appreciated and help them find the best way to do their job—even if it’s changing the job description. She’s open to and encourages lateral thinking, but also provides guidance when someone is struggling and spurs employees to improve their skills and themselves. I’ve worked hard to model my managerial style after her example. She’s an inspiration to me to constantly strive higher.” Jodie’s insights on her best boss: Tom Riordan [company president] set the standard in everything he did for the customer: how he approached the customer, thought about their needs, how to make it a win-win for customer/company and how to communicate it. He taught the philosophy behind the approach when working with customers vs. teaching the sale and the win. I feel I learned how to do that for our internal teams at MRF. Her advice for managing others: Be open, genuine, real and honest. With this, we trust in one another and focus on strengths. Organically we shift to an innate sense of accountability, which is followed by empowerment. The best way to be a great leader is to be a great person. It’s natural and simple to treat people the way you would like to be treated. Jodie Schillinger, CAS, left, with her direct report and nominator Shana Gardner. Steven Stanley Director of Technology ePromos Promotional Products, Inc. St. Cloud, Minnesota Years managing others: eight Why he was nominated: “Steven does not micromanage and is always open to change, especially when it improves our organization, roles and/or productivity,” says Michael Jolly, one of five nominators. “He is open to furthering our education and training, while also remaining flexible with working hours and responsibilities. I also enjoy how well established our responsibilities and delegations are but he’s never afraid to get his hands dirty with troubleshooting and fixing code when he can or needs to.” Steven’s insights on his best boss: My current boss, Steve Paradiso, has taken a vested interest in my growth as a manager while being a sounding board for my personal life as well. He has given me the freedom to build the IT department to support our business needs. His best advice for managing others: Trust your team. Answer questions and empower them to make decisions. Steven Stanley, right, with one of his five nominators, Michael Jolly. 36 | OCTOBER 2019 | FEATURE | Best Bosses Of 2019