PPB May 2021

It helps our ownership group build their tribal economy, preserve language and culture, and promote environmental stewardship,” says Haspert. “Our customers care about supplier diversity. But ultimately, that is a cherry on top. We still have to deliver the best product and have the best service.” Haspert, who started her career in finance, was working in a business group when she had an aha moment with a teammember who encouraged her to go back to school to pursue her MBA. “I was telling her how I wanted her job. She was leading the team, setting the vision and [was] responsible for the financial results of that organization,” says Haspert. “I was asking about her path and how she got there, and she told me she went back to get her MBA. That really crystallized for me how to lead an organization.” After earning her degree, Haspert went on to lead businesses for consumer-packaged goods company, General Mills, for seven years. Through a recruiter, Haspert found Foxtrot. “I never really knew about the promotional products industry before,” she says. “I mean, I knew about it, but I didn’t realize that it was an enormous industry, supporting so many people and jobs.” When she joined the company, Haspert says she felt like she was getting a crash course in the promotional market. “This industry is filled with crazy-creative people who have an entrepreneurial spirit and I love that. I’ve enjoyed seeing campaigns that other companies create, and the interesting ways they’ve solved problems for customers is really inspirational,” she says. Straightaway, Haspert also felt the industry was filled with professionals supporting collective growth. “Being a relative newcomer, everyone I’ve reached out to has been so welcoming and willing to share information, even if we are technically competitors. Everybody seems to be really focused on making sure that the industry keeps growing.” For Haspert, 2020 was the most challenging year of her career. “Like so many distributors, we moved quickly to respond to changing market conditions,” she says. “You couldn’t just tread water. We reimagined what we wanted our business to look like and put plans and processes in place to get there.” Haspert says the pandemic helped cement Foxtrot’s mission of focusing on selling company stores. “The consumer shift to online purchasing will definitely benefit us in the long run, and most of our business is already there. This pandemic forced us to reevaluate and reeducate our sales team in selling these online stores. I don’t want to say it was fun, but it was a fun challenge for me because I enjoy long-term, big-picture thinking. We had to balance our growth mindset with the realities of running a business during a pandemic while managing our cash and inventory levels.” Being honored as one of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal ’s 2021 40 Under 40 honorees came as a fun surprise to Haspert. She says it was never a goal, but for 2021, she is focusing on being an even better leader. “Our company works best when I set the vision and then get out of the way,” says Haspert. “It’s so tempting to focus on the details and work in the business versus working on The Foxtrot leadership team volunteers at a food distribution event last winter. “It’s so tempting to focus on the details and work in the business versus working on the business. That’s a constant focus area of mine. How do I continue to set the vision, set expectations and define the sandbox that we want our teams to play in?” —Jill Haspert | MAY 2021 | 87 CONNECT