Rising Stars | FEATURE Hilary Barnes, 29 Field Sales Manager PCNA Greater Toronto Area Getting Started In the summer between her third and fourth year at university, she met with a family friend who was talking about her job as an account manager at a distributorship. The friend needed someone to assist with day-to-day tasks, so Barnes helped out that summer. After graduating, she joined the industry full-time. Earning The Honor Barnes has been recognized by PCNA for the best performance by a person who is new to the outside sales organization. “She is a champion amongst her peers in our technical platforms and is eager to share her knowledge to ultimately help her teammates,” says nominator Emily Douglas. Proudest Moment? “My proudest career moment would probably be this right now, being a part of the PPAI Rising Stars. But previous to this, my first year at PCNA, as a field sales manager, I was awarded Rookie of the Year, which goes to highest growth in sales for a new employee that year. And it was actually in 2020, which was a very challenging year for all. So I was very proud of that accomplishment.” How Do You Achieve Work/Life Balance? “I try to keep a normal schedule in terms of keeping that 9-to-5, or 8-to-4, whatever it may be. It’s hard with working from home. When I’m catching up on emails after a long day, I try to step away, close my laptop and revisit in the morning. I try no tot be one of those people who opens up my laptop after dinner.” How Does PCNA Support You? “We have a learning and development program at PCNA run by a couple of our leaders. It’s not just about learning about what products or brand we’re launching. It’s a lot about internal professional development. There’s a mentor program, and it’s all volunteer based. So, if you really want to grow your skillset as an account manager or a salesperson, whatever it may be, we’ve got lots of programs in place to basically learn, home in on a skill or develop a new skill.” What Innovations Are Needed In The Industry? “A digital innovation that I think is coming that a lot of us are trying to improve or develop is the order entry in order processing. Basically, the ability to place purchase orders right through our website.” How Do You Define Corporate Social Responsibility In The Industry? “Corporate, social and environmental responsibility have a huge personal level of importance to me because the statistics are out there. The earth is warming. I have a lot of life to live, and I want the earth to be here for my generation and generations that follow me. I’m fortunate that my company is on the forefront of CSR and hoping to push the industry together on it as a whole.” | SEPTEMBER 2022 | 17
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