Dear Advantage Associates,
The actor Denzel Washington once said, “I say ‘luck’ is when an opportunity comes along and you’re prepared for it.” Well, I count myself as blessed, lucky and prepared for this opportunity.
I am thrilled to be joining the Advantage team and look forward to meeting as many of you as possible. When I worked in grocery retail, I was a customer of Advantage and, from my days in the beer industry, I understand the challenges that come with building brands. I understand the importance of a service-first culture where clients and customers are prioritized regardless of status, position or anything else we use to “classify” people.
When you join a company, you adopt as part of yourself the “brand” the company represents — just as the company you join adopts you as part of its brand. I am committed to ensuring each of you has a great experience at Advantage and that experience translates into winning for our clients and customers.
We all come with beliefs that are rooted in our lived experience. I believe in the power of people, in the audacity of operating in collaboration with teammates with a common will to win and in the idea that everyone who works at or with Advantage should feel they are better for the experience and part of a community. There is nothing like being on a winning team.
I want to acknowledge Sonny King, Tanya Domier and Jill Griffin for building and stewarding a great company with a culture for and history of winning. It’s my goal to continue to enhance the winning culture that you all represent through teamwork and an unrelenting commitment to our clients and customers.
I learned firsthand during the pandemic just how unimportant I was as president of a grocery chain, but how critical our baggers, checkers, stockers and clerks were to our customers. It was this experience that codified my belief that a good leader supports the team that actually makes things happen for clients and customers.
Please watch this quick introductory video and know I’m looking forward to winning with you, doing whatever I can to help you be the best version of yourself and creating opportunity for growth as we work to help our clients and customers build their businesses.
Winning Together,
Dave