This spring marked a culmination of bittersweet moments for longtime Advantage associate Fiore Fischetti, as he celebrated his 50th anniversary with the company in April, followed by his retirement in May.
Fischetti, a brand sales manager in the metro New York region, joined the business in April 1973 as a retail merchandiser with the Ken J. Pezrow sales agency, which was acquired by Advantage in 1999.
As he leaves the company for his next adventure, Fischetti looked back fondly on his time here. “I have been part of a great company and great teams, comprised of our greatest asset — our associates and the people who I have been proud to be a team member along with for these 50 years,” he said.
Jack Pestello, chief operating officer, branded services, Advantage Solutions, congratulated Fischetti, saying, “When I think about the thousands of people you’ve connected with, the decades of goals you’ve achieved, the hundreds of associates you’ve influenced and made better by your example, your dedication and service, I’m inspired to do more and do it better. Thank you for all you’ve done for our company, our clients and customers and your colleagues, I wish you many happy years of new discoveries and joyful memory-making.”
Fischetti spoke with us on the eve of his retirement to talk about his long and varied career at Advantage, what he’ll miss most and what he’s looking forward to next. Here are excerpts from that conversation.
How did you begin your career at Advantage?
I started by joining Ken J. Pezrow in metro New York on April 9, 1973, as a retail sales merchandiser out of college after working part-time through high school and college in the A&P supermarket chain. I guess grocery got into my blood.
What was your career journey like, with Pezrow and then Advantage?
After a few years of retail merchandising experience, I received my first of many promotions, rising to retail supervisor in 1978 and field sales manager in 1980. My first tenure in retail ended when I was promoted again in 1981 to headquarter sales account manager calling on a still-current customer, Key Food. After several years of gaining sales experience, Grand Union and Gristedes were added to my customer base, and in 1985, I was promoted to calling on Wakefern/Shoprite, which was then and still is today our largest customer in the metro New York market.
I made a move to the CPG business in the early 90s when I was named account executive and then Pezrow’s senior vice president of account executives, overseeing all of our client businesses, including one of our largest clients, Glad Plastics (now owned by First Brands).
In 1994, I returned to retail (my first love) as vice president of retail for the metro New York market, and after several years of gaining managerial experience, my role expanded geographically in 1998 to include the entire Pezrow marketing area in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic regions. The following year, Pezrow became part of Advantage, where I retained those responsibilities before being named to lead the Unilever dedicated retail team, and later managing the perishables business for the metro New York region, which I’ve done up until my retirement.
What was it that kept you at Advantage all these years?
Both companies — Pezrow and Advantage — recognized my efforts and results and rewarded me with greater responsibility and financial compensation over all those years, and each worked with me to successfully maintain my sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. It was not just a job, but a career I had.
I believe in what Mark Twain wrote: “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
What was one of your biggest career highlights?
While joining Advantage in 1999, I was part of a much larger effort to help bring this company together as one. The retail team that I was part of was the first national team to be created, and we were told by our founding leadership that our performance and ability to work together was instrumental and crucial to the national roll-up that transpired afterwards. I have to say it was pretty important and very cool that I was personally able to work with and be on a first-name basis with [Advantage founder] Sonny King and [former CEO] Tanya Domier and to help create an entity that has since gone public with over $4 billion in revenue.
You must have experienced a lot of change in the business during your career.
The consolidation in the 90s, where clients went from 56 sales agencies across the country to one national agency. That was huge.
Also, technology. I can still remember doing my job without a computer or cell phone, going from corresponding first through phone or mail, to fax, to email and to text. Hand writing deals and purchase orders made you keenly aware of your sales responsibility on a personal level.
Today, both the customer and how we sell to them and the consumer and how we market to them have changed. Personal interaction with clients and customers is more limited, because we interact more more now through either a portal or an email. Successful salespeople today have to find a way to break down these barriers to set themselves and their company apart from the competition. Meanwhile, the consumer has changed in the reverse direction, going from a mass interaction such as TV or FSI to a much more personal relationship and interaction through direct customized marketing via an email or a text to their cell phone while actually doing their shopping in-store.
What’s next for you in your retirement?
It will certainly be an adjustment, but I’m looking forward to it. I’ll have to learn how to do the things that I enjoy, but never seemed to have the time for. Even simple things like reading for pleasure. I like to follow the stock market, do some trading. Travel more. And of course, spend more time with my family. My wife and I have three grown children and three grandkids. My youngest daughter is getting married this year. I also have older siblings I’d like to spend more time with.
And I’ll keep an eye on Advantage and the company’s continued growth. If the company continues on the path I’m seeing, with the new leadership in particular, good things are going to keep happening. I’m happy that I’ve been a part of this company, and I’m excited for its future.
Thank you, Fiore. Congratulations on a remarkable career and best of luck in your retirement!