What’s a business without its sales and marketing teams? Utah Business is proud to present the 2022 Sales & Marketers of the Year honorees—individuals who’ve had a measurable impact on their company’s bottom line and are going above and beyond to share their company’s visions with the world.
Matt and Amy Bowman (not pictured)
Co-founders | My Tech High
What sales/marketing advice do you have for other companies and organizations?
To quote Seth Godin, “Be irresistible to a small group of passionate sneezers."
Stephen Fortuna (not pictured)
Digital Marketing Manager | Eddy
What advice would you give to someone who doesn’t think they have the skills needed to be successful in sales or marketing?
Great! Then you’re just like the rest of us. If you ever fully escape the feelings of imposter syndrome, it probably means you’ve become overconfident and have stopped learning. The trick is to let those feelings affect you in the right ways. Use them as a drive to learn new skills, never as an excuse not to try something you don’t feel qualified for.
Mary McBride
VP, Digital Experience & Sales Manager | Bank of Utah
Mary McBride photographed by MANICPROJECT for Utah Business
What sales or marketing project/accomplishment is your company most proud of?
Bank of Utah is very proud of our Expert Blog program. When I’m in a branch, I often hear employees gladly sharing advice with customers. The blog has allowed us to introduce that same friendly voice to people online, helping even more community members improve their financial knowledge, and opening the bank up to a whole new world of marketing opportunities. And it’s just been fun. Our employees quickly figured out how to talk to people in this space, using gummy bears to explain needs vs. wants and even leaving Hamilton “Easter eggs” in a blog about time and money.
Megan Bowen
Owner | Meg B Marketing
Megan Bowen photographed by MANICPROJECT for Utah Business
What sales/marketing advice do you have for other companies and organizations?
Implementing Instagram Reels into my clients’ strategy has been an exciting ride. We recently saw a Reel go viral with over 14M views. From that, my client saw a 70 percent increase in sales, a 5,000 percent increase in website views, and 10,000 new followers. For a small business in Sandy, it seems to be the tipping point for their presence online.
Hadlee Selman
Paid Social Specialist | Overstock.com
Hadlee Selman photographed by MANICPROJECT for Utah Business
What are you looking forward to accomplishing most in 2022?
In 2022, I’m looking forward to testing new opportunities for paid social and display advertising like augmented reality, creative formats, and capitalizing on increased mobile adoption. I’m also excited to continue working on striking content that helps consumers find what they need at Overstock, exactly when they need it.
Jameson Spooner
Director of SEO & Social Marketing | Extra Space Storage
Jameson Spooner photographed by MANICPROJECT for Utah Business
Why were you initially attracted to sales or marketing? Why do you remain there?
I was initially attracted to marketing as a career path my freshman year of college at Utah State University because I had a desire to start my own business. There were no classes focused specifically on that at the time, so the next best thing was to focus on getting a marketing degree. Once I started taking classes and saw the breadth of marketing and all the different possibilities from the creative side to analytics, it really intrigued me to continue my career path in that direction. I remain in marketing because it provides an outlet for creativity, it’s always changing, requires innovation, and you can directly show the impact that your efforts have on the business.
Max Deabler
Director of Marketing and Strategy | Jellyfish Lighting
Max Deabler photographed by MANICPROJECT for Utah Business
What does success look like to you?
Efficiency—which is also one of the biggest lessons that I have learned. Growth in a company can happen extremely quickly, but at what cost? We could’ve grown the company at twice the rate that we have but it would have cost us eight to ten times more than it did. Efficiency can often bring profitability that funds new development.
Julie DeForest
Head of Push, Email & Affiliate Marketing | Overstock.com
Julie Deforest photographed by MANICPROJECT for Utah Business
Why were you initially attracted to sales or marketing? Why do you remain there?
My junior year of high school, I took a brand marketing class. That semester we ideated, prototyped, pitched, analyzed, and marketed breakfast cereals, music technologies, and startup companies. It covered a lot of subject matter, and I loved every moment. I became a passionate marketer-to-be.
Sierra Forsberg
Director of Marketing | Kirton McConkie
Sierra Forsberg photographed by MANICPROJECT for Utah Business
Why were you initially attracted to sales or marketing? Why do you remain there?
I see myself as a strategically creative problem solver, and what drew me to marketing is just that. You must solve a problem creatively and strategically through the creation of narratives that best speak to your target audience. And if done right through effective marketing, you breathe life into brands and products while impacting the lives of consumers at the same time. I stay in marketing because it’s one of the few professions where creativity is valued and needed, and despite the weight of endless data, we can use our intuition.
John Huntinghouse
VP of Marketing | TAB Bank
John Huntinghouse photographed by MANICPROJECT for Utah Business
What advice would you give to someone who doesn’t think they have the skills needed to be successful in sales or marketing?
First, I would tell them that their premise is simply wrong. Everyone in the world has the ability to learn the skills it takes to be a good marketer. That being said, I would ask if they are teachable. Everyone says that they are teachable, but listening to something and agreeing with it is only one part of that. Implementing new information, failing to do so, and persevering until you find a way is where the real learning comes. Along with this, I would remind them that not all advice carries equal weight. Be selective with whose feedback you accept.
Micah Johnston
Marketing & Business Development Director | Strong & Hanni
Micah Johnston photographed by MANICPROJECT for Utah Business
What are the challenges/rewards of working in sales or marketing that might surprise people outside of the profession?
I started at Strong & Hanni over a decade ago with no legal marketing experience. The lack of experience was a challenge and an advantage. It gave me fresh eyes and ideas of how to grow and promote a law firm. One of the greatest rewards over this time has been the ability to transform a typical group of lawyers—who are naturally tentative at marketing—into a group that has had incredible year-over-year-over-year growth.
Garrett Jestice
Chief Marketing Officer | Eddy
Garrett Jestice photographed by MANICPROJECT for Utah Business
What’s the most exciting campaign that you’ve worked on?
Our team at Eddy recently launched a free community for small business HR professionals called HR Mavericks that focuses on “democratizing HR,” or making HR best practices freely available to those who need them most. In a few short months, it has grown to include hundreds of members, an active Q&A forum, and an HR Encyclopedia with 250+ articles on HR topics. The thing I’ve loved the most, though, has been the positive reception by the HR community. When you can create something that really makes a difference in someone’s life, it’s so rewarding.
Sable Lindquist
Sr. Director, Product Marketing | Lucid Software
Sable Lindquist photographed by MANICPROJECT for Utah Business
What does sales/marketing look like to you in a post-Covid world?
We’re heading into a new era where the way that we work will change. A lot has already changed, and the shift to remote and hybrid work is here to stay. It will be more important than ever for go-to-market teams to be on the same page, with a clear purpose, and shared understanding. Silos and miscommunication that used to happen in-person are made even more prominent when remote. These teams need to feel connected, even when they are many miles apart. These changes have also impacted those purchasing our products—we need to understand the customer journey and how their post-Covid world impacts how they purchase.
Katy Sine
Taste Utah Producer, Director & Host | Utah Restaurant Association
Katy Sine photographed by MANICPROJECT for Utah Business
What’s the most exciting campaign that you’ve worked on?
I love working on Taste Utah—it’s a comprehensive campaign that includes commercials encouraging people to “Eat Out Often,” paired with education about new restaurant features on ABC’s Good Things Utah, a successful social media presence, and an Emmy award winning television series airing on ABC that highlights the food and restaurant community in Utah. The campaign allows for supporting our restaurants, food providers and growers, and consumers. It also brands Utah as a dining destination.
Zach Winegar
SVP Marketing & Member Engagement | America First Credit Union
Zach Winegar photographed by MANICPROJECT for Utah Business
What advice would you give to someone who doesn’t think they have the skills needed to be successful in sales or marketing?
Remember that everyone has to start somewhere. Nobody is born with all of the skills they’ll need to do marketing—or anything else for that matter. Those have to be gained through experience and exposure. I believe the most important thing to have is a desire to be a part of something you love. You can always build skills and knowledge if you have the interest and the drive. I also believe you’re never truly done developing your professional skills—especially in today’s rapidly changing world. You need to love what you do, stay curious, and always be on the lookout for new ways to do things if you want to keep your skills relevant.
Josh Webber
Co-founder | Big Red Jelly
Josh Webber photographed by MANICPROJECT for Utah Business
Why were you initially attracted to sales or marketing? Why do you remain there?
Marketing and sales exemplifies the perfect mixture of creativity with analytics and algorithms. In this respect, the area continues to stretch my professional boundaries—both creatively and within processes and learning. I feel strongly that at the end of the day, we are all very emotional creatures. We buy on emotion, and support our decisions with “logic.”
Joseph Jenkins
VP of Sales | Eddy
Joseph Jenkins photographed by MANICPROJECT for Utah Business
What are the challenges/rewards of working in sales or marketing that might surprise people outside of the profession?
Sales is a very intellectual and altruistic profession when motivated by helping customers discover and solve their biggest business problems. The challenge of navigating complexities, politics, and objections with a prospect is a grind, but totally worth the effort to help them implement products that change the course of their company for good.
Eric Smart
Key Account Manager | OptConnect
Eric Smart photographed by MANICPROJECT for Utah Business
Why were you initially attracted to sales or marketing? Why do you remain there?
I was attracted to sales because it was something I had never done before. My first sales job was selling tires, and I liked being able to talk to prospective buyers, discuss their needs, and come up with a solution. I have remained in sales because I enjoy interacting with my customers and I like that every day presents new challenges and situations. I also really like that I have the freedom to think outside-of-the-box and the power to tailor solutions for my customers.
McClain Smith
Director, Commercial New Logo | Lucid Software
Maclain Smith photographed by MANICPROJECT for Utah Business
What are you looking forward to accomplishing most in 2022?
I’m looking forward to seeing each one of our team members hit their number both collectively and individually. There’s nothing better than seeing individuals—one by one—hit their number and experience success. It’s a huge part of why I do what I do. At the end of the day, everything that we do revolves around people. If we lose sight of that, we’ve missed the mark.
To learn more about our 2022 SAMY Award winners, check out the YouTube playlist below and find additional photos from our event for download here: