2019 Women in Print and Promo: Emily Myers, BCSI

EMILY MYERS
Vice President of Sales and Marketing, BCSI, Burnsville, Minn.

How she got her start: I became involved in the print industry my freshman year of college, doing graphic design at the Winona State University Publications Office and working closely with the print shop. During my years in Winona, Minn., I also worked at Vision Design Group, helping with brand design and sales. After college, I attended a job fair and became BCSI’s first sales associate. BCSI is a family-owned, trade-only printer of corporate identity products, founded in 1954. The company was growing rapidly in the late ’90s, so it needed help keeping up with new opportunities. I’ve grown along with BCSI into my current role.

What she does: I have a lot of variety in my current role. Most importantly, I work to grow BCSI’s sales by collaborating with our distributors and doing anything I can to help them win new business. This includes education, pricing, samples, tours and ideas/solutions. I collaborate with our internal production, implementation and customer support teams to find solutions to customers’ needs. I also get to use my creativity, writing content and designing samples to be used in our marketing collateral.

What brings her joy professionally and personally: The relationships I’ve made in our industry bring me the most joy. I love to help sales reps and distributors find solutions for their customers and to help them [be] efficient and successful. Overall, I’m most happy when I’m working hard and meeting the needs of the people in my life.

Her proudest career achievement: My first career achievement is that I have a successful career, while also raising four children, including a set of twins. Cheers to all of you hardworking moms out there! Also, I’m proud of all the new partnerships BCSI has made over the past three years. We have been working extra hard to grow back our business after unexpectedly losing a significant percentage of our sales, resulting from acquisitions of our largest distributors by a competitor. I’ve truly enjoyed the opportunity to focus on communicating the benefits of our program to a wider audience, and it’s rewarding to see our sales climbing! I’m proud to be part of the entire BCSI team. They are all dedicated and customer-focused, and they work tirelessly to continually improve our customers’ experience.

On working in a traditionally male-dominated industry: I honestly don’t feel that I’ve been faced with many challenges as a result of being a woman in a male-dominated industry. I’m happy to say that the “good ol’ boys” have always been good to me.

Her job advice to women: Our industry is rewarding if you enjoy relationships, creativity, hard work and lots of multitasking. My advice would be to find a company that shares your values. BCSI has been a fit for me because the owners are ethical and they value family and teamwork. Also, ask your colleagues and suppliers for guidance and education. This industry is full of caring people who are glad to provide advice and knowledge to anyone who wants to learn.

Who she turns to for career advice: I’m grateful for so many people who have helped and guided me in our industry. Too many to count!

Her upcoming goals: My goal is to continue growing BCSI’s sales by strengthening our partnerships. BCSI’s capabilities stretch far beyond business cards, and we are rapidly growing our business by providing solutions for a large spectrum of digitally printed products. Personally, I’m hoping to spend more quality time with my family and friends and maybe try to relax more, if I can figure out how to do that.

How she maintains a work/life balance: My work and family life are both fast-paced, so they often seem to blur together into one. There’s never a dull moment! The key for me is to stay positive, keep smiling and not to take myself too seriously. Also, I’m always eager to learn about ways technology can help me communicate better, prioritize and maintain my schedule.

Read the complete Women in Print and Promo feature here.