Julie Pritchard, vice president, sales and marketing of Norcross, Georgia-based DemandBridge had no intentions of entering the printing industry; it was an accident. Armed with a degree in accounting, Pritchard was initially hired by a software company to implement accounting software programs.
"A forms distributor moved into our office space, and through that affiliation, we learned that it was an industry starving for a strong, multi-user accounting application," she remarked. "We took all of our experience in developing distribution and accounting software and built TopForm, which was later rebranded as DemandBridge."
Here, Pritchard explains more about herself, the business and its future.
Print Professional (PP): Tell us about your background. Where did you grow up?
Julie Pritchard (JP): I grew up in the city of New Orleans, which probably couldn't have been more different than the rest of the country. We had our own cuisine, Creole and Cajun, our own law, the Napoleonic Code, and our own language. Sidewalks were banquettes, a median (that patch of land that divides a roadway) was called a neutral ground and lagniappe meant a little something extra thrown in, like artwork in a print job. Of course, we never thought of ourselves being that different. I believe I was probably 15 before I learned that Mardi Gras wasn't a national holiday.
PP: Describe your business style.
JP: I am a degreed accountant with an occupation in sales. They tell me that makes me an accountant with a personality.
PP: What is the best business advice you have ever received?
JP: Stop and think. If what you are about to do doesn't have the potential of either generating revenue or helping someone, don't do it. Certainly don't waste your time complaining or looking back.
PP: What are your greatest business accomplishments and disappointments?
JP: I guess as a salesperson, I should describe the big sale to one of the largest distributors in the country that took years to close, where the customer actually signed with another company and I still didn't give up because I knew we had the best solution. ... However, instead, I really need to go way back because few of my accomplishments, big or small, would have come to fruition had I not taken the initiative to attend college at night for eight years to get my accounting degree. It is from that accomplishment that I take a great deal of satisfaction and it certainly set in motion my 25 [year] career here at DemandBridge.
As far as disappointments, like I said earlier, I don't waste time looking back.
PP: What is the secret to your success?
JP: I don't believe it is a secret. Hard work and loving what you do certainly puts you on the right path for success. As a salesperson, I consider my tenacity to have been a very important trait. However, there were also some very important mentors who helped me greatly.
PP: What do you think is the most exciting, cutting-edge thing your company is doing right now?
JP: With DB Enterprise and DB Certified and the soon-to-be-released Sourcing Bench, we are providing the technology for real partnerships between our distributor clients and their enterprise customers, on one end, and their manufacturing partners on the other. With the strength of these partnerships and the efficiencies gained by our technology, we are intervening in what might be the print industry's biggest challenge in the next few years: overcoming disintermediation.
PP: What is the best part of your business day?
JP: Cocktail hour.
PP: What would people be surprised to learn about you?
JP: If you knew me, you might be surprised that my sister was in the convent and my brother was in the seminary and that I was on the New Orleans Saints' dance and drill team.