Under 40: Kelsey Konrad, Independent Printing Co. Inc.

Kelsey Konrad, 32
Online Marketing Manager
Independent Printing Co. Inc., De Pere, Wis.

Kelsey Konrad is a proud graduate of St. Norbert College, with a degree in graphic design. However, it wasn’t until finishing a yearlong e-business internship during her senior year that she realized she much preferred the marketing side of online business to the design side. Konrad spent a few years developing her skills before signing on as an online marketing specialist at Independent Printing Co., now a division of Midlothian, Texas-based Ennis Inc.

“I joined an already-accomplished team, and I was determined to bring them even more success through my unique set of skills and experience,” Konrad said.

And that she did. She built an email marketing program from the ground up, and it’s still thriving.

Why she loves the industry: I think everyone in this industry would agree when I say there is a lot of satisfaction in the services we provide in helping another business succeed. Not all industries come with the feel-good factor, and I’m thankful to have found a home in one that does.

Age roadblocks and advantages: Patience is certainly a virtue that challenges the very core of my generation, the millennials. Our non-complacent, fast-paced tendencies can be both a blessing and a curse. I believe our insatiable desire for success will take us very far, but not overnight as we’d prefer.

Like most other millennials, I seek meaningful work. I want to feel my work has had a positive impact on others, and the ‘helping another business succeed’ service provided by the print industry does just that.

Her biggest career influence: Brock O’Leary—Brock was the hiring manager who brought me on board with Independent Printing Inc. Brock saw great success of his own in growing businesses online, but saw a gap in skills on his team and hired me to fill it. From day one, our relationship was a very collaborative one. He learned from me as much as I learned from him. As a result of his unyielding trust and confidence in the people he hired, we went on to see several years of successful sales growth.

Her most meaningful business accomplishment: I successfully built an email marketing program from ground zero that is still thriving to this day. It consists of several automated campaigns that require little-to-no human interaction, and has secured new sales, increased average order value and improved the lifetime value of our customers.

Her differentiating factor: I make it a point to keep an open mind when it comes to change. It’s easy to reject anything that threatens what we’re comfortable with and used to. I’ve found the more fluid I can be when things like technology or the economy change, the faster I’m able to adapt.

What she does for fun: [I love to] travel. Be it across the globe or across the county line, I like to get out and explore new places and, more specifically, new food.

Read the complete list of Print+Promo Under 40 honorees here.