Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/964617
January/February 2018 29 H aving started his career at the digital marketing agency, Tribu, Andrew Hoing is accustomed to pace, which is why one of the first things he noticed about the E&S industry was the drop off—in chasing change— when he joined Ace Mart nearly three years ago. "Coming from a more modern agency, it felt a little old school to me," says the Trinity University grad. "Things definitely moved at a slower pace but I think that Ace Mart has been on the cutting-edge of the push to move forward." More on that, but fi rst a little context. A year at the small, trendy marketing agency was enough for Hoing to stockpile competencies in mastering multiple platforms, writing content for blogs and e-books, managing his clients' social media, and analyzing web analytics. So, for him, the lag in progressive web design and functionality in pockets of the industry—both in the manufacturing and distribution sectors—is a glaring indicator of the ground many dealers still need to cover to fuse the retail experience with the conveniences of shopping online. "But, just like I wouldn't want someone to put all millennials in the same category, I don't think all dealers are resistant to change," says Hoing. " ere are some in our industry that are doing some innovative things, particularly the companies that have embraced technology to meet their customers." Ace Mart has quickened the pace considerably with a series of maneuvers to restructure its talent pool and respond to emerging trends. e most recent being its investment in a new 214,000-square-foot distribution center. " at's going to open a lot of doors for us, as far as the type of customers we can work with in fulfi lling bigger orders," says Hoing. "It also will allow us to be more aggressive online and turn around orders more quickly." Growth in the online marketplace is the other area of focus, which has led to a major overhaul of the distributor's website, an increase in product committed to e-sales, and an easier path for customers to purchase online. In Hoing's world—and others grouped in the Next-Gen set—this is what comes to mind when the question of defi ning the critical link is raised. "It's not a new concept, but there's been a shift in the way people purchase," he says. " e critical link is understanding how new generations interact with brands and how they ultimately make purchases. You have to meet them where they are and Ace Mart has done a tremendous job in fi guring out where and how to connect with its customers." What does your morning routine look like? It's nothing out of the ordinary. I come in and say hi to the team. I go through my email. en, I plan and prioritize everything I need to do for the day and get to work. What's your favorite website or favorite app? Professionally, I love reading HubSpot's blog. It's a great resource for marketing best practices and trends. Personally, I enjoy BuzzFeed. Leading distributors would argue that fi nding a way to attract and engage 20-somethings like Hoing is just as critical. When asked what he thought Millennials could bring to the industry, he said, "We interact with brands in a diff erent way than some of our older counterparts—which is not right or wrong. It's just a shift in the reality. Someone who doesn't know the old way of doing things is not tied down to it, so they can challenge the status quo and focus on how the customer can be better served today and tomorrow." "What Works" is the fi rst in a series of new columns on the day-to-day of E&S industry professionals in middle management. Hoing shared a few specifi cs with News & Views on lessons learned, his work environment and facing down fears. THE LIGHTENING ROUND (What's your preference?) Soft skills or hard skills? -Soft Free snacks or monthly planned group activities? -Snacks Snapchat or twitter? -Twitter A great coach or a sense of purpose? -Sense of purpose Data or instincts? -Data Flexible working hours or company-paid vacations? -Vacations Annual review or quarterly reviews? -Quarterly Has your career unfolded the way you expected it to? Not really, although I never had a grand vision for what it would be. Coming out of college, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. For a while, I thought I wanted to work in higher education, which I did for two years. I loved those two years