John Simons, Marketing Manager
Commercial Market The commercial market is the only hope for growth: in particular, the potential in the medical sector. I hope we are around when that market starts to take off. Marketing Department Sales and Marketing, that’s one of the bright spots here. Brian Johnson made a great decision in hiring Catherine Lalonde. She looks toward the future and she also provides our team with the direction we need. R&D Department I hate to have to admit it, but it’s a real mess over there. There seems to be a power struggle between commercial and military. They find it tough to ‘play well with others’… like Marketing … like Manufacturing … like Finance. Military vs. Commercial The potential growth in the military market is limited; commercial is still in the early stages of growth. Yes, we lag the competitors in the commercial side but we have an excellent opportunity to redefine ourselves in a potentially huge market. Roger Thomas and Sam Seto Roger has had a long and successful career here, but he knows that the military market is limited. The younger members of the team on the commercial side draw on his experience … people like Sam. He’s committed, he’s driven and he’s essential to our commercial success.
The Problem I communicate new market information, new opportunities, and areas of interest to both the military and the commercial sector. I think we do a good job, but that’s just me. However, for the rest of the company, the frequency and the quality of that communication, there’s lots of room for improvement. The Solution If communication is the problem, then obviously we have to bring people in to talk. For starters, I would suggest organizing a corporate retreat for all senior and middle managers. I’ve had success with that in the past. Your Role I own three core responsibilities. One, I provide market support for the military and commercial groups; two, I coordinate resources for marketing activities like advertising and promotion; and three, I keep my eyes open for new opportunities.
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