tED Publisher, Scott Costa, recently reached out to our former 30 Under 35 award winners with an interesting topic:
“For years, we have talked about Millennials becoming up to 70% of the workforce by 2023. While that is still on track, what is a bit unexpected is the number of higher-level executives who are retiring sooner than expected. As a result, Millennials are not just in the workforce. They are leading the workforce, taking on higher level roles, and they are doing it during a time of massive transition.
“So, I am reaching out to you. I am looking for your vision of the future. It has changed so radically over the last 5 months that I am interested in your view. Where do you see this supply chain in 3 years? What about 5? What about in 2030?”
This response came to us from 2020 30 Under 35 winner, Casey Moffit, Account Representative at Viking Electric:
“Innovation. Innovation should be a buzz word… buzz word is a word, but I digress.
“Generally, when I think of innovation, I associate invention, e.g., the light bulb. Today’s markets, and ultimately life, is driven by innovation. Yes, in the sense of invention—new products and things to make life and work easier—but also changing, improving, and adapting current approaches. Clearly COVID-19 has pressed the change in nearly everything we do. But innovation was the driving force of competition prior to the pandemic. Specifically to our industry, offering a quality product or service is not enough. Meeting a quality ‘standard’ is the benchmark or bare minimum needed to be competitive. Venders are racing to improve or create new products, to cut costs and labor. The years of only requiring a job well done are long gone. Work techniques and materials need to be constantly under the microscope, to either cut production or labor costs. In today’s extremely competitive markets, quality alone does not cut it and that will not change. Innovation is a helpful tool to rise above. Offering more than the ‘standard’—looking outside the box—is key to standing out.
“Today, virtual tools are being more utilized than ever (duh!). But arguably that is not a new circumstance. Yes, industries are using web meetings and digital tools at a record rate, but most of these tools are not new. In our industry, vendors, distributors, and contractors are competing for attention and time - and using or promoting digital tools. But just having, offering, and using digital tools is not enough. Most of us, and our customers, already have plenty of options when it comes to adequate digital resources to complete our tasks. The challenge today is how to make your digital tools stand out. Promoting quality digital tools is only meeting the bare minimum—innovation and new ideas are the means of standing out and overcoming the competition. Quality advertising is the bare minimum (getting attention and sales)—new approaches are what drive excellence. The idea is that innovation is the key to thriving in nearly any profession.“
View more 30 Under 35 responses here.