Mariebeth (pronounced “Mary Beth”) Marsh joined TKXS’ Raleigh office in April 2020 as marketing programs director.
1. What is your role at TKXS?
I review, standardize and improve upon our marketing programs process – in anticipation of changing trends in the ag industry. My team works with clients to analyze, translate, and manage incentive programs for distributors, retailers, and growers. However, since the way our customers need to go to market is always changing, a large part of what we do is work to identify trends and ways to quickly shift course for our clients’ benefit.
2. What drew you to this business?
Although I didn’t grow up in ag, I was born and raised in Indiana, surrounded by corn and soybean fields. In high school, I had the chance to attend a fascinating plant DNA class at Purdue University’s Ag Day. That really sparked my interest. I ended up pursuing a degree in Agronomic Business and Marketing at Purdue.
What drew me to TKXS is a bit different. For years, I was a TKXS client, and I loved it. There’s a great feeling of culture when you walk into the office. Everyone has great ideas and solutions and asks very thoughtful questions. When my employer went through a merger that might require me relocating, I wondered whether there might be an opportunity for me at TKXS. I reached out to Diana Henderson. There are not a lot of women in the ag space who have garnered the respect she has, and she confirmed that working for TKXS is every bit as satisfying as working with TKXS.
At the time, it was kind of crazy. A lot of people were losing their jobs because of the pandemic, and I was going to quit mine? But that leap has already paid off. I love my new position. No regrets!
3. What advice do you wish you’d been given early in your career?
People give criticism from their unique viewpoint, which may or may not apply to your situation. But even things that may be hard to hear can provide useful feedback and give you things to consider, so the advice I wish I'd been given would be something like:
Don’t take criticism personally. Instead, take the opportunity to accept it, reject it, or potentially, implement it to improve yourself.
4. What do you want people to know about TKXS?
I know – both from the inside and the outside – that TKXS is always working to come up with the best solutions for our customers. And the way we do that is special. We believe the opinions of everyone in the room matter. We listen. We ask thoughtful questions. And then, we translate those concerns and needs and opportunities into attainable and understandable solutions, no matter how large the challenge.
5. If we had a billboard outside our offices, what would it say?
Can I give two options?
First, when I was a client, after meetings with TKXS solutions delivery director, Jill Browne, I used to say, “Now, go in the back and hit the easy button.” I was teasing, of course, but now that I’m inside these walls, I have an even deeper understanding of the technology, the development time, the coding, testing and QC that goes into every effort. So, from a TKXS perspective, what I’d put on a billboard is:
There is no easy button; but we can make it easy for you.
Then, since I’m still kind of a geek about working in this industry that feeds the world, I’d suggest another option from the ag perspective:
No matter what you do for a living, if you ate today, you should thank a farmer.
