We took our “Conversation with..” series on the road today. Jeff Elkin invited us to visit Advance, the successful business started by his parents more than a half century ago just blocks from our school. Starting off selling office supplies, Advance is now a major business solutions company including a very high tech IT operation that looks like it belongs at NASA!
After a generous lunch provided by Advance, we met with the entire Leadership Team of the company introduced by Mr. Elkin. They shared the company’s history, their philosophy regarding their service to customers and the value system that guides their staff relationships.
We were impressed with the number of folks in the leadership team who started as entry level technicians but were invested in by the company with opportunities and support. This fertile workplace culture was also evidenced by the length of time each person we met had been with the company.
The team took us on a tour of their facility where we learned about the many facets of their business and the careers available. The last stop was in their expansive meeting room where company Chief Operating Officer Joe Zito shared his personal story rising from challenging circumstances as a young person to his over 36 year career at Advance. Mr. Joe has shared his story before in a Conversation with another group of students at the school several years ago and inspired us once again as he retold it today. Joe also shared tips for success and a way of looking at the world that brings out the best in everyone and forges teams to make progress and reach goals together.
This visit is part of a series of field trips where we visit a variety of types of local businesses to learn about their work, career opportunities, and very importantly, their workplace culture. It exceeded our already high expectations!
We are very grateful to Jeff Elkin and the entire team at Advance for their generosity of time and kindness to our students.
