ACW is home to a vibrant community of channel professionals from across the country. We enjoy getting to know them at our in-person events and are happy to introduce you to them in this recurring Membership Matters Q&A. This month we’re getting to know ACW member Lauren Grenier, Marketing Director at Granite Telecommunications.
Lauren Grenier, co-chair of the ACW Newsletter Committee, is a rising star in the technology channel and at Granite. She began her career in channel marketing in 2012, quickly rising through the ranks at Granite from social media manager to sales coordinator to channel marketing manager. Her top performance earned her recognition as Employee of the Month out of more than 2,000 team members in 2017. It also earned her the notice of CEO Rob Hale, who in 2018 promoted her to run marketing for the entire Granite organization.
A few of Lauren’s career highlights include being awarded the ACW 2019 ACT Award and named to the 2019 CRN Women of the Channel List.
Why did you join ACW?
I joined the Alliance of Channel Women when I first started working in the channel to start networking and learning from women leaders who have been veterans in the telecom industry.
What do you hope to get from and to give to ACW membership?
Since I’ve been a member of ACW for a few years now, I know I’ve received the support, guidance and advice I needed when I first laid out my career goals. There were so many women in this group that I’ve been able to bounce ideas off of and get their take on professional situations, but now even outside a professional space, I can turn to them and call them my friends! With that, I hope I can give back to ACW what I was able to get out of it by helping the next person or even new generations entering the telecom game.
Are you a committee volunteer?
Yes, I’m co-chair of the ACW Newsletter committee and a member of the ACW Communications committee.
What do you get from your committee participation?
I’ve been able to take a lot of what I learned from the committee and apply it to my current role today. In fact, I’ve learned a lot about public relations and marketing strategies through my participation in the ACW committees and programs, which have helped me grow into the role I have today.
What difficulty have you overcome that impacted your career for the better?
Our company has never had a marketing department until almost a year ago. It was difficult to explain the value of having a marketing department when a company like Granite has been financially successful for more than 16 years without one. I overcame this difficulty by working with my ACW peers, discussing other company marketing tactics and the importance of uniformity. Since then, I’ve continued to prove myself and my skillset to take on this endeavor by having an impact across all departments, including with those who still believe marketing isn’t needed.
If you were to give yourself advice when you graduated from high school, what would it be?
Continue to do what you believe in. You only have one life — live it the way you want.
What’s the best book – fiction or nonfiction – that you’ve read recently and why?
“Educated: A Memoir” by Tara Westover. I saw it was on the bestseller list, so had to read it! It’s an interesting read … a good one!
What are your hobbies outside of work?
I volunteer at our local animal shelter in Quincy (www.quincyanimalshelter.org) as the marketing manager. I’m a godmother to two beautiful little ones. I also play in Granite’s corporate softball and flag football leagues. I do try to go to the gym, but I need to really show some more commitment there. I also love our Boston sports teams, music concerts and Broadway shows of all kinds. Plus, I love cooking too! And, I’m a yearly walker for Walk to End Alzheimers.
What is one personal and one professional goal you have in the next five years?
Personally, my goal is to own a house and a Great Dane to go with that house.
Professionally, I would like to continue having fun growing and mentoring a successful marketing team!
The ACW Membership Matters program is managed by ACW Communications Committee Member Anne McConnell, founder and president of The Stone Group. For information, contact pr@allianceofchannelwomen.org