16 June, 2024
As we celebrate our first year in business, we reflect on our accomplishments and thought it would be fun to share the experiences of our team. Our employees were each asked the same three questions: why they joined Promotive, their top accomplishments, and what excites them most about year two. Here’s what they had to say.
LISA COYLE, CEO
Why did you join Promotive? I started Promotive because of the people in this industry. When you hear a problem over and over, it’s hard not to dig into it. I am a fixer, enjoy puzzles, and love making a difference. I truly feel we make a difference for our industry, and it’s one of the hardest puzzles I’ve ever done!
Top accomplishment/most proud of: So far, I’m the proudest of the team we put together. It hasn’t been perfect, but we are learning together and everyone wants to make this company a success.
What are you most excited about in year 2? Year 2 is when it all comes together. We have a major advantage with having the people, resources, and lessons learned from our past companies. What we have been able to do in our first year from a foundational standpoint took 5+ in my past. The results in placements and building our database of automotive professionals are going to accelerate in year 2.
JOELLE POLLAK, EXECUTIVE VP
Why did you join Promotive? I co-founded Promotive to help shop owners with their businesses and the industry as a whole with the biggest pain point: finding qualified technicians and staff. I am passionate about the people in this industry—from shop owners, technicians, and service advisors to partners. It takes all of us! We found a need and are now making a difference. It’s also truly amazing to be able to start something with friends you genuinely care about and have some fun along the way.
Top accomplishment/most proud of: Being one year into this and working with over 160 shops, placing over 150 people, and growing our team to 14 dedicated individuals helping the automotive industry and serving our customers!
What are you most excited about in year 2? I am most excited about making more placements with our existing and new customers, continuing to fine-tune processes and systems to make more qualified placements even quicker, and building out our partnerships!
KAT AYERS, COO
Why did you join Promotive? When we shared ideas for Promotive, I thought I would only be an investor. I love building and growing businesses, and I love the problem we are trying to help solve. Combined, along with an incredible industry that provides critical service, expertise, and knowledge, it was a no-brainer to jump in with both feet!
Top accomplishment/most proud of: I’m incredibly proud of the team we are building—our business is people, and we have a team of incredible people. I’m also proud of the amount of data we have about our business. This leads to depths of understanding about our business, more than any one-year-old company I’ve ever seen. This allows us to make data-driven decisions and move quickly through problems to solutions. It’s incredible to see how far we’ve come in just one year.
What are you most excited about in year 2? I’m super excited about our opportunity to SCALE the business in Year 2. We get so much great feedback from our existing customers, so the opportunity to serve even more customers, exponentially more, is really exciting.
KELLY CAVANAUGH, VP OF RECRUITING
Why did you join Promotive? The excitement of a ground floor opportunity to grow a startup business again with an amazing team of rock stars.
Top accomplishment/most proud of: I’m most proud of the team we have built and the numbers we have already put up—quite impressive for a business only a year in.
What are you most excited about in year 2? Building, mentoring, and being part of the success of the Recruiting team. Hitting goals and targets and watching the company start to grow at a faster pace.
STACEY BLACK, SALES & ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT
Why did you join Promotive? I joined Promotive one month ago with high hopes of making a difference with the shops across the country. I had no idea what an impact this company makes when a placement happens. I can hear the excitement and joy in our clients’ voices. These shops are so grateful for Promotive’s help!
Top accomplishment/most proud of: Working with this talented team is incredible. Deirdre and Kelly have been wonderful, and I think it shows what Promotive is all about. It’s teamwork. It’s helping each other grow.
What are you most excited about in year 2? I’m excited to see what the future holds with Promotive. With the strong team of recruiters, there is no stopping what can happen. It is only going to get better!
JOY ROBERTSON, OPERATIONS ASSISTANT
Why did you join Promotive? I joined Promotive because after discussing the opportunities and possibilities for the future with Lisa and my husband, it was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up.
Top accomplishment/most proud of: I’m proud of being able to help others when needed. I enjoy setting up meetings, travel, and events, along with projects that need an extra hand.
What are you most excited about in year 2? I’m excited to see how much our company will continue to grow in 2024 and to be part of a group that the industry is watching. I’m also excited about upcoming trade shows and hoping to be able to attend and share our vision and spark interest in others.
ABOUT PROMOTIVE
At Promotive, we firmly believe that people should love their jobs and businesses should trust their staff. That’s why we’ve made it our mission to connect talented automotive staff with shops to create mutually beneficial relationships. With over 40 years of automotive aftermarket and recruiting experience, we know the industry like you know your way under the hood. Whether you’re hiring, actively applying, or just looking, Promotive can help.
