Wendy Page is a poster child for the Greek way of succeeding in college. Extremely active in Alpha Sigma Tau at Eastern Michigan University, a fraternity friend within her network steered her toward an internship at a marketing company, and as they say, the rest is history.
A funny thing happened
Wendy studied marketing as a major, minoring in communications, and enjoyed her tenure at the family-run Ann Arbor Annuity Exchange (AAAE), where they let her “try anything and everything.” She was fortunate enough to run the gamut – sales, marketing, design, administration, financial, accounts receivable, you name it.
But then she landed a stint in the human resources area, and something clicked. Her manager recognized the connection, encouraging and mentoring Wendy as she began her life-long love affair with HR.
More of a good thing
After graduation, she stayed on at AAAE, helping to manage its growing workforce, until the company was bought by an international conglomerate. Once again, a fraternity friend helped her land an interview at Tata Technologies, warning, however, that she would have to be satisfied with an entry-level, HR-associate position and work her way up the ladder.
As Wendy was willing to start at the bottom to learn the ropes, she was on her way to eventually becoming an HR partner for the multi-national technology leader and honing the skills that would make her such a valuable asset to the team at SSDM.
A milestone in SSDM’s growth
As a fast-moving digital agency, SSDM has doubled its number of team members in four short years. With that kind of a growth spurt, the need to attract and retain talent became a focus for SSDM management and while it is unusual for a company like ours to have a dedicated HR director, the time was right to establish an HR department.
A welcome addition to the leadership roster, in a matter of weeks, Wendy was already deep in the planning phase of a comprehensive new benefits package. “I love the fact that this position is all about growth, and that I am able to make an instant impact on this fabulous team,” she says. “The partners are genuinely interested in hearing my thoughts and they seriously consider my suggestions. The opportunity to create the department from scratch was very exciting for me.”
The human side of a data-driven business
While the majority of our business relies on research and data analysis, the human side is critically important, as the psychology of marketing drives everything we do. By focusing on the human elements, Wendy helps us maintain our sanity, and as our growing team balances work lives and personal lives, she helps us keep the softer side of the business in focus.
Please join us in giving Wendy a hearty welcome to the SSDM team.
About SSDM
