People are secret to Marketron's
success
The mountains don’t hurt either
By MATT FURBER
Express Staff Writer
Although Marketron International is based
in Burlingame, Calif., the Hailey branch of the international software
development firm is the brain behind what is scheduled to be a multi-million
dollar, seven-year contract.
Marketron entered into a contract in June
with the National Broadcasting Company to provide software management products
designed to help NBC improve its advertising revenues.
Marketron International employs 250
people, including 120 who work in Hailey. Company leaders say it is the mountain
lifestyle that keeps employees around. Employees say it is the job environment
that helps them stay.
"I have a big city job in a resort town,"
said documentation manager Nancy Malko, who grew up in the Wood River Valley and
moved to the Seattle area after she graduated from The Community School in Sun
Valley. She hadn’t planned on coming back but the job with Marketron helped turn
her toward home.
"I am never bored," she said. "(My work)
is brain challenging."
The Hailey operation is divided into
several parts.
There are the software developers who
build products to link sales traffic and business departments.
The office is also the base for an
implementation team of travelers who go onsite to install Marketron software and
instruct new users. There is a state of the art customer service center on the
main floor of the office building on Empty Saddle Trail, near Albertson’s in
north Hailey.
Because Marketron’s product is delivered
electronically rather than on trucks out a delivery bay, systems consultants are
always on hand to help users break in software or iron out any problems they may
be experiencing.
"With their permission I can go into a
client’s computer and actually work on their problems. I can shadow a user and
see what they are doing," said application manager Jamie Trevino. He first came
to Sun Valley for the skiing, was part owner in a pizza restaurant, and is now
staying for a job he feels is applicable anywhere in the country.
On Trevino’s computer screen is a graphic
representation of a television station’s programming in North Carolina. He can
select any segment highlighted in a number of colors to determine, like using a
T.V. Guide, what’s showing. He can go deeper to see what the advertising
requirements or restrictions are during a particular segment, and if the station
in question is getting paid by an advertiser. Everything is connected. The
systems remove the layers of paperwork formerly shuttled between departments.
"When somebody calls our support
department, they don’t call because their mouse doesn’t work," said Mike
Jackson, Marketron CEO based in Burlingame. "In our case the (customer support)
is used so a station can make more money."
Therefore, it is important to try and keep
good personnel who understand the industry and the technology, he added. "We
have a very capable group up there of highly intelligent people."
Veteran software engineer Doug Cleven, who
has been with the company for over 20 years, agrees.
"The people who work here are very
intelligent and loyal," he said. "It is one of the reasons we came here, and we
are staying."
Cleven is also an avid cyclist, who trains
for grueling races like the "24 hours of Moab" mountain bike race in Utah.
Obviously, outdoor opportunities are part of the reason people are staying in
the Wood River Valley.
"The key to Marketron is our customer base
and our talent," said Marketron marketing director Lauren Carpenter. "People are
well-rounded. They know the industry and can communicate with the customer."
The company even has a branch called
Marketron University, where it trains instructors and provides continuing
education for experienced software users.
Marketron came to Hailey in 1972 from San
Mateo, Calif., when founder Jerry Cronin decided the Wood River Valley was a
good place to draw talented people. Marketron became Marketron International in
2000 when a small group of investors, led by Jackson, joined media management
operations TvScan of Birmingham, Ala., REP-PAK of Toronto, Canada, and Marketron
Inc.
"In 2000, the company was a skeleton of
what the company is now," Jackson said. "The people in Hailey were critical to
the success of getting the NBC contract."
If a station chooses a Marketron product,
field managers travel to the client’s offices to set up the system and begin
training the users. The one thing Marketron does not do is manage programming
content.
But, as Marketron works to revolutionize
the broadcast industry--replacing the paper files linking various
departments--the company expects to adapt their tools to aid in streamlining
future programming, said Jackson.
"The company is doing extremely well," he
said. "We have a competitive advantage because of our people."