🎉As you work towards your new year's wellness goals (wait, we all still are right?) - who better to hear from than a leader who is shaping the health & wellness space? We had the absolute pleasure of chatting with Maria Acevedo, the Head of Marketing & eCommerce at Greenhouse.

What started as a local cold-pressed juice start-up has now flourished into a plant-based beverage company that is scaling across Canada & the US. From their game-changing fiery ginger shots to their organic oat milks - they continue to live out their mission of making plant-based nutrition more accessible. Maria stewards everything from product innovation to eCommerce & her team of “passionate builders” are actively writing the next chapter in the company’s remarkable story.

She has spent the past 2 years at Greenhouse. Prior to that - she’s carved out a dynamic career having worked in industries such as CPG, cannabis & alcohol.

Amongst other things - we chatted about her constant pursuit of “10xing” her skills, her secrets to thriving in a scale-up, why marketing can be the glue that brings it all together, how Greenhouse continues to be a trailblazer & the fiery product that they call “liquid gold”🔥(yes, we can confirm that it’s amazing).

More specifically, Maria shared her thoughts on the following:

• How would you describe what you do to a stranger? (6:50)
• What was your “Marketing Moment”? (9:02)
• How did you explore that passion for marketing? (11:04)
• Can you walk us through the major stops along your career journey? (14:25)
• What is the north star that drives your career decisions? (20:17)
• What’s your advice for someone who’s making a large career leap? (22:41)
• What has your experience at Greenhouse been thus far? (27:40)
• What was the brief to you as the leader of marketing? (31:42)
• What are the marketing levers that you’re focused on pulling? (36:18)
• What are the commonalities or differences between the different industries that you’ve been in? (38:38)
• What’s exciting you about the future of Greenhouse? (41:45)
• How do you stay true to Greenhouse's ethos while striving to make it more accessible? (42:50)
• What sort of mentality does prospective talent need to have? (45:45)
• We put Maria in the hot seat! (47:46)

In this mini-episode, we shine a spotlight on Canada’s largest marketing case competition! Over the past 17 years - the CML has launched countless careers through their program & this year will be no different. If you’re an undergrad or master’s student in Canada - you won’t want to miss your chance at competing for the ultimate prize of $20K (yes, you read that right 🤯) & CML glory. Not to mention the fact that you’ll make long-lasting connections & have a blast along the way.

To help learn more - we chatted with Navjit Dhillon (former CML winner & Senior ABM at Kraft Heinz) & Jeffrey Yateman (former CML Co-Chair & Direct Sales Manager at GM Energy). You’re going to hear their thoughts on what makes the CML special & their insider tips on how to stand out in the competition.

We hope you give this a listen, check out their website & get that first round application in (it’s due on January 24th⌛)!

🙌 In this episode - we had such a great time chatting with Tanbir Grover who is the Chief Marketing & Digital Officer at Pet Valu!

Pet Valu is Canada’s leading retailer of pet food & pet-related supplies with over 800 locations across the country. For the past 50 years - they’ve been bringing joy to devoted pet lovers & their pets alike.

Tanbir joined at what was a critical inflection point in Pet Valu’s journey. He joined during the midst of the pandemic - when they didn’t sell online, our relationships with pets were fundamentally changing, and the company was on the cusp of going public. Since that defining moment - he has helped them to steward their brand build efforts all the way to their digital capabilities.

Prior to this role - he has a wealth of experience in the retail industry having worked at Lowe’s, Hudson’s Bay, and Sears.

Amongst other things - we chatted with him about how Pet Valu continues to stand out in a crowded space, the biggest trends shaping the industry, a fateful call that changed his career trajectory, the value of an outsider's perspective, how you can connect the dots in hindsight & his dog Levi’s awesome Halloween costume (hint:🐕🦸‍♂️).

More specifically, Tanbir shared his thoughts on the following questions:

• How would you describe what you do to a stranger? (7:34)
• What was your “Marketing Moment”? (8:50)
• What did you take away most from those early experiences? (12:32)
• What is your approach to making career decisions? (14:17)
• Can you take us back to that defining moment where you decided to start at Pet Valu? (19:23)
• How did you manage the steep learning curve? (24:16)
• How was your experience trying to lead a cultural shift within the organization? (27:50)
• Can you unpack Pet Valu’s priorities & its new brand platform? (30:46)
• What are the trends that you’re seeing & how is your team capitalizing on them? (38:04)
• How is your team structured? (42:50)
• We put Tanbir in the hot seat! (47:47)