Marco Technologies’ Jennifer Mrozek takes dedicated approach in career trajectory.
EVP of Business Development and Operations, Marco TechnologiesShe now plays an instrumental role not only with Marco’s internal business operations but also with its robust and aggressive growth, as the company continues to expand organically and through acquisitions.
Set from the Starting Line
Growing up outside St. Cloud, Minnesota, Mrozek learned to work hard, keep her nose down, and commit wholeheartedly to succeed. Raised by her mother, who worked her way up the banking ladder from a teller to a manager, Mrozek’s afternoons were often spent doing homework at the bank while her mother worked.
When it came time to apply to college, Mrozek charted a path to establish a career in accounting and began checking off her goals chronologically, one by one, like line items on a ledger.
Accounting was a good fit with Mrozek’s overall personality.
“I could make total sense of the numbers,” said Mrozek. “I was a problem-solver, and saw there was always a right answer at the end.”
After graduating from St. Cloud State University, one of the two accredited colleges in Minnesota, Mrozek made the logical jump to join a regional accounting firm where she earned her Certified Public Accountant license. But, after two years, she was eager to make the next step in her career.
“I was getting antsy at that point,” said Mrozek. “What I didn’t like about public accounting was that I went into a number of organizations in any given year, I told them what they were doing wrong, and I left. I wanted to stick around and fix things. I wanted to go to work for one company and make a difference.”
Mrozek joined Marco Technologies in 1998 as an accounting supervisor, and her role has steadily grown and evolved over nearly two decades.
“The best thing that I learned in public accounting, which I still use today at Marco, is that I understand business in general,” said Mrozek. “When I worked in auditing, we were able to touch multiple aspects of a company and I saw different types of companies. It gave me a broader knowledge base about business when joining Marco.”
Mrozek initially focused solely on tactical accounting functions at Marco, she slowly moved toward the operational side. In addition to having helped lead the company with its acquisition strategy, Mrozek has provided strategic leadership on company initiatives, worked with the sales department to help them achieve their goals, and assisted in creating a system to best support the company’s revenue-generating functions.
Balanced Growth
Over Mrozek’s tenure at Marco, the company has continued to grow. In less than five years, Marco has acquired 20 dealerships, expanding its ability to serve clients nationally, with core offices in Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, and Missouri.
Mrozek emphasized that Marco’s main priority is to grow via a healthy mix of acquired and organic growth.
“Our strategy in accomplishing this has been to grow in secondary and tertiary markets,” said Mrozek. “We serve those customers the best.”
When it comes to acquisitions, Mrozek also emphasizes Marco’s desire to pay a fair price.
“We approach our transactions by immediately putting an offer on the table that we believe will get the job done,” said Mrozek.
As a woman who has often found herself being the only female at the executive table, Mrozek rarely finds pushback from the predominantly male dealers she works with throughout the acquisition process. On the rare occasion that a male owner is looking for another man to negotiate with, Mrozek has no problem calling in Marco’s CEO Jeff Gau.
“I know how to bring my resources in so Marco is ultimately successful,” said Mrozek. “It’s always about the business challenge or opportunity at hand. I never deviate from what I know, but I also want that deal to get done. I have no problem calling Jeff in to be the face of deal, and I’ll do the work on the back end.”
Since the company’s own acquisition by Norwest Equity Partners in October 2015, Marco has been able to continue its acquisition strategy, having completed an impressive seven deals in its first year under equity ownership.
“Our private equity firm also found value in our commitment to culture,” said Mrozek about Marco, which has won numerous accolades for being among the best places to work. “That was extremely important to us and we would not have sold to private equity had that not been the case.”
Mentoring Upcoming Leaders
Throughout Mrozek’s career, several mentors have influenced her. However, she has received the most valuable guidance from Gau, Marco’s CEO.
“He has leadership characteristics that you want to emulate,” said Mrozek. “He understands his strengths and weaknesses, and he’s taught me to augment my own. Delegation is also something we are constantly talking about, especially as I transition in my new role. How do I delegate those tasks I’ve been attached to in the past 18 years? How do I let them go to somebody who may have different skills, but can run with things to take us to a different level and allow me to bring my skills in a more focused way in operations?”
With 20 years of experience under her belt, Mrozek finds immense value in sharing experiences with her younger colleagues. Mrozek, along with Director of Human Resources Sara Lommel, Sales Manager Ann McCann, and Director of Marketing Patty Funk, has launched the mPowering Women Mentoring Program at Marco. This influential team of women has identified 12 millennial women who are emerging leaders within the company. They meet once a month to present and discuss topics such as mentorship, leadership, business professionalism, business acumen, communication, and culture. The goal is to share experiences and provide sponsorship to further enhance these young women’s careers at Marco.
“From our perspective, as a growing organization, we need to figure out creative ways for us to grow future leaders,” said Mrozek. “Our most successful leaders have come from within. It’s a way for us to hand-pick some of those women in the organization who we think possess some of the characteristics or skills that we think would make them good leaders either in their functional area or in taking on more responsibility and eventually taking on direct reports.”
For Mrozek, her message to young women looking to succeed mirrors her own career. She emphasizes that employees should focus on expanding their knowledge of the industry and showing their competence.
“There isn’t always one path to success,” said Mrozek. “It isn’t always up the ladder. Women shouldn’t be afraid to show others they have skills. Don’t sit back. Lean into the opportunities.”
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