At Simpliconnect, we don't provide cookie-cutter solutions. Instead, we look at you and your customers' needs to design a program that's built just for you. We understand small businesses because we ARE a small business. Simpliconnect is focused on small to mid-sized c-store chains. It's what we do. Our dedication to and expertise in your industry shows in our products and services. This gives us the unique ability to understand your needs, and enhance the connection with your customers, resulting in an increase in business for you from those customers. Because of this, we want you to get to know our staff - the individuals that will be serving you and helping your business succeed.
The Simpliconnect Employee Spotlight of the Month will begin with our Founder and CEO, Brent Harms:
q: What is your background within Simpliconnect Loyalty Marketing?
a: "I am the Founder and CEO of Simpliconnect! I have been involved with loyalty-oriented companies for over 25 years. My day-to-day work consists of visioning what loyalty programs can do for our clients, managing partner and investor relations, and working closely with our sales and client success teams to make sure our clients are seeing strong results from their loyalty programs. I pride myself in being a 'jack of all trades'."
q: What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
a: "I put great emphasis on having pride in work and life. In my free time, I love to spend time with my wife Cathy and our two daughters. I play golf, volleyball and most recently, pickleball! I also serve on several boards throughout the Minneapolis/St. Paul community, including The Wine Company, Lake Wapogasset Lutheran Bible Camp, and Entrepreneur’s Organization of Minnesota."
q: What are some special talents that you have?
a: "My special talent is my intuition. I think of myself as a jack of all trades. I graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College with a degree in Accounting and Political Science. I then earned my MBA from Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.
I have worked in many functional areas including technology, marketing, and finance. I have found that to succeed in any area, you need to have strong interpersonal skills. Listening, working with others and building relationships are keys to success."
q: Why Simpliconnect?
a: "Growing up on a farm in Iowa, one of the things I did was collect S&H Green Stamps. Once you collected enough stamps, you could redeem them for prizes. I ended up earning my first TV from collecting these stamps. This got me intrigued with loyalty programs and how they could get people to buy and stay loyal to a brand.
With this background, I started to see what was happening with loyalty outside of c-stores and in other industries. I started my first company with a focus on loyalty in retail, restaurants and shopping malls. After that initial success, I saw a clear void in these offerings for the c-store space. Though many had basic loyalty programs like fuel rollbacks or punch cards, I knew that Simpliconnect's offering of a more robust, custom program would be more effective for the c-store industry to drive more sales from their customers. We felt the most impactful way to serve the market was to focus on the small to medium sized chains by giving them the tools to effectively compete with the bigger firms. In the end, I do this to make a difference in people's lives and to help them succeed."
For more information read Setting Goals for your Loyalty Program and 7 Keys to a Successful C-Store Loyalty Program on our site.
