There are fewer things more unnerving from a professional standpoint than being an employee of a company that has been acquired by another entity. The mind races with questions: will the entire team be kept on? Will my job be eliminated due to redundancy or because the acquiring company wants to install its own team? What do I know about this new owner?
Holly Brandt knows this feeling. She was with Pittsburgh-based Van Dyk Business Systems in 2013 when it was acquired by Word Processing Services, now Doing Better Business (DBB). Brandt had never been through an acquisition, and the possibilities worried her as she waited to learn more about what was in store for the old Van Dyk crew.
“I didn’t know what would happen next. I had to be patient, and I’m not a patient person,” Brandt noted.
Little did Brandt know that it was a blessing in disguise. “It was the best thing that could have happened to me,” she said. “I was pushed to learn new things and expand my knowledge of the industry. I was also afforded the opportunity to expand and grow in my HR duties, as well as management. Debbie, Joe and Beth (Dellaposta) have really given me a career I can be proud of and they value everyone’s opinions and suggestions.”
The union with DBB has catapulted Brandt to new heights in her role as HR director, and she continues to thrive in an environment that stresses solidarity. “One of our core values at DBB is family,” said Brandt, a 2022 ENX Magazine Difference Maker. “It truly is a family; everyone is there for each other. The mentality of ‘it isn’t my job’ does not exist. My peers are what drives me and I love working with everyone.”
Right Path
The West Virginia University graduate actually began her career in the banking industry, where she gained valuable insight from company leadership. After a couple of years, she fell victim to the “grass is greener on the other side” mantra and departed to join a company that wasn’t quite as advertised. But when she arrived at Van Dyk, she had found a home in the office tech dealer world and has since elevated her game in the years since joining the DBB family.
As HR director, she is also the guiding force behind the dealer’s First Touch Team, which has produced a series of YouTube videos to help customers solve some of their most common printing challenges. That the dealer has been bestowed with multiple Best Places to Work awards underscores her importance in driving positive outcomes both internally and customer-facing. Brandt credits Beth and Debbie Dellaposta for encouraging her to step outside of that comfort zone.
“I know I can go to either one of them with anything, good or bad,” she said. “They have taught me more about this industry than any person I’ve worked with. They don’t micro-manage their people; they allow them to learn through their mistakes and hard work.”
The aftermath of the pandemic has made business difficult, but Brandt is proud of the performance of her team under the most trying of circumstances. She’s her own worst critic, however, and is determined to become an overachiever, adding with a chuckle, “I hope I don’t wait until Dec. 31 to start overachieving.”
New Journeys
Her success in steering DBB’s corporate culture has enabled Brandt to share her insights as a guest presenter for the Select Dealer Group. Overcoming the fear of new challenges has Brandt excited for the technologies and processes the future holds.
“I’m constantly improving, whether it’s learning a new software program or skill,” she said. “I used to dread when we introduce something new, but now I look forward to it. We recently introduced a new digital cabinet, and at first, it was difficult to figure out. But, I kept plugging away and experimenting. Now I can’t wait to dive in.”
Away from the office, Brandt is an avid reader with a penchant for tales of suspense. She also loves to immerse herself in all things of a historical nature. She’s currently obsessed with the History Channel’s series that tracks the journeys of the most successful corporations in America.
