Tyler Baum personifies one of the top CTA rules about Going the Extra Mile. As a technology advisor for Marco, the miles rack up as he sees current Marco customers and engages new clients throughout the Cumberland Valley. What sets Tyler apart from other sales people, and what makes him a stellar CTA, is his ability to listen and his enthusiasm for going above and beyond customer expectations.
“I love the sales world; there’s obviously pros and cons with people having the perception that all we want to do is sell, sell, sell. I like to create relationships and get down to what the customer needs and wants. Whether it’s with their office equipment, or having documents shredded, or the other services that we provide.” Working at Phillips Office Solutions (which Marco later acquired) in the office, purchasing, scheduling, logistics and warehousing, he decided to enter sales a few years back. Being a Marco rep may open doors, but being a CTA develops common ground, Tyler says.
“The Visitor’s Bureau happened to be one of my customers and that was just when the CTA program kicked off. I met Doug. I thought it was a great opportunity to get to know the county that I cover and as well as other counties, and to get more knowledge about the territory where I spend most of my days. When I wear my CTA pin, most people ask what it is, if they don’t know already, and it makes the conversation easier to just have a normal talk with people. We want to live, work, play in the communities we visit.”
A native of Newville, he graduated from Big Spring High School, attended Shippensburg University and later moved onto Phillips, working in Middletown for four years before the transition into sales. At 28, with family in the area, he is active in his church in Shippensburg, plays flag football every weekend and serves as an assistant executive director of a flag football league. “We’re trying to give young adults something to do, that’s not the party scene, or the drug culture. We’re putting a good effort forward to be a family community where people get to know each other and friendships really thrive.”
With customer service paramount in his career, Tyler takes note when there is a lack of it. “Every year I travel to Ocean City, MD for a flag football tournament. Whether it’s at the hotel or the restaurants we go to, or mini golfing we do, if there is not a good vibe, good customer service, I can feel that right away. It turns you off to want to go back to said place or even said city. It really makes a difference – with the CTA program, I really see the big picture – that Doug, Janet and the whole team is trying to implement, county wide – no matter where anybody walks, or eats, or sleeps, they should have a pleasant experience in Franklin County.”
He loves the energy of the Cumberland Valley. “Everybody with technology has information at their fingertips now. If you have somebody at your hotel or your restaurant, who can provide the info you want, at a moment’s notice and provide it with a smile and pleasant attitude, I think that really gets people talking about Franklin County. It changes the energy from a negative to a positive outlook. Yes, there’s things to do here. Some really cool things.”
Special thanks to Franklin County CTA Dianna Heim,Director of Strategic Relationship Development, for contributing this CTA spotlight.