Employee Spotlight: Caleb, Operations Manager
In this episode of the Direct Farm Podcast, we're excited to host Caleb. Barn2Door's own Operations Manager. Listen as he shares how he came to join the team and and how he was able to grow with Barn2Door. Interested in joining the Barn2Door team?
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Sebastian: 0:25
Welcome back to the Direct Farm Podcast, everybody. My name is Sebastian. I am on the marketing team and for today's guest, we have Caleb. Caleb, could you introduce yourself to the listeners?
Caleb: 0:35
So my name is Caleb Maiocco. I'm an Operations Manager and I've been at the company since October 2020.
Sebastian: 0:41
So then what kind of drew you to apply at Barn2Door, why did you join the team?
Caleb: 0:44
I think specifically what drew me to the company, I'm definitely a data and analytics guy. I saw a Barn2Door and its phenomenal opportunity in terms of the growth trajectory that they have, the mission that they're actually really accomplishing and really driving to the industry, especially for people that are so underserved. So being able to put together a platform for these people to use and really bring them up to speed, especially with the fast growing changes that we're going through, especially in the last 20 years, is something that's really awesome.
Sebastian: 1:12
So a lot of change has happened, even from when you started how would you say it's kind of evolved? You kind of touched on it a little bit, just now.
Caleb: 1:19
I would say two things. One is that we're getting to the point in the industry that I think what's most important is having a lot of trust. Right. And that's something that we've been very careful, and intentional about building. And as a result, we've come to have a lot larger farms that have joined our platform. And when, once you have farms that are of that size, you understand the complexity of their operations, well you get a better sense of what we need to be doing with our product and how we can service them better. So that's pretty special. And I think the second point that I would make is that even as we've grown at such an exciting and fast rate, as we have, we've held our values at the core of everything. And our culture has never been stronger. So to dive into that a little bit more, everyone has weaknesses, right. Everyone needs to recognize, like we're all human, and we get the most out of each of our employees by emphasizing their strengths or empower them in the best way that they can actually use their skills to the best of their abilities. That's something that we do very well, especially as we continue to follow our trajectory right, and grow faster and faster.
Sebastian: 2:20
What is some thing that someone who doesn't work at Barn2Door might not realize about it?
Caleb: 2:24
Yeah. I think there's one thing that's really key here that I always love to point out is, when you're interviewing somewhere you will only really recognize or be able to identify about 2% of that person and vice versa. When you're interviewing, you only recognize about 2% to 5% of what the company is actually like. And as excited as you could be about one or the other, you won't get a very full sense of what the business itself is like or whether or not somebody who you may want to hire as a good candidate, whether or not they would execute well. Something that I think really sets us aside is we're here to work, most of the people that join us, it's not for themselves. It's not for their own career growth. There are plenty of amazing opportunities for career growth at our company, but they come because they love the mission and what we're doing. And I think that's something that makes us a very competitive business is because when we hire people, that's what we look for. We look for people that realize it's a lot bigger than themselves and when you come to work, you're coming to service other people. And that's something that is incredibly important because, at the end of the day, the people that we service work harder than most people in this nation. And that's something that our business is really helping with, through their success we're helping change the industry itself. And that's something that I love to be a part of.
Sebastian: 3:40
One last question for you. For anybody that is looking to apply at Barn2Door, is there anything that you want to say to them or you have advice for?
Caleb: 3:47
I'd say if I was talking to anyone that was coming in or really wanting to join Barn2Door, I'd say number one, we're here to win. We're incredibly competitive. I think that's something that definitely draws us a lot closer, especially as a business. The other major thing being, most businesses will put you in a position that feels a little sequential or feels like it will get a little bit boring at times, or you feel, a little delayed in terms of your ability to continue to develop and grow. I think that's something that Barn2Door is definitely a unique workplace for that reason is you will constantly have people that are willing to discuss or reach out to you or connect, provide you learning opportunities. You'll have a wealth of experience just based on the amount of change that's going on at the business. There are very few places that you won't just feel like another spoke in the wheel. And we want to make sure that you're not just doing sequential processes every day. We automate so much of our work so that we can work on bigger projects and we can continue to be creative in our jobs. And I think people that are interns all the way up to entry level or a fresh new manager, you'll realize very quickly that your voice is heard. And it's a major part of why we've been able to evolve so much is because we constantly listened to our employees. When you have multiple minds that think differently than you do personally, that is going to only propel you forward.
Sebastian: 5:08
Well, thank you so much, Caleb, for coming onto the podcast today. Is there any last bits that you want to share with that anybody that's listening?
Caleb: 5:15
All I got to say is my pleasure and go Barn2Door.