CNY Executive: A talk with Eboni Britt of POMCO

Editor’s Note: CNY Executive Q&A is a feature appearing regularly (about every month) in The Central New York Business Journal, authored by guest writer Jeff Knauss who is president of his own digital-marketing firm. In each edition, Jeff chats with a different executive at a Central New York business or nonprofit, with the interview transcript appearing in a conversational Q&A format.

In this edition, I speak with Eboni Britt, manager of marketing at POMCO, which says it’s one of the nation’s largest benefits administrators for self-funded health

and risk-management plans. From developing strategic plans to implementing the company’s first social-media channels, if it’s marketing, branding, advertising, public relations, corporate communications or creative, it comes through Eboni. She lives in Jamesville with her three children.

JEFF: So Eboni, talk to me about your career journey. How did you get to be where you are today?

EBONI: I’m from Colorado and I obtained my bachelor’s in communications in Colorado, moved to Syracuse, and worked at Syracuse University (SU) in the human resources department for some years. One of the great benefits of working at the university is the tuition assistance that is part of your compensation package. My role at SU really helped shaped my career, because I was able to identify the things that I enjoyed doing and the things I didn’t enjoy doing. Once I zeroed in on my strengths, I found they easily aligned with the offerings in the public-relations program of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. I applied and got in, which was surprising to me because the program was so competitive and I was its first part-time student. I worked full time, raised two children, and received my master’s degree in public relations in about two years. Once I obtained that degree, changing careers became essential. 

Even though I worked on aspects of communications at the university, I was looking to get into straight-on advertising and marketing; so it was quite a shift. I worked at Mark Russell and Associates as an account executive. The work was extremely high-paced and stressful, but it was a creative and a fun place to cut my teeth [in the business]. Much of what I learned about the industry, I learned there. About a year later, Eric Mower + Associates bought out Mark Russell and Associates. I survived a massive employee cut, and was promoted to a senior account executive during the transition. Because I enjoy taking the time to become an expert at something — rather than knowing a little about many things — I quickly realized that I would be more suited for client-side work. So, when the opportunity presented itself for me to move to POMCO, I jumped at it. 

JEFF: What was the transition like in moving from an ad agency to the client side, specifically in the benefits-administration field?

EBONI: Well, one of the things about marketing is that it’s horizontal. If you understand the basics and the principles of marketing, it’s going to apply no matter the industry. From a marketing standpoint, that was easy for me. But then obviously, once you’re trying to really identify the things that make you different from your competition, that’s where [dedicating] the time and [developing the] expertise in your industry comes in. That is the main difference between the work that I did at 

the agency and the work I do for POMCO. 

The pace is also much slower, much calmer. I mean, in advertising, it was just go, go, go — all the time. People were yelling, cursing, playing music, running down the halls, all throughout the day in some instances. Deadlines had to be met, clients had to be appeased. Things are much more manageable client-side. We certainly have our stressful times, but the environment is completely different. 

JEFF: How many employees does POMCO have now?

EBONI: Right now it’s close to 700.

JEFF: What do you think makes POMCO so successful?

EBONI: Because POMCO started as a six-person organization nearly 40 years ago, we still focus a lot on being that partner for our clients that’s very much involved, that offers very high-touch service. Our differentiator is that we customize everything for our clients. They don’t have to stay within our specifications; it’s their plans and their choices. Because of that enhanced level of customization, it requires us to deliver exceptional service to our clients. We talk to them frequently, we visit them [often], we work to control their costs, we take many calls from our members, and we try to make things easier for them. 

JEFF: What do you think the marketing challenges are for such a large organization?

EBONI: I don’t know if the marketing challenge is necessarily because we are larger. I think that the challenge comes from the fact that we’re different from what everybody thinks of us. People tend to think that we are an insurance company. So, not only are we trying to promote why it is that [prospects] should come to POMCO, we have to take a step back a lot of times and promote why it is that you should look at having a self-funded financial strategy for employee benefits and risk management. From a public-relations standpoint, the fact that we have more than doubled in size in the last year-and-a-half brings new opportunities. We are a major player in the community now, so there is more focus on the impact we can have on our communities. How are we giving back? How are we making sure that we’re supporting our communities in the best way possible? 

JEFF: What do you think is the biggest risk that you have taken in your career and has it paid off?

EBONI: Leaving Syracuse University was a huge risk. It’s a massive employer, great recognition, great benefits … I think that for what I’m trying to accomplish personally and professionally, it paid off. I think that it was worth it.

JEFF: Describe to me what it’s like to not only be a female, but also a minority in a leadership position.

EBONI: I would say in some roles that I’ve had, in some organizations that I’ve worked in, the fact that I was a woman and/or a minority played a bigger role in the opportunities I [had]. People will always have their biases, but in some places they are more obvious than others. As a woman of color, I see many opportunities in Syracuse; major organizations like National Grid, Wegmans, and the Syracuse City School District have black women in leadership roles. There is great opportunity for me to continue to grow in my position. What is most important is that the young black women in the city of Syracuse see us and know that they are the future generation of leaders. 

JEFF: When you were younger, were you in leadership roles?

EBONI: I wouldn’t say that I held traditional leadership roles…, outside of being captain of the pom-pom squad. But, I definitely think that I was the person that commanded a level of attention and respect.

JEFF: You are in a demanding position. How do you unwind at the end of the day?

EBONI: Well, I have three children, so I think that it’s a little bit difficult to unwind. But, I read and I spend a lot of time with my kids. I have a great group of friends, so we travel and do many things together as well. I don’t feel that now is the time for me to unwind. There would be time for that later on, so for now, I will keep myself relatively busy between work and the kids. I just feel that’s where my focus is right now.        

About the author: Jeff Knauss is managing partner & president of a digital marketing firm, DigitalHyve.com, and has always been interested in hearing successful executives’ stories. He lives in Camillus with his wife Heta and son Max. For more, check out his blog at www.CnyCeo.org