Young Professional finalist: Sam Davidson

When Sam Davidson joined Westfield Southgate last spring as the director of marketing, he started with a bang. During his first month working, Davidson was responsible for coordinating Pints for Play, a blood drive in partnership with 107.9 WSRZ and Suncoast Communities Blood Bank.

“Last year, Pints for Play was my first event in the job, and it opened my eyes to how generous Sarasota is and how much of an opportunity there is for cause marketing,” says Davidson.

Just last week, the blood drive celebrated its third successful event at the shopping center and broke a (local?) 60-year record of the success of a single day blood drive.

Davidson also helped coordinate the shopping center’s first career fair — hosted with Suncoast Jobs — which brought together 40 local companies and 800 job seekers. Another first during his first few months was a luncheon and fashion show benefiting Baby Basics of Sarasota County, which raised more than $11,000.

Marketing is Davidson’s passion — not just his job.

Prior to Westfield, Davidson was the marketing and communications manager at SourceOne Global Partners, in Chicago, where he directed the campaign that was awarded the 2008 North American Frost & Sullivan Heart Health Product Innovation of the Year award. The award recognizes successes in understanding consumer concerns, forming strategic global alliances and executing an effective advertising platform.

“I have a strong passion for consumer marketing, reaching the consumer and finding different ways to engage them in certain products,” says Davidson.

While undoubtedly enjoying his first year without snow, Davidson has also delved into the community side of Sarasota. He is the membership chair for Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce’s Young Professionals Group and participates in efforts of The Cancer Support Community, Baby Basics of Sarasota County, Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Suncoast Jobs and Suncoast Communities Blood Bank and is an active member of the America Advertising Federation, the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County, the American Marketing Association and the Public Relations Society of America.

“A year ago, I was new to Sarasota and looking for ways to meet people,” Davidson says. “Volunteering gave me a positive outlet to network with the right people and a productive environment for me to expend my energy outside of work. There's a strong sense of social responsibility here, and I think every individual and organization should play a role in making Sarasota a better place to live, work and visit.”
 

At a glance

Address: 3501 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota

Phone: 951-6246

Start date: April 2010

Advice for young professionals: “Take advantage of the opportunities that Sarasota offers, like networking socially or networking professionally,” says Sam Davidson. “To get to the next level in your career, those available opportunities make it very easy.”

Biggest challenge: “My biggest challenge as a young professional is prioritizing. There is so much going on here, it’s a challenge to pick the most important things that you should be attending or getting involved with.”

Where do you see your business a year from now? “Working on strong campaigns that tie in with some of the great community partners in Sarasota. I’d like to also work with community partners for a strong holiday campaign.”

Best place to go for a power lunch? “TooJay’s Gourmet Deli or Cosimo’s Brick Oven — they are very accessible.”

What was the first day on the job like? “Very welcoming. Everyone from people in the management office to more than 50 retailers in the shopping center were friendly and welcoming. Everyone here is committed to excellence, which was really inspiring to me the first day.”

If you could have any job for a day, what would you do? “I’d be a professional baseball player for the Kansas City Royals. I grew up watching them.”

Who is your business hero/inspiration? “Warren Buffett. It’s very motivating to see someone of his net worth have such simple principles. He showcases the mindset to think globally and act locally, and he never got too big for his Midwestern roots. That’s very inspiring to me.”

What is one advantage of having your business in Sarasota? “If you’re good at what you do and possess a great work ethic, you can move up so quickly in Sarasota. This will allow you to drive your business results.”

Contact Stephanie Hannum at [email protected].