Legrand‘s inaugural talent development program will launch this year. Designed to train its next generation of sales and marketing professionals, the program will place seven young professionals, all recent college graduates, within the Legrand sales and marketing teams for a two-year, in-depth training that will lay the foundation for their future success.
Legrand’s development program will immerse the participants into Legrand’s diverse portfolio of product lines, with the goal of providing motivated, young professionals with the tools, knowledge and experience needed to be successful in an independent sales or marketing role. The full-time, rotation-based program exposes participants to a variety of roles, with the added benefit of direct mentoring and developmental guidance from seasoned Legrand employees, including direct access to senior leadership. Another component of the rotation will allow trainees to learn the customer side of the sales channel by placing them with a variety of distribution partners.
“The goal of this new program is to cultivate the skills necessary to best serve the varying needs of our customers and markets,” said Steve Schoffstall, vice president of marketing for Legrand, North America. “By offering motivated young professionals a structured environment, where they are able to absorb the knowledge of mentors from each of Legrand’s business units, we can be assured that these future leaders are well-versed in the legacy, heritage, and values of the company.”
With the constantly changing landscape of sales and marketing roles, Schoffstall added that the program will not only encourage the strategic approach to career development, but will also glean insights from the millennials to help Legrand forecast the future of its operations and development.
Legrand sought trainees who exhibited a strong commitment to professional and personal development, as well as Legrand’s values of customer importance, integrity, teamwork, continuous learning and development, empowerment and accountability.
The inaugural class of 2014 includes a group of recent graduates from prestigious institutions across the country, many of which have earned a degree in business management or marketing.
The 2014 class is comprised of:
•Alexander Getty, Clarkson University, Bachelor of Science – Innovation and Entrepreneurship
•Jillian Young, University of Connecticut, Bachelor of Science – Business
•Ryan Trotter, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Bachelors of Science – Business Administration, Management
•Andreanna Johnson, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Bachelors of Science – Medical Equipment & Supply Distribution / Pre-Medicine
•Alexandra Kimball, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Bachelors of Business Administration – Marketing
•Kyle Smith, University of Scranton, Bachelors of Science – International Business
•Phillip Hill, Elmira College, Bachelors of Science –Business Administration, Marketing & Management
Once this inaugural class completes its first year, Legrand will assess their strengths and interests to determine a more focused program for the second year that prepares each participant for their permanent role within the organization.
