Program Manager Gina Crouch wore many different hats before she landed in her current automotive program at MarketSource. After graduating from the University of Georgia with a degree in marketing and sales, she ended up selling homes for four years. In 2008, she joined TEKSystems, another member of Allegis Group’s network of specialized companies. There, she began in recruiting and was soon promoted into sales. In 2013, she sought out a new challenge at MarketSource as recruiting manager for our Commercial business unit, which allowed her to leverage her staffing sales and recruiting skills from TEKsystems while learning team management and business-to-business sales. She got her first taste of the automotive world in this position, as well.
“When we launched that automotive program, the recruiting plan and execution was a huge part of Phase 1’s success and led to an expansion in Phase 2,” Gina said. “As a team, we built a great partnership that delivered value for the client.”
A year later, she followed her gut and accepted the opportunity to join the program as an operations manager, overseeing one of its markets and handling national operations. She admits she was very much outside of her comfort zone, moving to a customer-facing role that managed 70+ field team members. She says, “I remember thinking some days ‘what did I get myself into?’ when someone from a different time zone would call me late at night or unique situations would arise, but it made me grow and develop my skill set. I loved it.”
Venturing outside her comfort zone paid dividends—she was offered a promotion to her current role for a program with another automotive brand. Gina credits her leadership for believing in her when she was unsure if she was the right fit, as well as the relationships she had built over the years within MarketSource and throughout Allegis Group. “Managing a new program during a quarantine across state lines has been a wild ride and taught me a lot! I have never been more thankful for my coaches, my peers, and my team.”
As for her advice for someone that would like to grow in their career journey, Gina believes that building strong relationships; asking for help and feedback; and always working to deliver for those counting on you are important characteristics to develop.
She also believes a “team effort” mentality is critical to anyone’s success. “I love my team! I look forward to interacting with them each day and watching them take ownership and succeed. We live by the mantra: ‘Every day, I go above and beyond for you and the program—and you go above and beyond for me.’”