March 21, 2023

Rachel Czarnecki started her career as an assistant at the Buffalo News, then marketing for Eden Valley Creamery, then business development for Colley’s Pools — but since joining FOS as a marketing coordinator she hasn’t looked back. Believing in our software products and our mission is easy, but it’s the people that make her job meaningful. “FOS is filled with a diverse range of employees from all across the country working towards a single goal. As we’ve grown and scaled one of the areas we have continued to thrive is hiring top talent. Not only do we hire top performers and leaders, we also hire people that are kind, trustworthy, and empathetic. The feeling of camaraderie and belonging is authentic and represents the values that are important to me outside of work.” 

That’s reason number one I recommend subscribing to the Rachel Czarnecki show — she wears her heart on her sleeve. This is evident as we sit across from one another in a conference room in downtown Buffalo, overlooking Fountain Plaza and the iconic M&T Bank gold dome. Rachel shares, “I’m an overthinker, but one thing that was easy was to decide when starting my career was that I wanted to stay in the area I grew up. That’s how I landed in so many different industries — Chautauqua County doesn’t offer up too many opportunities in terms of career growth. But now I can make you cheese, build you a newspaper, AND build you a pool!” Despite her numerous jobs so far, Rachel is grateful for the lessons she’s learned from each one. “The Buffalo News taught me the most out of all of my jobs, and especially how to work with different personality types. Understanding how to see both the positives and negatives and accepting that you can’t change other people’s attitudes, you can only change your own.”

This brings me to reason number two — Rachel is ambitious, eager, and enthusiastic. These words essentially mean the same thing but when you meet Rachel it’s easy to see how they all truly shine through. “I started at Pace University in New York City, did the Disney College Program (DCP), came back closer to home and went to SUNY Fredonia, and actually did the DCP for a second time before graduating with my degree in business administration. The DCP made me grow up a bit faster, I think, but it taught me how to compartmentalize when you’re in a job situation. I’ve taken those lessons with me through each job I’ve held so far.” Besides Mickey Mouse being a large influence in her life, Rachel attributes her outlook to her mom. “She taught me the value of hard work, and to take leaps! She doesn’t let anything hold her back and I aspire to be the same way.”

Number three — Rachel is curious. She embodies an inquisitive every-day behavior that inspires others to always push to achieve more. Rachel sees the positive, living by the best piece of professional advice she’s ever received, “gotta get it done.” She shares, “At the end of the day you gotta get it done. Sometimes I can be too introspective, but that trait has also enhanced my passion to accomplish my goals. I like to explore the unknown and I’m always wondering; I’m also very interested in history. Currently I’m trying to do research on my house that was built in the 20’s.”

Next, I ask Rachel, if she had a magic wand what would the future of marketing look like? “More fluid. Right now, it’s more about a transition from old practices — printing and mailing, PDFs, and QR codes… I wish things were more standard.” Reason number four — this is where Rachel brings up leveraging a multigenerational workplace, describing how she aspires to forge bold connections. “It will be interesting to see how the marketing world will react to Gen Z as they enter the workforce and bring totally different ideologies than even Gen X. I’m interested to see where that leads. Personally, I grew up without a cellphone and the Internet started to take off while I was in high school. I saw the beginning effects of social media while in high school so I’m in an interesting spot generationally myself. But I think the fact that each one of our team members thinks, works, and imagines a little differently is a part of why we’re such a successful business.”

Reason number five (and six, seven, and eight)? Rachel’s “children” — her dogs Phoebe and Holly, and cats Beasley and Stella (named appropriately after being found under the porch of a bar) who routinely make appearances on our conference calls. “They crack me up. I can’t wait until my fiancé and I finish renovating a little camper we bought so we can all travel in that. I could go tent camping forever, I have all the gadgets! But I’m really excited for this fixer-upper project.”

I’m really excited to have had the chance to chat with Rachel about what makes her tick. She embodies our company maxims — the everyday behaviors we live by that inspire each of us to achieve more. Every action is important, and Rachel is sincerely a thread of positivity across our entire organization. “Subscribe” to see what she does next.