Malakowsky talks about Schwan’s sponsorships and events
"Schwan's People You Need to Know" is an ongoing series of stories that share some of our employees' experiences as we celebrate our 65th anniversary and participate as a founding partner of the Minnesota Super Bowl 52 Host Committee.
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| Heather Malakowsky |
“One of my favorite parts of my job is that there is no typical day,” she said. “I may start the morning with a meeting with the Timberwolves; then I may have a call with the Super Bowl Host Committee in Minnesota to get updates on our planning process. From there, I may spend time screening venues for potential employee events and then end the night on the ice at a Wild game.”
Malakowsky is a senior sponsorship and events specialist who has worked for Schwan’s PR & Communication team for about five years. As a part of her job, she works on organizing employee events and coordinates with partners on sponsorships such as Schwan’s USA CUP® and support for local professional teams.
She recently took some time to tell us about her experiences at Schwan’s, her favorite foods and her excitement for the company’s participation with the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee.
Q: Tell us something about being a senior sponsorship and events specialist people don’t know and might find interesting.
A: Events just don’t happen by themselves. Behind every event, there is someone that has put in months of hard work to make it so that when you show up everything runs flawlessly. You give up a lot of nights and weekends working at various events.
Q: Tell us why you think your job is one of the most interesting jobs in the company.
A: I get to be a part of all the fun things that happen at Schwan’s — partnerships with sports organizations, customer trade shows, employee events, etc.
Q: Tell us about your career journey.
A: I started working for the National Sports Center on the Schwan’s sponsorship activation account. I worked there for four years, helping bring the Schwan’s sponsorship at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minnesota, to life through various events, including Schwan’s USA CUP. I was then called by Schwan’s with an opportunity to come work for the company full time, and the rest is history.
Q: What are you passionate about in your job?
A: I have the opportunity to be the face of the company — the front-line person doing things to engage with our consumers and provide them with a great experience at one of our events. With having so many points of interaction with consumers, I love it when they share the fond memories they had growing up with our products.
Q: Schwan’s is a founding partner of the Minnesota Super Bowl 52 Host Committee this year and the football season has begun. Are you a fan?
A: Yes.
Q: Which team are you hoping to see in Big Game?
A: The Vikings, our hometown team, of course!
Q: What is your favorite Schwan’s product to serve at your Big Game viewing party?
A: Red Baron® Pizza.
Q: What is your favorite overall Schwan’s product?
A: Our Schwan’s® Signature™ Chicken Breast Fillets because they can be used in so many things.
Q: Have you mastered any recipes that you would like to share?
A: If you consider baking a pizza on a Pizzazz Master worthy, then yes!
Q: What are you most looking forward to for the future of our company?
A: In the short term, I am extremely excited to see our company on a national stage this February through our involvement with the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee. Here we have the opportunity to tell our story to hundreds of thousands of people visiting our hometown.
Q: How would you describe Schwan’s culture?
A: Whether you lead people, a project or work with a team, every employee here is able to be a leader. Everyone has a seat at the table, and we are encouraged to share our thoughts and concerns in an effort to continuously improve for our customers, consumers and employees.
Q: As a part of our culture, we often talk about working as “one Schwan’s team.” What does that mean to you?
A: I think this is one of the most important parts of my role. I have the opportunity to work with individuals in our food-service business to sell products in stadiums, and with our home-service and consumer-brands marketing teams to determine the best way to brand our products in arenas, and with our communications and creative teams to design pieces that tell our story at an event.
