Engaging the Next Generation with Molly Zentz

In this episode of See Yourself IN, host Casey Harrison talks with Molly Zentz, Senior Director of Communications at Connexus Indiana. Molly shares her inspiring journey from growing up in Peru, Indiana, to shaping a successful career in communications. She discusses her educational path, the decision to stay in Indiana, and valuable real-world experience. Molly highlights Indiana's leadership in manufacturing and logistics, the adoption of cutting-edge technologies like collaborative robots, and the efforts to tackle workforce challenges. She also emphasizes the importance of hands-on experience, the role of communication in industry growth, and the impact of programs like Rising 30 and Make and Move. Additionally, she shares advice on career exploration, leveraging personal connections, and maintaining work-life balance.

5 Key Takeaways:

1. Advanced manufacturing and logistics are high-tech, innovative industries. Forget outdated images of factories – these fields are driven by robotics, sensor technology, and data analysis.

2. Diverse career paths exist within these industries. While engineering is key, there are also opportunities in marketing, communications, HR, and more.

3. Early hands-on experience is invaluable. Internships, job shadowing, and volunteering can help you discover your passion and build your skills.

4. Leverage your network for career exploration. Talk to family, friends, and mentors about their jobs and industries.

5. Setting boundaries demonstrates leadership. Prioritizing work-life balance shows self-respect and can enhance your career prospects.

For more resources on the jobs, companies, and opportunities in Indiana, visit
https://www.cicpindiana.com/syi/  

Transcript

Casey Harrison: Welcome to today's episode of See Yourself In, where you'll learn about cool jobs, people and companies in Indiana. You'll also learn about skills that will help you find success and most importantly, we hope they inspire you to dream big. I'm Kasey Harrison, your host. On today's show, we'll dive into Indiana's advanced industries and why they're important.

We'll talk about the skills that are transferable across jobs and industries, and determine some of the best ways to begin exploring these opportunities. In this episode, we're joined by Molly Zentz, Senior Director of Communications at Connexus Indiana. With a passion for creating awareness and driving action through effective communication, Molly has made a remarkable impact in her field.

Accredited in public relations by the Public Relations Society of America, she's deeply committed to building stronger communities through her work. Let's dive into her journey and insights on the power of communication.

Molly, welcome to See Yourself In. Thank you so much. I'm really looking forward to it. We're so excited that you're here. And I have had the pleasure of knowing Molly. I was trying to remember. Several years ago. Was it 2018? Who knows? Pre pandemic for sure. Yeah, that's fair. That's fair. We got to, I worked underneath Molly who chaired the Public Relations Society of America Hoosier Chapters Pinnacle Awards.

Correct. Yeah. So we've known each other for a while. It's been really fun to see where Molly's career has taken her and we're going to get into all that today. So let's jump right in. Would you share with us a little bit about either what brought you to Indiana or why you're still here today? 

Molly Zentz: Yes. I'll share a little bit of both.

So I'm born and raised in Indiana. I grew up in Miami County in Peru. My dad is a teacher. My mom was an administrator at a hospital. My dad was actually my principal in high school. So that led to an interesting, interesting childhood. Growing up, there was a lot of jokes in my family that I was the one in the family that wouldn't stay in Indiana.

I definitely grew up in. Saw myself traveling a lot, which I do, saw myself, um, living in a big city, really wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but had kind of this desire to get away, really, frankly. And when I went to college, I wasn't quite ready to get away. I wanted to stay close to family, but I knew I wanted to be in a city, kind of experience that larger city life.

So I moved to Indianapolis and really, I just. I was shocked with how much I enjoyed it. And as I've grown and met my husband here and married, got a home in Irvington. And I have just continued to love Indianapolis, love Indiana, love the Midwest. And even earlier on in my husband and I's relationship, we were talking about, you know, maybe we'll move to Chicago.

Maybe we'll move somewhere else. And that conversation just quickly turned to, well, why would we move? I mean, we just have. what we want here. We've developed friends. Our families are here. And honestly, I just every year I become more Midwestern. I'm just such a Midwestern person. I love the people here.

And Indianapolis has just been a really great fit. 

Casey Harrison: Oh, I love that. I love that you're sharing that with us. When we spoke before this episode, you shared some intentionality around choosing the right college, and we're going to get into that shortly, but I want you to go back into high school, Molly's mind.

Was she thinking about pathways after graduation and what life would look like? 

Molly Zentz: Yeah, growing up with a teacher father. In early 2000s, the conversation was definitely we go to college. I'm really happy to hear that that's not necessarily the conversation for all kids today. But that was the path that I was sort of told to go on.

And I do think it was the right path for me, the skills that I wanted to develop and who I wanted to become. But I wasn't sure exactly what I was, I forget what your actual question was. The question was, when you were in 

Casey Harrison: high school, were you thinking about?

Molly Zentz: I think from a pretty young age, I think as early as middle school, I was trying to visualize what my life would be. I was struggling to pinpoint what the career was, but I was able to see my life. I was able to see myself in a more metropolitan area. I saw myself working in a business environment, in a corporate environment in some way.

I knew I wanted to use my voice. I am, was definitely a bossy child, you know, opinionated child, always spoke up, just was always who I was. And I think I felt innately that there would be a career for me where I could use my voice and my energy. I just wasn't sure what it was, but the college path was the right path for me to figure that out.

Casey Harrison: So you ended up selecting the University of Indianapolis, but I'd like you to take us back and maybe talk about how you got there. 

Molly Zentz: I keep talking about cities, but that really was how I was thinking about my future at that age. So I was thinking about colleges, thinking about majors. I was on the yearbook committee in high school.

I was very involved in theater. I was kind of doing things where I was kind of communicating in some fashion, was thinking about journalism, thinking about broadcast journalism for a while. And I had my yearbook teacher who was the English teacher as well, brought up public relations. And I had been thinking about business, I had been thinking about marketing, I did not know what public relations was.

So I went to Google, started looking into it, and was really drawn in, I think, specifically because I saw the strategy behind public relations in a very different way than is journalism or is broadcast. It's really about thinking about who your audience is and somewhat of a puzzle when it comes to communication.

So I was really drawn to that. And then in terms of what school I would choose, I just knew I wanted to be in Indianapolis. So I toured several colleges in Indianapolis. I wanted something a little bit smaller. My sister had gone to a smaller school in Indiana, so that was kind of the path that I had seen.

And I toured the University of Indianapolis. It was a rainy day. I got splashed by a car driving by with a puddle. I still chose the school. And that was really because I visited the communications department and I learned that they had an agency called Top Dog Communication. Which is a full service public relations agency that serves nonprofits.

And from your freshman year, you're able to have real experience with, with clients. And I always struggled with focusing in education. I always wanted to do. I always felt like, okay, let's stop talking about it and let's do it. So I was really drawn to the fact that I would be able to, from freshman year, learn while also trying it out.

Casey Harrison: That's such an important distinction and I'm really glad you illustrated that because a lot of people listening are thinking, yeah, college is a great idea, but it's a lot of time and it's a lot of money and it's really important for some of our listeners to have opportunities to be working and doing and getting that experiential piece of it.

So it sounds like what you're explaining is you got to do both. 

Molly Zentz: I did get to do both. And, and part of the reason for being in Indianapolis is I wanted to do internships and I wanted to have job experiences because I really wanted to try out the job. And so I was able to pair that internship experience with that agency experience.

And, For me, it gave me a lot of confidence coming out of college. You know, I had sat in front of a client, asked them what their goals were, identified projects that we would implement, led a team of folks by my senior year who were implementing those projects, reporting back to the client. I truly felt like by the time I was, 22 years old, 23 years old and applying for my first real job, I had real world experience to talk about.

Casey Harrison: Oh my gosh. That's such a beautiful competitive advantage. I just, that's wonderful. So today you work as the Senior Director of Communications with Connexus Indiana. And if Connexus sounds familiar to those of you listening, it's because the first year first episode of See Yourself In actually featured Ryan Henderson, who is on your team.

So for those who maybe haven't heard that episode or are new to Indiana, could you tell us just a bit about what Connexus is and does? 

Molly Zentz: Connexus Indiana has one sole focus. It's growing the manufacturing and logistics industries in Indiana. So we have a lot of programs, a lot of things that we do. That's specifically what we're focused on.

If you don't know really what manufacturing and logistics is, it's making things. and moving things. We make a lot of stuff in Indiana. In fact, we are the most manufacturing intensive state in the nation. So we make things and we have to make sure that they get to that end user. So that logistics industry is making sure that it gets there.

We focus on kind of two main problems that we're trying to solve. We're trying to help small to medium size manufacturers adopt new technology. to be more productive, and we're also trying to help them solve their workforce challenges. So manufacturing does have a hard time getting the amount of people that they need because they're large entities trying to hire a lot of folks.

So we're trying to train the right people. We're trying to make sure people know what opportunities are available in manufacturing and logistics, and just trying to help that industry grow. 

Casey Harrison: I'm going to pull out some data points that I think are important before we dive deeper into, into this piece of the conversation.

But so Conexus's role is really to position the Hoosier state as the best place for manufacturing and logistics industries. And so some of the numbers that we currently report is that this industry accounts for 444 billion in economic impact. 

Molly Zentz: It's a lot. It's over 30 percent of Indiana's GDP. So it really is the economic backbone of Indiana.

Casey Harrison: Oh my gosh. Well, and talk about not just Indiana, because it sounds like we're moving, you know, as of 2023, 724 billion tons of freight through our state around the world. 

Molly Zentz: Yeah, and both industries combined employ more than 700, 000 people in the state. 

Casey Harrison: That's what I want to noodle into next because that's not necessarily people that are working in factories or people that are out on the road, right?

And so before we maybe go there, talk to us a little bit about what a senior director of communications does in this industry. 

Molly Zentz: My job as someone who works at a non profit supporting these industries is similar but a little different than what someone who would be in communications or marketing would do.

would be doing at one of these manufacturing or logistics companies. What I do every day is really support the work of my coworkers. So my coworkers are doing, you know, running impactful programs, releasing reports. It's my job to make sure that people see those. It's my job to make sure that people come to our events.

that they know what the industry is doing. So it's my job to get people's attention and to kind of pull people into the fold for a manufacturing company. Really, it depends on what their audience is. So some manufacturers will sell to an end products, and they may be producing a phone or a car, and they may be doing full scale marketing and communications to sell that product.

But actually a lot of manufacturing companies in Indiana are making a piece of a car or a piece of a phone. That's one thing that I've just been really shocked with as I've toured different manufacturing plants is how much goes into every little thing that we use on a daily basis. So those folks are maybe trying to communicate with potential other manufacturers to use that piece.

So it just depends, but it's a lot of multimedia, a lot of creative communication. Some people are doing internal, you know, employee communication or stakeholder communication. So it's very diverse career. 

Casey Harrison: And it's also, you know, the other piece of that is we're at the forefront of the digital revolution in these industries, and I think that's an important piece of it too is, you know, you're talking about what what you do and how you serve from a communication standpoint, but everything about these industries has been innovated because of technology.

Molly Zentz: Absolutely. We call it at Connexus Industry 4. 0. Some people call it smart manufacturing or modern manufacturing. That's probably been the single most surprising thing for me in touring manufacturing plants and also seeing the way that our logistics companies are working. These are high tech facilities.

They are using collaborative robots, which we call robots, um, lots of sensor technologies. Listen to Ryan's episode to hear all the intricacies of the technology because that's where I will definitely say the wrong thing. But the way that people and technology are working together in these spaces. is really amazing.

And a lot of it is really to help take away the manual work that people don't want to do anymore. So most manufacturing companies are upskilling their employees who maybe previously were doing something fairly repetitive. The robot is doing that work now, but that person is still there. They are working with the robot and learning new ways to engage with the technology.

One thing that we have a program called the Manufacturing Readiness Grants Program where we, through the IEDC, give money to small businesses to adopt new technologies, and what we've found is that with the adoption of new technologies, they actually are growing the amount of people that they need and hiring people.

So often that. The idea of robotics or technology, especially in the manufacturing space, gets people thinking about a reduction in jobs. But really, people have to work with this technology, they have to program it, and it's more interesting work. So that's going to be the future. 

Casey Harrison: And while the technology may make us more efficient, we often need.

Someone hands on to be able to evaluate to your point and make sure we are right. Thank you for the context, but I want to move in now to some of the programs you're leading because I, I hope that as our listeners are tuning into this episode, they're thinking, I didn't know any of this. And so we're demystifying the industry a little bit.

But the next question is, how do they get plugged in? 

Molly Zentz: There's two programs that I am probably most passionate about. One is called Rising 30, the other is called Make and Move. Those are the two that are specifically for young professionals in manufacturing logistics or considering manufacturing and logistics.

So Rising 30, Think of it as a 30 under 30 awards program for manufacturing and logistics in Indiana. We're entering our fifth year of the program. We put together a fancy award program in downtown Indianapolis every year where we have selected 30 young professionals who are innovating in these spaces.

So a lot of them are engineers, but we have a good mix of someone in HR who maybe has implemented a really engaging new program for the staff or someone in marketing who's launched an event. So that's a really fun program and it helps give people in these spaces an opportunity to share the awesome work that they're doing.

And it gives the employers a way to recognize young people. And the other, like I said, it's called make and move. It's an awareness campaign that we run for Gen Z Hoosiers, just like this podcast, and there's an interactive quiz where young people can figure out if they would be a fit as a maker or a mover.

The questions are really just about their life, the things that they like to do, how they would react on a desert island. So not Not the questions you might expect and then the results tell them whether they might be a fit for manufacturing or for logistics. And what's really fun about the work that I'm doing right now is last year we did research and we actually identified that we need to start communicating with people about manufacturing and logistics even younger.

So we're revamping our website, creating a lot of new materials, and our target audience moving forward will be middle schoolers, which I've never done any kind of campaign for middle schoolers. So it's a really fun new challenge. We're getting engaged with robotics clubs and so on. STEM clubs. And right now in, in kind of trying to communicate 24 year olds, we're doing a lot of social media advertising.

You can't do that for children as you should not be able to. So we have to figure out how we can engage with them kind of in the spaces that they're at and just help them understand that maybe what they think these industries are. are, is not what they are, you know, and if they're interested in technology or really a wide variety of skills, they might be interested in working in those fields.

Casey Harrison: That sounds like such exciting work. My communication heart is just bounding for this. Oh my gosh, what a fun, yeah, fun and challenging, but in a really exciting way. And again, just illustrating that there are opportunities in this, in these industries. Regardless of if you're the one coding or running the technology or running the data, right?

There are opportunities for everyone. I want to pivot just a little bit because I'm, I'm so curious. How does one discover their passion for advanced manufacturing and logistics? 

Molly Zentz: A lot of the folks that I know who are in those industries are there because they liked tinkering with things when they were younger.

So a lot of people just like, they like being hands on. If you're in logistics, I would say a real problem solver, you know, someone who needs to figure out how something can move to one place and another in the most efficient way. It's like this really intricate puzzle kind of blows my mind if I think about it.

For me specifically, one thing that I love about PR is that we get an insight into so many different industries. And so in 15 years, I have worked in tech and fitness and fashion and home services. And I had a quite a good set in agriculture, which is where I found that I really like working for these industries that are really important to Indiana.

So for me, while I'm not necessarily the most hands on person. I have found that I'm really passionate about these industries because of the impact it has on, honestly, my neighbors. Because if the manufacturing and logistics industries are thriving, you know, it's really economically beneficial to every single one of us who live in this state.

Casey Harrison: I mean, yeah, the numbers prove it. It's also just so cool to have this conversation now and hear what you're doing and watch, you know, just over the last few years, how much your career has changed. I just, it's really cool to see how you've taken control of your path and what you've used PR to do. 

Molly Zentz: I was riding on a tractor at Indiana Farm Bureau, which was also super fun.

And now I'm touring. manufacturing and logistics plants, and it's awesome, 

Casey Harrison: too. Yeah. Oh, it's so cool. Unfortunately, we're running out of time because these episodes go way too fast. But we like to end our show providing just three lessons learned or three nuggets of wisdom that you would share with people listening that maybe would have helped you on your journey.

So I will see you Yield the floor. 

Molly Zentz: Thank you. I have two that are sort of practical and one that's a little bit more personal. The first is, I think from listening to what I was saying, this won't be a huge surprise, but do whatever you can to get hands on experience as soon as possible. So volunteer, consider work based learning, check out an internship, maybe a job that's sort of similar to the industry that you are considering.

Not only to figure out what you want to do, but to weed out things that you don't want to do, because not every industry is for everyone, so I'd really encourage people to get out there and just try a lot of things when they're young. The second would be, if you are, So if you're not sure what you want to do and you're trying to find your career direction, think about the access to adults that you have in your life.

It was only a few years ago that I started thinking about what my aunts and uncles or my family friends do for a living. I didn't access those folks as a resource because I didn't really think about, I thought about them as family. That's right. Yeah. Professionals. Think about those people that you have access to.

Ask them what they like about their jobs. Ask them what their daily life looks like. They might let you shadow along. I have people in my life that are doing really interesting work and it took till 34 to realize that my aunt has a super cool job. So think about those people in your life. And then I would say the last one is.

I think there's a lot of talk about work life balance right now, which I love. It's something I talk to my team about a lot, and I think young people are interested in finding a career that really fits their goals in terms of work life balance. And what I learned is. that if done correctly, I believe that setting boundaries in the workplace is a leadership quality.

So I think people often think that if they are at their bosses beck and call that that is the way to advance in a career. But I think that from my experience, leaders value someone who respects themselves, who knows their priorities in life. So setting boundaries can actually be something I think that It lets you be viewed as a leader.

So take your PTO, reserve those evenings and weekends for family and friends and hobbies or whatever you want to do. 

Casey Harrison: Wonderful pieces of advice. Molly, thank you for joining us. Thank you. It was fun. Went so fast. It always does. We're so glad that you were able to join us today to learn about Indiana's advanced industries and how you can start or enhance your career journey.

Until next time, we hope that you'll be able to see yourself in the unlimited opportunities in Indiana.