The Triangle Business Journal announced the winners of its 40 Under 40 Leadership Awards in its May 12 issue. Not surprising in the least was inclusion of Andy Beal, President and CEO of Fortune Interactive and Google Analytics early adopter.
Unfortunately, the Triangle Business Journal does not post certain ‘list’ articles online, so I can’t link out the article (although they did publish a press release of the award winners ). Needless to say, it’s a great profile on a very down-to-earth guy.
Andy talks a bit about his now-famous admiration of Sir Richard Branson, his leadership style (“I try to empower people to make decisions.”), and his goals for the company (“…change the way search engine marketing is provided as a service to client.”).
I am particularly impressed with Andy’s commitment to customer service (when asked “what is your hot button?”). He’s quoted in the article as saying:
I think there’s no excuse for not providing your customers with the level of service they expect – whether that’s at a swank hotel or the McDonald’s drive-thru.
And his answer to “is it better to win or have fun?”:
It’s better to be honest. With an honest heart, you’ll go through life having fun and being successful.
In full force are Andy’s glib humor (“I really do enjoy hiking, even though I have a body built for watching TV.”) and Andy even reveals his first job ever.
I had the chance to introduce Andy and his incredibly talented interactive marketing team at Fortune Interactive to Urchin 6 On Demand last summer, a few months before it was re-branded and unveiled as Google Analytics in mid-November. Alongside the other utilities that Fortune Interactive employs, including the custom-built SEMLogic, Google Analytics is being used to keep tabs on the search engine marketing efforts for many of Andy’s clients.
I’d like to say that the Triangle Business Journal couldn’t have picked a more deserving fellow for this award. Congratulations, Andy!
