Customer Stories › Blount Fine Foods
Initiated by VP of Digital Transformation & Technology · XenoDATA engagement
TJ Polak, Senior Director of Data & Technology at Blount Fine Foods, was carrying the weight that most data leaders carry. His team had become a reactive service desk — disconnected from business value, managing priorities poorly, struggling to retain talent. He knew he was doing the right things for the organization. He wasn't sure anyone else could see it.
A way to connect the data team's work to business outcomes that leadership could see. An exec sponsor who understood what the team was building. Use cases with business owners driving them, not just the data team pushing them forward.
A structure that connected the data team's work to business initiatives. DataWorkbench gave the organization a live view of what was in progress and why it mattered. Advisory support gave TJ a trusted resource who had sat in his seat — someone who would tell him where he was wrong and help him pivot in clear and actionable ways.
Within the first months of the engagement, Blount was having better conversations with the business and getting involved in strategic initiatives earlier. TJ: "For the first time, I see the light and don't feel completely overwhelmed."
"Like most data leaders, I felt like I had a huge weight on my chest. We weren't managing our priorities well, and our work was disconnected from business value. For the first time, I see the light and don't feel completely overwhelmed."
TJ Polak, Senior Director of Data & Technology, Blount Fine Foods
