This week’s Up-and-Comer is Maddie Mack, a content manager at Lemonly.

Name: Maddie Mack

Position: Content manager at Lemonly

Age: 23

Hometown: Redfield

How did you get connected to your industry?

I majored in English and minored in music in college at SDSU — and no, I was not planning on being a teacher. Even though I wondered more than once if I should abandon English and become a pharmacist like my parents and older siblings, I knew I loved writing and trusted I could make a career of it.

My first forays into the marketing realm came about because of my music minor, oddly enough. The freshman music students were all lined up to have our headshots taken in the university marketing and communications building when one of the employees stuck his head out of his office and asked if any of us could write. I raised my hand, immediately had an informal interview, wrote a sample article and started my four-year gig as a student writer for UMC.

The mantra in that office really appealed to me: “We aren’t journalists. We’re advocates.” I later added a marketing minor to my degree and brought that spirit of advocacy to my work on the marketing team of the Hobo Day committee, some projects with the SDSU Foundation and, now, with my work at Lemonly.

What brought you to Sioux Falls?

I’m a South Dakotan — born, raised and educated — but I wasn’t set on staying in the state after graduating. I started looking into summer internships my junior year and was excited by the number and quality of marketing internships available right in Sioux Falls. A year later, I began one of those internships, and I’ve been at Lemonly ever since.

What keeps you in Sioux Falls?

My job, the community and my family. I love to travel and do whenever I can, but I’m excited to be part of the exciting changes and development of Sioux Falls. As for the family aspect, I have a brother in Vermillion, two sisters at SDSU in Brookings and another sister moving back to Sioux Falls soon. Being close to all of them and to my parents and younger brother in Redfield means a lot to me. Yeah, there are a lot of us.

What’s you favorite thing about your job?

There are so many things I love about my job. The variety, the opportunities for growth, the flexibility. Overall, the company culture is my favorite thing about working at Lemonly. Our fearless co-founders — CEO John T. Meyer and creative director Amy Colgan — have a “people-first” perspective on running the company, and that makes such a difference. My co-workers and I feel empowered to do our jobs to the best of our ability and encouraged when we might struggle. JTM’s passion for building a positive company culture has even become a newsletter and Medium publication called “Humans & Resources.”

Describe working at Lemonly in three words.

The first three words I came up with were “dynamic, supportive, open,” which I now realize correlate well with Lemonly’s core values of adventure, collaboration and integrity. That’s probably a good sign, right?

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I was the first writing hire in Lemonly’s five-year history, so thinking to the five-year future I see myself helping to grow the content aspect of the business and to lead future Lemonly writers.

What’s one business you’d like to see in Sioux Falls that isn’t here now?

I know most of us are waiting for Uber or Lyft to make their way to our city, but I’ll also add a request for an ice cream shop — specifically one within walking distance of my office. Hey SDSU, how about a DTSF Dairy Bar? (After submitting this, Mack learned her wish will come true with Chris Hanmer’s Parlour Ice Cream House coming to Washington Square next spring.)