Change is not always easy, but it can be for the best

On Friday, I did something I haven't done in three years, give or take: I drove the five-minute commute from my condo to BNP Media's headquarters, in Troy, MI. BNP Media is the parent company of Candy Industry, Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery, and a slew of other magazines, most of which used to be printed, and not just online. 

I am now a full-time "remote worker," but I worked in the home office from August 2012, when I started with the company, until March 2020, when the pandemic hit. After that, I primarily worked from home, with a few office drop-bys when my internet was being wonky, but I was convinced that some day I would return to the office; in May of last year, however, I packed up my cube, and reality hit: I'd be working from home full-time from now on. 

The reason I came back to the office on Friday was that BNP Media is moving—down the street, but it's still a move—and our company invited us in to take any furniture, artwork, or office supplies that we wanted, for the most part. (I'll admit I was looking to score some notepads for conference and travel, and I succeeded—I'm good now for at least a few years.)

The pandemic has given B2B employees like myself more opportunities to network with coworkers, attend virtual events, and work from home. That being said, it was still really nice to see some coworkers in-person on Friday, when we arrived at the office to sift through what we wanted to take home, and a bit bittersweet to know that this was probably my last time in-person at the office. The elevator ride up to the office was both routine and strange; it was a ride I had taken every day for eight years, but one with which I was no longer familiar. 

However, not all change is bad. If you look at the "rebranding" keyword on this site, as well as on Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery, you'll see a plethora of companies rebranding either their logos, taglines, or product packaging. A good example of this would be Rocky Mountain Chocolate, which recently changed up its logo in order to differentiate itself in the premium chocolate market. In June of this year, bakery producer Entenmann's changed its Baker's Delights single-serve treats branding, as well; its name used to be "Entenmann's Minis." The brand also added NaviLens Technology on its retail boxes, which helps visually impaired people find products by hearing their name, nutrition, and allergen information, allowing them to shop more independently—a very cool initiative.

Even though the world is slowly moving back to in-person events—such as ECRM, which I just attended in Chicago in late August—it's also been proven that virtual event options are also here to stay. In December 2022, Walgreens announced that its Localization Summit, actually hosted by ECRM in February of this year, would be virtual. The event provided suppliers the opportunity to connect with the Walgreens Merchandising team and share their products, with the ultimate goal of being stocked on Walgreens shelves locally. Having an event hosted virtually, or with the option of attending either virtually or in-person, gives people the opportunity to attend that otherwise might not have been able to, if the event is too far from them or if funds are limited.

In addition, since our exodus from the office in March 2020, we've had a lot more virtual Zoom meetings, which allows us to collaborate more and share ideas between BNP magazine brands. When I worked in the office, I don't recall having many meetings, and especially not over Zoom; usually they were just over the phone, and everyone would call in to talk. 

“Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great," said businessman John D. Rockefeller—words to take to heart.