Say Hello to Jacob Sabel, Control State Division Manager
Hello Heaven Hill: Monthly Employee Q&A Series
Say hello to Jacob Sabel, Control State Division Manager. Check out the series of questions below to learn a bit more about Jacob.
How long have you been part of the Heaven Hill family?
In July, it will be 8 years since I joined the Heaven Hill family. I am grateful for the opportunities and trust the company has placed in me.
What’s inspiring you in life right now?
I grew up with my parents instilling two things – importance of family and hard work. What drives me stems from both of these values – first and foremost, I just celebrated my 9 year anniversary with my wife, Jennifer. We have two silly boys – Joby (4) and Levi (2). Family is our backbone and what continues to motivate us to be the best we can be.
From a business perspective, I’ve always been driven by being GREAT!! I’m a firm believer that if you put in the work, stay humble, treat people with respect, and build with integrity, it will pay dividends long term. With our recent realignment, my goal is to take Heaven Hill from #4 supplier in the control states to #1. This won’t happen overnight but it’s creating a plan, staying consistent and continuing to challenge each other that will take us to the Top of the HILL – of course, cheering with an Elijah Craig Old Fashioned 😉.
Best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Oy… so tough… I really enjoy leadership books. Some of my favorites are GRIT by Angela Duckworth and Radical Candor by Kim Scott. Both of these books’ principles are things I live by… i.e. GRIT = Passion + Perseverance and Radical Candor = Care Personally, Challenge Directly. As a leader, my goal is to exude a contagious work ethic and move people out of their comfort zone to challenge to strengthen skill sets. By doing this, it provides a different lens to evaluate business – whether peeling the onion, getting granular, tweaking route to market, meaningful relationship building, etc…I encourage taking calculated risks and learning from mistakes to grow and get stronger.
Tell us about an organization or cause you are passionate about.
There are two organizations I’m passionate about. The first is the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation – my mom and I both battle Crohn’s disease and try to do anything we can to help fundraise to help find a cure. Last year we participated in the Spin4 event in which we rode in a spinning studio to raise $$$. Additionally, the past few years the Georgia team has set up a bar on a tee box at the annual golf tournament for product sampling and support of the event.
The 2nd organization is the JCC Maccabi Games which is a North American Olympic style sporting event for Jewish teens around the world. I played baseball for 3 years, coached for a year and have been on the leadership committee for the past 6 years. Each summer we take a local delegation of approximately 75-150 kids to a host city to compete in week long sporting events plus participate in social activities that go along with the games. It’s an incredible experience seeing approximately 1,200, 13 to 16 year-olds, bond for a week and create lifelong friendships and memories. Unfortunately, this summer in Orange County, CA was cancelled due to Covid-19.
What’s one thing people may not know about you?
In the summers of 2004 & 2005, I had what I considered a dream internship. I applied for a marketing role with the Atlanta Falcons and was called by the team to let me know that I didn’t get the position, however, they wanted me to come on board in a player personnel capacity. I asked specifically what that meant and they said you’ll live with the players during training camp and support the day to day operations. I quickly accepted! The first year was at Furman University and the second year, Arthur Blank built a facility at their headquarters in Flowery Branch, GA. The stories are endless and I remain close to another fellow intern that now is the Director of Football Operations for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
What’s your favorite time of day?
Daily Walk. I make a point to take a daily walk around my neighborhood. This allows time to clear my head, get the endorphins flowing and reenergize!
What would you like to be remembered for?
Someone who inspired others to be GREAT, gave everything he had on a daily basis, put others before himself and always did the right thing, even when the right thing wasn’t the easiest choice.
A skill you’re working on mastering?
Listening. To be an effective leader, you have to be a great listener. My natural pace is that I work fast (recently was given the analogy of the Energizer Bunny) and because I tend to keep things moving, I have to work on slowing down when engaged in conversations. One tip I took from Doug Semenick was to wait 2 seconds after someone is done talking before I respond. I’m not where I want to be but continues to be something I’m personally working on.
What’s your favorite pastime?
Another tough one…Eating, Sports, Working Out!!! “I like to eat so I can make good gut decisions 😉.”
Stay tuned as we share more employee Q&A sessions.
