Who are you?
Glen Liford, TFC Marketing Communications Manager/Editor of The Cooperator. I’m an East Tennessee native and graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a marketing major.
How long have you worked with cooperatives?
I have a total of 23 years of service with TFC, including:
- 15 years, 5 months with TFC from April 1990 to September 2005
- 7 years, 7 months with TFC January 2017 to present
Along the way, I had a 9½-year stint as a Marketing Manager with an international construction equipment manufacturer (Astec/GEFCO) and worked as a freelancer over a 19-month period, doing work for a couple of cooperatives and some non-cooperative businesses.
Describe your role.
We have 24 folks or so working in our area, and I serve as the department manager and provide support, leadership, and coordination for the team. I’m editor of The Cooperator, our membership magazine, coordinating content, writing, and photography, and overseeing production and layout and design. Our team also stages our annual meeting, manager meetings, and several other events and functions, including industry relations, internal communications, public relations and corporate communications. We have a digital team that manages the TFC and several member Co-op websites and social media, digital and email marketing, and e-commerce.
We also offer our marketing communications services to a number of outside clients, doing a couple of other publications, and serving as marketing support for some of our joint venture companies and member Co-ops.
What do you enjoy about working with cooperatives?
The people (coworkers and our farmer owners), the purpose (cooperation, helping farmers), the variety, the challenge, the creativity, and the way our job changes from day to day. No two days are ever alike.
When did you join CCA? Why?
I joined the Co-op training program in April 1990, and then a few weeks later was offered the opportunity to join the Communications Department by Department Manager Jerry Kirk. Jerry hosted the 1991 CCA Institute in Nashville, and I got to be involved during that time. It was an incredible introduction to CCA. He encouraged us to get involved and allowed us to attend the Institute most years.
Did anything surprise you about CCA upon joining?
The friendliness, the openness, the way the CCA group would pick up right where we left off each Institute. It is an amazing feeling that these people get you and share your struggles, your challenges, and your way of working and thinking. It energizes me, and always served as a good point to look back over the year at what we had accomplished as we gathered entries for the contests
How has CCA supported you in your career?
CCA has been an invaluable resource. I have had the opportunity to work with talented, like-minded individuals on committees and institutes. It has provided professional development and continuing education.
What are your hobbies and interests?
Travel, reading, photography, old cars, yard work, antique-ing, spending time with my family. Collecting old advertising signs and thermometers. A little bit of hiking.
Do you have a “bucket list”? What are some of the things on that list?
My wife, Tisa, and I have quite few things we would like to do in retirement, and most of it involves traveling. We’ve made it to several national parks and many of the states. I would like to check off all 50 states and make it some of those other national parks. We might even try some international destinations. When I was working in the construction industry, I traveled to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. I’d also like to drive the full length of Route 66 sometime. Tisa and I have been on several segments of the famous road.
Give us something about yourself that is surprising or that most people don’t know.
This is a difficult one. I guess the part-time job that I had during college might be a good one. We have a regional fair in East Tennessee that has a mascot named Jasper the Rooster. I took on that role for a few weeks while I was in school. You had to that had that big rooster head and I think you looked out of the mouth. It was late August, and I did a couple of appearances and a parade in the sweltering heat and humidity of the East Tennessee summer. After nearly suffocating in that costume and thinking of who else had worn that magazine, I decided there were better ways to earn some spending money.
What advice would you give to professional communicators just starting their careers?
Stay humble. Keep learning. Don’t assume anyone owes you anything. Don’t take everything so seriously; laugh often. Don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone and take on new challenges and keep learning. CCA is a great resource, and I would encourage anyone to get involved and take advantage of the opportunities it provides.
When I was away from Co-op, I was not always happy with my work situation. I started doing some writing exercises to identify what I should do next. I came across the prompt “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” I had quite a long list of things, but the one answer that I wrote that stood out was “Take 12 months off to refresh, recharge, and refocus.” It wasn’t long after that when the company announced it was closing our plant. I spent the next 19 months working on freelance assignment, doing some humbling tasks, and seeking guidance for what came next. I’m convinced the time was about God getting me ready for the opportunity I have now. I’m convinced he knows what’s next and what I need, and the right things will come in time.
Email Glen here
