Scot Lowry , President & CEO, Fathom
Scot Lowry
, President & CEO, Fathom
In what ways is your company an innovator in its industry, and how does your organization employ innovation to be on the leading edge?
Here at Fathom, we are always looking for ways to improve upon what we do. We encourage every employee to find a piece of the online marketing industry that really interests them — and own it. We have weekly meetings to discuss how major industry changes affect us and our clients, and we encourage all staff members to participate in professional organizations. We are consistently updating our tool sets and looking for new solutions that will help us work more efficiently and effectively for our clients. Our number one goal is to be a partner for our clients, instead of a vendor, and that is something that really sets us apart in the industry.
Internally, Fathom employees make Leadership Development Plans that focus on determining their path in the company and reaching their full potential. The goal is continual and consistent growth, both individually and on a company-wide basis.
How does your organization make a significant impact on the community and regional economy, either through charitable contributions, volunteerism or setting an example for other organizations & leaders to follow?
We support a variety of charities and have an internal group that helps coordinate our charitable efforts throughout the year. In the past year, we have raised money and awareness for the American Heart Association, Relay for Life, The MS Foundation, The Cleveland FoodBank and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Fathom has worked with Cleveland Social Venture Partners (CSVP) by training their staff to use a CMS platform, offering general SEO advice, and redesigning their website. In addition, we have a team dedicated to helping the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with their online marketing strategies, social media presence and website optimization/upkeep.
We are continuously collecting donations of food and clothing, with the overall goal of donating a literal “ton” of stuff to organizations in need. Over the past year we’ve collected close to 300 pounds of clothing and other items that have gone to community organizations such as Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry, Redeemer Crisis Center and ÂÂÂÂÂÂthe Kent State Women’s Shelter.
Give us an example of a business challenge your organization faced during its growth, as well as how you overcame it.
The online marketing industry has grown rapidly in recent years, and our challenge has been to find ways to stay ahead of the competition and offer our clients truly valuable solutions and services. Instead of sticking with the status quo, we decided to break out of commoditizing our service offerings and focus on providing customers with valuable solutions that can be customized to meet their needs.
Our goal is to provide simple, fully accountable solutions that deliver results that matter — namely, profitable revenue.  Working with Fathom is like hiring another top salesperson for your organization. Top salespeople are easy to work with because they are fully committed to delivering results that matter. You know they are making an important impact when they bring in new customers and revenue, just like Fathom does for its clients.
What is the greatest lesson you’ve learned as a business leader, an entrepreneur, or as an organization, and how have you applied this lesson toward fostering growth?
The biggest lesson I’ve learned is two-fold:
First, the most successful businesses provide “must have” products and services, not just those that are “nice to have.” Fathom is leading the transition every business must make to effectively capture online opportunities. For several years the world has been moving toward interactions that are done primarily through online, social and mobile channels. Businesses must understand what this means for them and move to capture opportunities before their competitors leave them behind. Fathom is focused on offering our clients a simple solution to this incredibly complex challenge.
Secondly, due to today’s dynamic and rapidly changing business environments, leaders must create cultures that attract people who can and want to learn rapidly. The “top down” process and “control approach” don’t work well, especially in industries such as online marketing. We need people who have a high “figure it out” factor, and we need to foster a culture that doesn’t get in the way of that. High performers love to have the freedom and autonomy they need to truly make an impact. We work hard every day to empower our team by fostering this type of environment at Fathom.
