Holly Schadt on Leadership: Have Empathy, Let Staff Take Risks, Be Clear With Your Vision

Posted on January 12, 2022

Image
Qmm5x4jnxrhy3m43lt2nbmnj2y

Holly Schadt graduated from West Genesee High School in 2001 and went to Nazareth College in Rochester. A degree in social work didn’t interest her as much as she thought it would, so after her freshman year she came back to Syracuse and enrolled in St. Joseph’s College of Nursing. After a year, she realized nursing was not meant for her either.

“My path was not very traditional,” she said with laughter as she recounted her career at Byrne Dairy’s headquarters in LaFayette, where she has worked mostly in the information technology department she helped to create.

The fourth-generation, family-owned dairy company operates three manufacturing plants in Central New York. Milk, cheese, yogurt, and other dairy products are shipped around the nation and even internationally. Schadt said the company employs about 600 people in its CNY plants and warehouses and processes about 50 million pounds of milk each month.

Schadt had just turned 21 in February 2004 when she started in the accounts receivable department at Byrne. The job involved a lot of paper being faxed and mailed to and from customers. She developed a reputation for her work ethic, customer service, and interest in finding ways to make everything work better.

She had enrolled in ITT Technical Institute, a for-profit chain of colleges that later closed in bankruptcy. She was studying information technology with a concentration in multimedia and developing insights that would change her accounts-receivable work. Schadt had the good fortune to work at a company where supervisors gave a young woman with ideas and drive the chance to get ahead and lead the company forward.

CenterState CEO invited her to talk about her experiences at its Generation Next speaker series on Tech & Culture. Her talk via Zoom will be from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 19.

Read the full article from Stan Linhorst on syracuse.com, here.

Register for the event, here.

Other
Media Coverage

Image
Founder of Clutch Delivery Celestin Abwe and Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh
Media Coverage | 10/03/2023

Clutch Delivery Looks To Grow Through Syracuse Surge Accelerator

Celestin Abwe is one of five entrepreneurs participating in the inaugural Syracuse Surge Accelerator program.

Image
Tech Hubs Graphic
Media Coverage | 10/02/2023

NY SMART I-Corridor Makes a Strong Case In Tech Hubs Application

Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse's joint Tech Hub application to create the NY SMART I-Corridor received praise from the Editori

Image
City of Syracuse
Media Coverage | 09/27/2023

Two Central New York Consortiums Awarded Federal Funding Through Defense Manufacturing Program

The Upstate Defense Consortium, in partnership with Empire State Development, CenterState CEO, the Griffiss Institute, Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families and FuzeHub received $5 million from the Defense…

Image
Rob Emergent 2023
Media Coverage | 08/28/2023

Emergent's Driving Leadership Podcast with Rob Simpson

CenterState CEO President Rob Simpson chats with Emergent Partner Bill Berthel about exciting new opportunities for our region.

Image
NY Smart I-Corridor Graphic
Media Coverage | 08/17/2023

Syracuse Joins Rochester and Buffalo in Federal Tech Hub Application

The three metro areas of Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse submitted a joint application to become a federally-recognized Tech Hub this wee

Image
Alan Rottenberg, Dave Mankiewicz, and Donna Gillespie gather to celebrate Central New York's Career Apprenticeship Initiative.
Media Coverage | 08/10/2023

Career Apprenticeship Initiative Aims To Retain CNY's College-Educated Talent

CenterState CEO; Alan Rottenberg, founder of the Canadian Career Apprenticeship Initiative; the Kingston Economic Development Corporation

Image
CenterState CEO President Rob Simpson being interviewed at The Tech Garden Expansion Kickoff.
Media Coverage | 08/10/2023

The Tech Garden Expansion Project Officially Gets Underway

CenterState CEO, local leaders and supporters gathered to announced the onset of construction for the transformational expansion of its b

Image
Syracuse Surge Accelerator finalists announced
Media Coverage | 08/08/2023

Syracuse Surge Accelerator Announces Five Finalists

CenterState CEO announced the five companies selected to participate in the first year of the new and innovative Syracuse Surge A

Image
Media Coverage | 07/27/2023

Syracuse Alumni Turn College Town into Hometown

Graduates of Syracuse University speak to the success they’ve found in Central New York.