Janet Brewer
Chief People Officer, Arcfield
For Arcfield Chief People Officer Janet Brewer, the focus this year is all about “the power of and.” Arcfield acquired two companies in the second half of last year and has since been laser-focused on how best to leverage the strengths of each group to achieve an even greater outcome than each of its parts could on their own.
Brewer’s combined HR and marketing team spent much of the past year working together to tackle problems in a more integrated way to maximize impact. In the second quarter, Arcfield planned to host a job fair. To encourage the use of a new social media employee advocacy tool the company had recently launched, they developed an internal competition to promote the event via the tool.
Each share raised money for Hero Dogs, an organization they were partnering with, and the team with the highest adoption rate on the tool earned the privilege of naming the Arcfield-sponsored service dog (check him out on Instagram at @herodogsgunner).
“I was proud of the cross-functional team for designing an innovative approach where the benefits were multifold,” Brewer said. “We supported an organization that directly benefits the veteran community, we encouraged tool adoption through friendly inter-company competition, and we accelerated business outcomes through higher-than-usual turnout for the job fair. This is just one of many examples of the work we are focused on this year and how expansive the power of ‘and’ can be.”
Why Watch
In 2024, Brewer says the team is focused on accelerating Arcfield’s growth by increasing investments in people, communities and technology. Along with an expanded presence at tradeshows to connect with customers and partners, the company also broadened its philanthropic efforts to better support the communities where they live and work.
New Arcfield employees will have access to just-in-time training from day one, with over 50,000 pieces of content covering topics from self-leadership to technical skills, helping them achieve their professional goals. People managers receive additional in-person training tailored to their strengths to help them effectively engage their teams and grow as leaders. Brewer and her team also launched an internal mobility program to support career growth within the company and are introducing business network groups to foster a stronger sense of community at Arcfield.
Fun fact: During her undergraduate studies at William & Mary, Brewer joined the dive team with no prior experience. The team was looking for former high school gymnasts, as many of the skills are transferable.