Going the Extra Mile

A Randolph woman's initiative at work leads to a special prize-and a renewed desire to give back.

Nicole Malino hasn't bough the plane tickets yet, but a trip with her husband, Alex, and their two children—leaving her job as senior vice president of client services at Marketsmith in Cedar Knolls far behind—is in the cards.

The couple from Randolph had been thinking of going to St. Lucia, but may “change course,” given the circumstances surrounding the trip’s funding.

Malino’s trip is being financed by her company as a reward for her achievement in a five-month initiative promoting acts of kindness. She received $5,000 for placing second in “The Amazing Journey,” the brainchild of founder and CEO Monica C. Smith, which called on Marketsmith’s some 75 employees to rack up so-called “miles” by going the extra mile for themselves, co-workers, clients and members of the community at large.

The initiative consisted of four categories: “Be a Better You,” “Do Good”, “Drive Revenue” and/or “Be Social.” Activities in each category were assigned a certain mileage—for example, three miles for referring talent, an additional 10 miles if that referral is hired; five miles for raising money for a cause; four miles for taking a course in any subject. After five months, the results were tallied, and Malino secured second place with 477 miles.

Most of Malino’s mileage—nearly 45 percent—fell into the social category, while she earned 27.5 percent by driving revenue, 24.6 percent for performing good deeds and 3.1 percent for personal improvement. Among other things, she took charge of the nails-and-face-painting rooms during the company’s Bring Dinner Home event at Camden Street School and came up with a new process to improve internal operations.

For Malino, 40, who recently celebrated her second anniversary with Marketsmith, answering the company’s call to action brought many rewards, especially when it came to social media. She says she posted more frequently about the company and its strategies online, which in turn has raised public awareness about it. “It got people talking, posting, sharing,” she recalls.

But it is the importance of the initiative’s other goals that has led her to reconsider her vacation destination, she says. Instead of St. Lucia, she and her husband now are leaning more toward a trip to Puerto Rico or Costa Rica, splitting their time between relaxation and providing humanitarian aid or participating in “some sort of mission.”

Marketsmith’s mission: accomplished.