PARTNER FOCUS START THEM YOUNG
BMJ talked to Ed Parlato of NBG Partner Browns Builders Merchants about his new role at vice-chair of the BMF Young Merchants group and how that will link into to his NBG role.
E
d Parlato is the Vice Chair of the BMF’s Young Merchant’s group, a position he was elected to in October 2021. He was also voted Independent Rising Star at the BMJ Industry Awards 2021. As vice chair, he will become chair of the group after two years, succeeding the current Chair Jo Callow.
“It’s a four-year stint” he explains, “with the first two years in a supporting role, watching and learning from the Cchair. That’s then followed by two years where I will have to do it myself. By then, I will have the support of whoever the next Vice Chair is. So it’s all about development and moving through the roles.”
Parlato decided to stand for election because he relished the opportunity to give something back to the group. “I joined the Young Merchants group at 19; very young and fresh faced, but it definitely shaped me going forward. I want to make sure that others can benefit the way that I have.” Confidence is one of the key benefits from membership of the group, Parlato believes. Knowing that you have a support network of like-minded, similarly experienced people behind you builds confidence.
“I went into those first Young Merchants’ meetings not knowing anyone, not really sure if I should be there or not. Yet people talked to me. They asked me questions about the business, about my experiences, things that I wasn’t necessarily getting asked by customers or staff in my day-to-day job.
“It was a realisation that actually, there is something out there in the industry that is
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asking questions of someone who’s been in the industry for years as you fear that you’ll sound silly. Being part of the Young Merchants gave me the confidence to go to the meetings and know that there would be someone there that I had met before. It’s a great way of easing you into the wider industry.
Ed Parlato won the Independent Rising Star of the Year award at the BMJ Industry Awards in November 2021 and received his trophy from TV presenter Gabby Logan.
much more than just my business” he says “You end up talking to those other young merchants, and then the next time you go to a NBG meeting, you walk in and there’s someone that you’ve met before. That’s a real help when you are trying to make your way in the industry.”
The most daunting thing about starting out in the industry, Parlato believes, is walking into a room that you fear will be full of people that you’ve never met before and who all know far more and have far more experience than you do. “Especially if you are younger,” he explains.
“You don’t always feel comfortable
“I joined the NBG Tools and Workwear CMT three years ago, and I would never have been able to contribute as fully to my buying group without having the confidence that Young Merchants gave me - to go into a room full of people and give my opinion and know that it will be listened to.” NBG forms a support network for Partners, and Parlato says that the Young Merchants does the same thing for its members. “The support network and the networking is invaluable. What we have in Young Merchants is a lot of people starting out in their careers - as well as some who are much more experienced. We are all asking questions through genuine curiosity. Knowing that other people are asking questions like yours, you understand that your questions aren’t daft ones, they are actually relevant, and you are on the right track.” The importance of encouraging younger people through the industry has been well- documented, but this doesn’t mean it’s any less true, Parlato says. “Every new generation brings something fresh with it. Now, having a generation that are “digital natives” will change things exponentially - because that’s the nature of digital, to go ten times faster. “This industry still has a long way to go in terms of digitisation, if you look at how
January 2022
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