It is safe to say that some of the most significant events during the past 10-plus years of Venetta Diesel-Varney’s life have revolved around Millennium Business Systems of Cincinnati. The question is, did destiny find her, or did she find her destiny? You be the judge.
A University of Cincinnati product who majored in marketing, Diesel-Varney held several positions for companies in the Queen City, including a 10-year stint with promotional products specialist Palmer Promotions. Right next door sat Millennium Business Systems, and she pounced on the opportunity to migrate from branded pens and logoed stress balls to copiers and printers. The only catch was she didn’t know anything about the office technology space and its alphabet of industry initialisms.
As she was going to be an account manager dealing with managed print services, Diesel-Varney’s first day saw her fly out to Phoenix in order to attend an MPS strategy development seminar being given by Tom Callinan. It was quite the coincidence when Millennium was acquired by Flex Technology Group (FTG) 10 years later, a company led by none other than Callinan himself.
“What a crazy but fun ride this industry can be,” said Diesel-Varney, a 2020 ENX Magazine Difference Maker. But little did she know, at the time…
The manager who hired her, the director of services, also trained Diesel-Varney for the first 90 days. Together, they launched the dealership’s MPS program. And in those early days, he pushed Diesel-Varney to perfect her talk track, maintain eye contact and hone her presentation skills. The director fed Diesel-Varney valuable industry insight, introduced her to key Millennium partners.
Less than 10 years later, Venetta Diesel and the director, Dave Varney, got married.
“When I look back, I remember how much I hated the whole process, but I stuck with it because I wasn’t going to give up,” she said. “His knowledge and passion for the industry got me to where I am today and I am forever grateful.”
Team Player
Today, as the company’s vice president of sales and marketing, Diesel-Varney thrives on seeing her team work independently and as a cohesive unit in helping clients solve their challenges. “Their success in not only winning deals but growing relationships and becoming a cohesive team that wants to make a difference is what fuels me every day,” she said.
That team mindset and willingness to go all-out is very much a part of her value proposition. Diesel-Varney strives to lead, listen, learn and provide the best input possible to advance the company’s initiatives. But she is an independent thinker, by the same token.
“If you are looking for a ‘yes’ person, then I am not the one you want on your team,” she noted.
In 2019, Diesel-Varney was named to her current role by company President David Bartlow, which validated the 10-year journey she’d taken to help grow Millennium. “In a male-dominated industry, I was very appreciative that Dave had the confidence in me to run our sales team and help grow the company,” she observed.
Moving Forward
Though 2020 has been a difficult year on many fronts, Diesel-Varney prefers to focus on how the challenge has forced everyone involved to be better workers, leaders and individuals, leverage new technologies and find new avenues to relevance. She’s already looking past this year and guiding her team to become dynamic in providing clients with a consultative approach while engaging in more opportunities for production print, solutions and MPS.
Venetta and Dave Varney have a blended family. She has two sons, Austin, 21, and Alex, 14, while he has 26-year-old twins Katie and Kyle. She enjoys golfing with her boys and keeping up with her youngster’s sports activities. The Varneys enjoy outdoor activities such as kayaking, hiking and biking, and Diesel-Varney loves to travel.
“There is nothing better than traveling and making memories with family that will last a lifetime,” she said.
