{"id":42227,"date":"2020-10-29T10:53:09","date_gmt":"2020-10-29T17:53:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=42227"},"modified":"2020-10-29T10:53:12","modified_gmt":"2020-10-29T17:53:12","slug":"relentless-work-ethic-desire-to-elevate-bta-the-driving-forces-behind-difference-maker-brent-hoskins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/the-week-in-imaging-twii\/editors-blog\/2020\/10\/relentless-work-ethic-desire-to-elevate-bta-the-driving-forces-behind-difference-maker-brent-hoskins\/","title":{"rendered":"Relentless Work Ethic, Desire to Elevate BTA the Driving Forces Behind Difference Maker Brent Hoskins"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Brent Hoskins, BTA<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

On the subject of career turning points, BTA Executive\nDirector Brent Hoskins has much in common with veteran Genesis prog rock\ndrummer and solo musician Phil Collins. Consider this common denominator of\nknowledge and opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1970, Collins auditioned for the band\u2019s drummer role. The\ngroup was, at that point, in search of its fourth musician behind the kit, and\nCollins was one of several to answer the audition advertisement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collins arrived before his scheduled time, so lead singer\nPeter Gabriel suggested that he take a dip in the swimming pool while awaiting\nhis turn. While in the pool, Collins could hear all the notes and songs being\nplayed in the auditions, and picked up on all the strengths and missteps of the\nother drummers. When Collins took his turn, he had the material down cold and\nblew away all of the band members with his skilled performance. It was the\nbeginning of what would become a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fast forward to 2006. Hoskins had been with the Business\nTechnology Association (BTA) for nearly 20 years, serving as a reporter for,\nthen editor of, BTA\u2019s magazine, Office\nTechnology<\/em>. During his tenure, Hoskins worked with seven previous executive\ndirectors. As such, he had the unique vantage point of having seen the strengths\nand weaknesses of each director. Hoskins knew he could leverage that knowledge\nif given the opportunity, so he approached a couple of BTA board members and\nrequested to be considered for the position of executive director should it\nbecome available. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI knew that what I had learned during the prior nearly 20\nyears, through involvement and observation, would help strengthen BTA in the future,\u201d\nhe observed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the post opened, Hoskins passed his \u201caudition\u201d and,\nlike Collins, he hasn\u2019t missed a beat since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI love interacting with and supporting in any way I can the\ndealer channel,\u201d said Hoskins, a 2020 ENX\nMagazine<\/em> Difference Maker. \u201cI have met so many wonderful people through the\nyears. Their entrepreneurial spirit and drive to succeed has always been\ninspiring to me. That inspiration is what drives me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Industry Fixture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A graduate of the University of Missouri School of\nJournalism, Hoskins will celebrate his 34th<\/sup> anniversary with BTA\nnext month. During his tenure, Hoskins has established himself as an industry\nfixture, attending association, dealer and manufacturer events all across the\ncountry. His eye on trends and technology, reflected in his articles for Office Technology<\/em>, reflect his desire to\nstay closely attuned to the variables and individuals who are driving the\nevolution of the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To what does he attribute his work ethic? Hoskins said he\ndraws upon his experience during his high school and college years, when he\nworked for six summers with his high school\u2019s carpentry teacher to build homes,\ntoiling 40 hours a week in the blazing heat. \u201cDoing\nmanual labor in the summer sun raised the bar and set the pace in terms of my\nwork ethic,\u201d he said. \u201cDuring these nearly 34 years with the association, I\nhave never hesitated to work as many hours as it takes each week to get the job\ndone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Having joined the industry following a nearly two-year stint as a\nnewspaper reporter, Hoskins gleaned the teachings of many office technology\nprofessionals along the way in building the foundation for his font of\nknowledge. Current and past BTA volunteers provided leadership and guidance in\noptimizing the value of BTA to its members, and Hoskins has been emboldened by\ntheir selfless dedication. BTA General Counsel Bob Goldberg reinforced his\nbelief that success comes with hard work, commitment and a passion for the job.\nAnd it was a former BTA executive director, Frank Fonteyn, who struck Hoskins\nwith his manner in interacting with other people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlus, I often heard Frank refer to someone approvingly as an\n\u2018affable chap,\u2019 which has always motivated me to strive to be an affable chap\nas well,\u201d Hoskins observed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Serving\nDealers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The past year has been one of great challenges. However, what 2020\nhas provided BTA is the opportunity to mobilize and provide dealer members with\ndirection and resources to navigate their businesses through the pandemic. Whether\nit was the BTA COVID-19 Member Resources page on the association\u2019s website,\nGoldberg\u2019s counsel, webinars or FAQs that helped bring clarity to\ncommonly-experienced challenges, BTA\u2019s value proposition has never wavered\nduring the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking back at the past 10 years or so, Hoskins said he is very pleased with the success of BTA\u2019s five educational and networking events, which he chalks up to the team effort provided by the association\u2019s volunteer leaders and staff. As the new year approaches, the association is mapping out its return to hosting in-person events. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Hoskins said his goal is to further BTA\u2019s original mission of facilitating ways for dealers to assist their fellow colleagues. The pandemic brought video conferencing to the foreground and gave rise to BTA\u2019s Dealers Helping Dealers Discussion Groups, which meets every two weeks via Zoom. There are two such groups, with plans to add more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe purpose is for non-competing dealers to share ideas and ask questions of one another to help optimize each participant\u2019s level of success as business slowly returns to normal,\u201d he said. \u201cThis experience has reminded me that BTA\u2019s efforts to facilitate ways for dealers to help their fellow dealers is ever-evolving. Watch for our future strides in fulfilling this important purpose.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the personal front, Hoskins and his wife, Beth, have been married for nearly 35 years and have two adult sons. They\u2019re currently focused on updating their home, and look forward to being able to travel again in the not-too-distant future. Outside of enjoying many of America\u2019s treasures, the Hoskins have also particularly enjoyed visits to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, Canada, as well as Iceland. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On the subject of career turning points, BTA Executive Director Brent Hoskins has much in common with veteran Genesis prog rock drummer and solo musician Phil Collins. Consider this common denominator of knowledge and opportunity. In 1970, Collins auditioned for the band\u2019s drummer role. The group was, at that point, in search of its fourth musician behind the kit, and Collins was one of several to answer the audition advertisement. Collins arrived before his scheduled time, so lead singer Peter Gabriel suggested that he take a dip in the swimming pool while awaiting his turn. While in the pool, Collins could hear all the notes and songs being played in the auditions, and picked up on all the strengths and missteps of the other drummers. When Collins took his turn, he had the material down cold and blew away all of the band members with his skilled performance. It was the beginning of what would become a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame career. Fast forward to 2006. Hoskins had been with the Business Technology Association (BTA) for nearly 20 years, serving as a reporter for, then editor of, BTA\u2019s magazine, Office Technology. During his tenure, Hoskins worked with seven previous executive directors. As such, he had the unique vantage point of having seen the strengths and weaknesses of each director. Hoskins knew he could leverage that knowledge if given the opportunity, so he approached a couple of BTA board members and requested to be considered for the position of executive director should it become available. \u201cI knew that what I had learned during the prior nearly 20 years, through involvement and observation, would help strengthen BTA in the future,\u201d he observed. When the post opened, Hoskins passed his \u201caudition\u201d and, like Collins, he hasn\u2019t missed a beat since. \u201cI love interacting with and supporting in any way I can the dealer channel,\u201d said Hoskins, a 2020 ENX Magazine Difference Maker. \u201cI have met so many wonderful people through the years. Their entrepreneurial spirit and drive to succeed has always been inspiring to me. That inspiration is what drives me.\u201d Industry Fixture A graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, Hoskins will celebrate his 34th anniversary with BTA next month. During his tenure, Hoskins has established himself as an industry fixture, attending association, dealer and manufacturer events all across the country. His eye on trends and technology, reflected in his articles for Office Technology, reflect his desire to stay closely attuned to the variables and individuals who are driving the evolution of the industry. To what does he attribute his work ethic? Hoskins said he draws upon his experience during his high school and college years, when he worked for six summers with his high school\u2019s carpentry teacher to build homes, toiling 40 hours a week in the blazing heat. \u201cDoing manual labor in the summer sun raised the bar and set the pace in terms of my work ethic,\u201d he said. \u201cDuring these nearly 34 years with the association, I have never hesitated to work as many hours as it takes each week to get the job done.\u201d Having joined the industry following a nearly two-year stint as a newspaper reporter, Hoskins gleaned the teachings of many office technology professionals along the way in building the foundation for his font of knowledge. Current and past BTA volunteers provided leadership and guidance in optimizing the value of BTA to its members, and Hoskins has been emboldened by their selfless dedication. BTA General Counsel Bob Goldberg reinforced his belief that success comes with hard work, commitment and a passion for the job. And it was a former BTA executive director, Frank Fonteyn, who struck Hoskins with his manner in interacting with other people. \u201cPlus, I often heard Frank refer to someone approvingly as an \u2018affable chap,\u2019 which has always motivated me to strive to be an affable chap as well,\u201d Hoskins observed. Serving Dealers The past year has been one of great challenges. However, what 2020 has provided BTA is the opportunity to mobilize and provide dealer members with direction and resources to navigate their businesses through the pandemic. Whether it was the BTA COVID-19 Member Resources page on the association\u2019s website, Goldberg\u2019s counsel, webinars or FAQs that helped bring clarity to commonly-experienced challenges, BTA\u2019s value proposition has never wavered during the year. Looking back at the past 10 years or so, Hoskins said he is very pleased with the success of BTA\u2019s five educational and networking events, which he chalks up to the team effort provided by the association\u2019s volunteer leaders and staff. As the new year approaches, the association is mapping out its return to hosting in-person events. Meanwhile, Hoskins said his goal is to further BTA\u2019s original mission of facilitating ways for dealers to assist their fellow colleagues. The pandemic brought video conferencing to the foreground and gave rise to BTA\u2019s Dealers Helping Dealers Discussion Groups, which meets every two weeks via Zoom. There are two such groups, with plans to add more. \u201cThe purpose is for non-competing dealers to share ideas and ask questions of one another to help optimize each participant\u2019s level of success as business slowly returns to normal,\u201d he said. \u201cThis experience has reminded me that BTA\u2019s efforts to facilitate ways for dealers to help their fellow dealers is ever-evolving. Watch for our future strides in fulfilling this important purpose.\u201d On the personal front, Hoskins and his wife, Beth, have been married for nearly 35 years and have two adult sons. They\u2019re currently focused on updating their home, and look forward to being able to travel again in the not-too-distant future. Outside of enjoying many of America\u2019s treasures, the Hoskins have also particularly enjoyed visits to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, Canada, as well as Iceland.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":40086,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3626,80,1650,82,84,1638],"tags":[122],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42227"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42227"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42227\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42229,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42227\/revisions\/42229"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40086"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}