Team Builder

Dana DiMarco’s passion for teaching and leading others to success has translated into a career as manager for Verizon Wireless. Now at Corbins Corner, her fourth Verizon location, DiMarco is developing a whole new staff.

“I like watching other people succeed,” DiMarco said. “There’s nothing better than having that light bulb go off and knowing you helped someone get there.”

DiMarco, 29, grew up in the state and graduated from Plymouth State College in Massachusetts in 2002. She left with degrees in English and teaching as well as minors in psychology and creative writing.

She started her career by teaching English in a Plymouth high school before returning to her home state, where she took a job with The Grove School in Madison, a boarding school for students in grades 7-12. After half a year, DiMarco decided that job was not for her.

She fell back on experience gained during her high school and college days in the restaurant industry. What started out as a trainer position at Chili’s Grill and Bar in New London turned into a bigger role as a front-of-the-house manager in Chili’s Glastonbury location.

“From that point on, all I wanted was a performance-based job, to have the opportunity to help other people get promoted and grow,” DiMarco said.

She landed a job as an assistant retail sales manager at Verizon Wireless in South Windsor through a recommendation from a fellow store manager. In October of 2007, DiMarco left to manage other Verizon locations, first a Buckland Hills kiosk then a location at BJ’s Wholesale Club in Manchester.

“I found that I was working with very different teams,” she said. “The South Windsor store had been the largest in the district, but having two locations, two teams and two assistant mangers was eye-opening.”

Now at Corbins Corner, DiMarco has been working to change the culture and opportunities for store staff.

The reward comes, says DiMarco, when customers pull you aside to comment on the job you do and when staff members grow to build their own customer bases.

The Manchester resident also volunteers as house captain of the Rebuilding Together Hartford team and received a certificate of excellence in recognition of her work with the organization in 2008.

Emily Boisvert is a Hartford Business Journal staff writer.