Xerox: A Love Story
by Erich Van Dussen
Make no mistake: Sharon Varalli 鈥83 loves her husband and adores her three children. But for more than 30 years another relationship has proven fulfilling in a profoundly different way鈥攁nd it all started in the School of Management, with an internship attained through perseverance as much as skill.
After changing her major from history to business administration as a sophomore (鈥The Federalist Papers did me in鈥), Varalli knew where she wanted to work following graduation. 鈥淚 found out who I needed to talk to on campus,鈥 she recalls, 鈥渁nd I told him, 鈥業 want an internship, and I want it at Xerox.鈥
鈥淎t that point internships weren鈥檛 offered for my major, but I guess I bugged him enough,鈥 she adds with a grin. 鈥淓ventually they found an opportunity for me.鈥
That early exposure confirmed Varalli鈥檚 interest in the Rochester-based company, which at the time vied with Kodak as the region鈥檚 leading international corporation. She had also grown up hearing about her father鈥檚 experiences as a Xerox employee, but most of all 鈥淚 wanted to be part of a big company that was on the cutting edge of technology. Xerox was it for me鈥擨 just knew.鈥
That 鈥渋t鈥 factor has been tested many times over the years, as the company鈥檚 evolving focus away from photocopiers and toward state-of-the-art digital solutions has given Varalli a tour of myriad sales and marketing departments, titles and roles.
鈥淚 call it 鈥榤orphing鈥,鈥 she says of her employer. 鈥淵ou can see it in the news鈥攖he company has gone through some big changes. It鈥檚 exciting to be a part of it.鈥
She鈥檚 spent the last three years in Industry Marketing, where communications programs are developed to support sales and client relations efforts in a broad variety of business segments. The process of matching team members to respective markets was dictated by a number of factors; in Varalli鈥檚 case, prior experience as a member of the school board in her hometown of Marion, Wayne County, suggested to decision makers that higher education would be a good fit.
Creativity and flexibility are the keys to success in her role鈥攆rom the willingness to hop on a plane to lead presentations to packed houses of prospects in Seattle or New York City, to dreaming up attention-grabbers like a candy bar wrapped with a customized message (鈥淲e can make your day a little sweeter鈥︹) or the campaign that sent each college client a card with their own school mascot on the cover.
鈥淚 have fun with my job鈥攊t鈥檚 a constant learning experience, which is what matters most to me.
鈥淲hen I retire a hundred years from now,鈥 she laughs, 鈥渁ll I want is to still be able to find new things to learn.鈥
Erich Van Dussen is a freelance writer in Rochester, New York.
Sharon Varalli '83 has dedicated her professional life to the 鈥渕orphing鈥 technology company鈥攁nd she wouldn鈥檛 have it any other way.
For more about the School of Management, visit naz.edu/management.