Employee Spotlight: Zach Noe

At EMI, our team is one of our strongest assets—and it’s growing! In the past year, we’ve had a lot of new additions to our team, and we want to take some time to highlight them and the unique strengths they bring to EMI. This week, we’re highlighting Associate Director of Business Development, Zach Noe. Continue reading to learn more about Zach.

What do you do at EMI?

I am a sample consultant! I’m here to help our clients reach their business needs and goals by connecting them to respondents.

What led you to EMI?

The company culture was huge for me! Each interview I had brought me closer to the true personalities of EMI employees. I enjoyed the culture and really wanted to be a part of it. EMI also offers a great hybrid work model as well as the opportunity for lots of growth. Those were all key areas for me!

When you aren’t at work, you are…?

It’s hard to give just one answer here! I love spending time with people. If I’m not working, I’m most likely spending time with someone. I love traveling, sports, and just about anything that involves being outdoors (especially on the lake.) I won’t lie, I absolutely love mowing my lawn too – I’m a sucker for some straight grass lines.

What’s your favorite food?

Anything on the grill – but if I had to pick one, I would probably say grilled salmon, rice, and green beans. That right there is the meal of champions.

What’s your best travel story?

A few friends and I went for a late senior year trip down to Jacksonville, Florida during our first Christmas break in college. Within a few days, we were able to explore several cities. We managed to hit Lexington, Knoxville, Charlotte, Raleigh, Savannah, Charleston, Jacksonville, and St. Augustine all in this single trip. I remember being on the beaches of Jacksonville in 65-degree weather, and apparently that’s cold to people in Florida. We were in shorts, and the great people of Florida were wearing winter coats.

What kind of music do you listen to?

Country all the way. If you see a truck drive past blaring country music with a kayak strapped to the roof, that’s probably me. Feel free to hop in, I’m probably on my way to the lake.

If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?

I would absolutely love to be a pro at guitar and drums. I play guitar a little, but I could not step on a stage and jam in confidence.

If you could have dinner with any person, living, dead, or fictional, who would you dine with?

Truett Cathy. I would love to hear about his passion for people, the food business, and leadership. As the founder of Chick-Fil-A, the greatest quick service food chain of all time, I feel like he would be a wealth of information and advice.

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you like to see cast as you?

If Hollywood made a movie about me, it’d be boring, but the cast would make up for it. Zac Efron would play the role of Zach Noe. We have the same name and birthday, so it just makes sense.

Tell me one interesting fact about yourself

I have a metal collar bone! I broke it in multiple places while I was snowboarding, so I’m now made of metal. I’m basically Iron Man, just with a lot less money.

What would you do for a career if you weren’t doing this?

I would probably be a Chick-Fil-A Operator. I was on that route for several years after college, but I decided to switch it up due to relocation requirements.

How do you define success?

You won’t work a day in your life if you love what you do. This is something my dad tells me often. I think as long as you’re learning and getting better, you’re succeeding. There’s no such thing as being perfect at something, only learning how to do it better.

What is your favorite thing about working at EMI?

Every type of job, client, or partner we work with can be very different. The diversity in this role keeps the job interesting and fun. I love meeting new people, so working with so many different companies gives me a great opportunity to do that.  

Which of our four core values here at EMI (Agility, Accountability, Integrity, or Passion) do you most relate to?

Passion. It’s necessary for any type of job – whether that be sales, project management, HR, leadership roles, etc. You can have all the skills and knowledge of the world, but if you don’t have passion, you won’t do it well. On the flip side, if you have the passion for it, you could be great at anything.