LARRY E. GREINER ELIZABETH COLLINS

A Day in the Life of Alex Sander: Driving in the Fast Lane at Landon Care Products
5:25 A.M.

Sweat dripped onto the handlebars of Alex Sander’s StairMaster. Sander was half an hour into a cardiovascular workout, while carrying on a conversation in the fitness center of the downtown condominium complex with a neighbor who was climbing steadily on his own StairMaster. At 32, Alex was the newest, and youngest, product manager in the Toiletries Division of Landon Care Products, Inc., a cosmetics products company headquartered in Connecticut. In just over one year with Landon, Alex had successfully rebranded two national skin care products. In January 2007, Landon had been acquired by Avant-Garde, a
As an account executive, I never felt I was developing a finished product. An account executive represents the agency to the client and shows someone else’s copy, art,
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As Leong dawdled, Sander turned to Garrison. “Listen, it will take me more time to explain this to you than do it myself. I’m going to take this project off your plate so you can focus on other things.” Seeing Leong in the doorway, Sander motioned him to come in.

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“This is all you’ve produced in 40 hours of time? Are you kidding me?” Sander’s voice reverberated down the hallway. Hansen Leong, Alex’s assistant, rolled his eyes as he paused outside Sander’s office door. Leong felt sorry for the ashen-faced Betsy Garrison, the marketing department’s senior sales analyst, sitting opposite Sander at the round worktable in Sander’s office, shoulders hunched. He did not want to further embarrass Garrison, a 20-year veteran of the company, by interrupting; still, he needed to talk to Sander.

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Neighbor: I remember you mentioning some sparks with your assistant when you first started at Landon.

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