Meet Amy Graus

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Graus.

Hi Amy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Having parents is a blessing. They offer their insight, their wisdom and guidance. Oftentimes your parents know you better than you know yourself. Sometimes.

When I was attending Wittenberg University in Springfield, OH, I took an English course and learned about Beatniks like Jack Kerouac and playwrights like Tennessee Williams. It really vied for my attention and my spare time, of which I didn’t have much being a Division III basketball and softball athlete. I was torn. I had lost my love for sports and this new adventure in being in a play, both intrigued and frightened me (Could I remember my lines?!?). I called Mom and asked her what she thought about me quitting sports and doing this new thing; did she think I would like it? I could tell she felt the weight of her opinion and I recall she struggled to want to answer. In the end, I chose the familiar and continued playing sports all four years.

This is a good story of how I got where I am. I listened to my parents, for the most part, about major decisions in my life. I didn’t run off to Seoul, Korea to become an ESL teacher because my mom said I was too naïve and I’d end up trusting the wrong person in a foreign country. I’m 42 now, but even I knew that to be true about my 20 years old self.

I’ve had a long career in sales – newspaper, pharmaceutical, digital media with a short stint in the aviation industry as a flight attendant, where I met my husband. He was not a pilot but a passenger, and I asked for his Starbucks during a 5am flight. After eight months from meeting, we married and I moved from Ohio to North Carolina and decided the lifestyle of a flight attendant wasn’t great for newlyweds. I landed a job with Gannett I USA Today and returned to my lifelong dedication of helping businesses reach their target audiences. This is where I am today!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Life Happens. It’s a motto or a cliche for a reason.

The truth is I’m far more motivated by feelings than logic or reason. I genuinely want people to succeed, I like happy endings, but I’m also aware that life is hard. At 42, I have the advantage of analyzing my decisions and interactions; I’ve decided I’m a Bridge Builder, mediator, a gap filler. I’m also, according to Briggs-Meyers a DOER. I am a person of action. I like black & white, can’t stand to live in grey. Impulsive.

All of these characteristics have shaped my decisions, my consequences, my career path, my personal relationships.

I’m a team player and enjoy doing life with others, so my struggles have been in the department of personal and career balance. How to make a decision that will derail my five years or ten years plan? I usually sacrificed “my plan” to make an “our plan” work.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Currently, I am a Multi-Media Account Executive for USA Today I Gannett Inc. I work for LOCALiQ, the marketing arm for USA Today. I connect business owners with marketing strategies that are guided by their current needs and goals.

I aim to be a community-minded member for my organization and my clients. I enjoy bridging the needs of one client to the products and services of another client.

Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My junior year of high school, my basketball team won the Division III State Championship. We played at the Saint John Arena on The Ohio State University’s campus and were cheered on by our community, our friends, our teachers and our families. The game went into overtime, we took down Goliath and we made our school and city of Wyoming (suburb of Cincinnati) very proud and we took us all on a fairytale adventure.

Contact Info:

• Email: agraus@localiq.com
• Website: https://localiq.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Amy-Graus-for-Alamance-County-113061193739683/photos

Image Credits
Katie Smith Photography (my headshot)