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Marty Solhaug
Total Rewards Leader
Professional Background
Marty Solhaug is a seasoned veteran in the realm of Human Resources, specifically recognized as a leader in the total rewards function at several esteemed public companies. With extensive experience spanning across critical areas such as compensation, benefits design, administration, and governance, Marty has continuously demonstrated a proven ability to manage and enhance reward programs for large organizations. His career trajectory showcases his remarkable contributions to various establishments including Ameriprise Financial, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Sleep Number.
From 2005 to 2013, Marty held key positions at Ameriprise Financial, where he excelled as both the VP of Executive and International Compensation and the VP of Compensation and Benefits. His work during this period not only solidified his expertise in total rewards but also reinforced the importance of a robust compensation structure in attracting and retaining top talent within the organization.
After his successful tenure at Ameriprise, Marty transitioned to Buffalo Wild Wings from 2015 to 2018, where he took on the role of Director of Total Rewards. Here, he was instrumental in revamping the company's compensation framework and enhancing employee benefits, which significantly improved employee satisfaction and engagement.
Currently, as the Senior Director of Total Rewards at Sleep Number Corporation, Marty continues to develop and oversee innovative compensation strategies that align with the company's goals and objectives. His leadership has played a pivotal role in not only attracting top-tier talent but also in ensuring the company's workforce remains engaged and motivated.
In addition to his corporate responsibilities, Marty has also made significant strides in the entrepreneurial and start-up arena. He has served as an angel investor and adviser to various start-up companies, tapping into his wealth of knowledge in finance and human resources to foster the growth of emerging businesses.
Education and Achievements
Marty Solhaug's academic credentials are as impressive as his professional achievements. He earned his MBA in Finance and Accounting from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, which is renowned for its rigorous curriculum and strong emphasis on leadership and analytical skills. This foundation in business has enabled him to make informed decisions throughout his career, particularly in the HR domain.
Prior to obtaining his MBA, Marty completed his Bachelor of Arts in Economics at St. Olaf College. This early education provided him with a strong understanding of economic principles, which he has adeptly applied throughout his career in human resources and management.
Marty is a certified public accountant (CPA-inactive), which further underscored his commitment to finance and operational excellence. His combination of finance, accounting, and human resources expertise positions him uniquely to bridge the gap between financial strategy and employee compensation, thereby maximizing organizational performance.
Achievements
Marty Solhaug's career is marked by numerous accomplishments in the field of human resources. His work has not only transformed the total rewards landscape within his organizations but has also influenced wider industry practices. As a former judge at the MN Cup Competition, he has leveraged his experience to mentor budding entrepreneurs and contribute to the vibrant start-up ecosystem in Minnesota.
In a leadership capacity, he has also served as President of the Sunny Hill Investment Company LLC, where he contributed to the strategic growth and development of the firm. Moreover, his past affiliation with Gopher Angels demonstrates his commitment to fostering innovation and supporting next-generation business opportunities.
His extensive experience as a Managing Director of Compensation and Benefits at RBC Dain Rauscher and as Director of Reward and Recognition at Jostens further asserts his deep understanding and insight into effective compensation strategies, enabling him to lead teams with a strategic focus on meritocracy and recognition. His leadership in benefit services at General Mills equipped him with a solid foundation in benefits administration, contributing to his holistic approach to total rewards.
Overall, Marty Solhaug's extensive experience in total rewards, combined with his academic credentials and proactive involvement in entrepreneurial endeavors, mark him as a distinguished leader in human resources. His ability to navigate complex challenges and drive innovative solutions reflects not only his professional expertise but also his commitment to nurturing a motivated and satisfied workforce.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
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- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Clay is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Clay is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
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Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
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Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.
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