Valerie Rube: From Intern to VP of Business Strategy

Valerie (Val) Rube is the youngest VP in The Restaurant Store’s history. Her journey with the company began with a summer internship in college, and since being hired full-time, every job she’s had at the company didn’t exist before. We sat down with Val to learn more about her unique career path and what she’s most proud of during her time at The Restaurant Store.?

THE RESTAURANT STORE: How did you first hear about The Restaurant Store??

VAL: I was looking for a marketing internship in my junior year of college. I saw an internship for Clark & The Restaurant Store, and I remember it said it was a “dog friendly office.” I thought, well, that’s fun. I love dogs. I was like, if I could be surrounded by dogs while I'm working in a field I’m interested in, that sounds great! And the rest is history.??

What was your first job at The Restaurant Store??

When I came on full-time after I graduated, I had the opportunity to start up our analytics team. At that point, it seemed like everyone in the company was doing a little bit of data analysis, but it wasn't centralized. They wanted someone to specialize in collecting data and figure out what our customers want. I was excited about that! The job felt like a great combination of analytics and creativity, and I love combining those two.?

How has your role changed since then??

As the analytics team grew, I started to focus on bigger projects, including the merchandising of our stores and making sure our new products got displayed properly. I continued to get more opportunities after that, and I’ve been able to see many different sides of the business. One thing I’ve noticed here is if you embody our core values, work hard, and prove yourself valuable in more ways than what your job description says, we'll find a home for you. The organization is growing, so it allows for new opportunities.???

What are you most proud of during your career so far??

I'm most proud of the team I've built. When I started, I was the only data analyst, and now we have a great analytics team in place. I remember sitting back during a meeting recently with that team and seeing them work together - I felt so proud. Seeing their growth and the impact that analytics continues to have is really cool.??