Faces of Field Nation is designed to lend some insight into how we operate and what makes Field Nation tick. Our team members have a diversity of perspectives and backgrounds, but we are united by a shared commitment to breaking down the barriers to work and unleashing new possibilities.
Every day, Matt Benedict writes it down as a reminder: Make an impact. It’s a motto that drives him as Field Nation’s Director of Sales.
“To me, it’s about making an impact,” he says, “especially on my team, but on the company as well. I feel like, in a short period of time, I’ve been able to do that. And that’s rewarding.”
Matt came to Field Nation in September of 2021 with 27 years of leadership experience in the recruiting space. When it came time for a change, and when a director position opened up at Field Nation, he was interested.
Having met Founder and CEO Mynul Khan in Field Nation’s early days, Matt had an inclination that the company would be a good fit for his talents. “When you see a startup early on, it piques your interest and you tend to follow it,” he says, “so I always followed Mynul and the success of the company.”
His interest was validated after accepting the job offer. He notes that Field Nation is characterized by a commitment to putting culture and values into practice:
“They don’t just talk about it. They spend a lot of time making sure that we have a great culture and work-life balance. And it starts with Mynul. He preaches the importance of family, taking time off, and recharging your batteries. There are a lot of things in place here to make sure that you do that.”
This feeling of having found a good fit was immediate. Matt’s wife also works in downtown Minneapolis. After his third day at Field Nation, as they walked back to their car, she asked him how day number three went.
“I just said, ‘I don’t know what it is and how I can say this three days in, but I’ve found the place I’ve been looking for.’”
This gut feeling about Field Nation’s mission, its people, and its culture only continued to grow.
“We have an amazing opportunity at this company to continue this rocket ship that we’re on. There are great people here. I’ve met so many people in the company outside of the sales bubble that I’ve become quick friends with, and that speaks to the character of people that they hire at Field Nation.”
Outside of work hours, Matt is an avid golfer who enjoys any time spent outdoors, even if it’s just spent working in the yard. He’s a sports fanatic who roots for his home-state teams: the St. Louis Cardinals and the University of Missouri football team. He is also, controversially, a Packers fan.
Matt’s adventurous spirit is perhaps best expressed through his love for sushi. Not content with simple items like California rolls, he and his wife have been known to work their way through an entire menu, trying every item at least once. He has a trick for coaxing friends into trying new things.
“When I take people out that don’t know much about sushi, the menu item I use to break them in – a true sushi piece – is what’s called unagi. I don’t tell them what they’re eating, I just tell them, ‘Trust my judgment.’ When they tell me, ‘Wow, this is really good,’ I let them know that they just ate freshwater eel. That usually helps them branch out and try new things.”
This sense of adventure is a big part of what brought Matt to Field Nation. Both he and the company he now calls home are guided by the conviction that making an impact means acting boldly alongside peers whose judgment you can trust. It’s a surefire recipe for making an impact.