Marci Sears has held the dual position of National Sales Manager/Ag Sales Manager at The WSBT Radio Group in Mishawaka, Indiana for 14 years. When initially beginning with WSBT, Marci quickly realized the need for accurate, concise information delivered to the area farm community. Through her continued work with programming, Marci has quadrupled farm programming on the radio stations in her group. Achieving the highest revenue to date in selling agricultural programming, Marci also educated new sales reps on how to best sell that programming to benefit both the clients who purchase it and the farming community that listens.
Marci was responsible for developing and selling “Heart of the Fruit Belt”. A locally produced radio show aimed specifically at the fruit farmers of southwest Michigan. At her suggestion, Marci’s company also named a local Farm Broadcaster to provide the latest information to local farmers.
At Marci’s urging, WSBT Radio joined the NAFB in 2009. Since then, she has continued to expand the depth of the station’s agricultural involvement. When asked about the influence of agriculture in her life, Marci said, “Farming, whether it is animal, vegetable or mineral, is the lifeblood of our humanity and I want to have a positive impact on the value farming delivers”.
Marci grew up in the Fruit Belt of southwest Michigan and spent summers on her uncle’s farm in southern Indiana, where she helped care for the beef cattle raised there.
Completing a four-year degree in communication at Indiana University-South Bend, Marci held positions in the fields of marketing communications, government lobbying, and now radio sales.
As communication continues to evolve, Marci works with her programming and management teams to create new, best practices to communicate and sell farm news.
Her personal belief in the importance of community involvement has lead her to serve as a member of the Mishawaka School Board for twelve years, serving as President for 2 of those years.
Marci lives in Mishawaka, Indiana and enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, Jackson, Drake, and Adalynne.
