Star City Six – Marcus Malcom
Wireless World is a Verizon Premium Retailer serving the Lincoln area and beyond. Marcus Malcom is the district manager for Wireless World in Nebraska.
Tell us a little about your business.
Being a Verizon Premium Retailer means that we sell Verizon products and service, but we are privately owned. Wireless World is based out of Sioux Falls, SD and we have 46 locations throughout Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
How did you get started in the business?
I started in the wireless industry while I was going to college at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, IA. I started part-time and moved to full-time after graduating. I then moved to Omaha to start with another Verizon Premium Retailer. I worked with them for four years and have now been with Wireless World for almost five years.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced professionally?
Having tough conversations with employees. I’m better than I was when I first started in management, but I still don’t enjoy write-ups or things like that.
What has been your most important achievement professionally?
In my first four years with Wireless World, I was lucky enough to have a team that performed at such an excellent level that the company awarded us with trips each of those years. I was also grateful to have the owners trust me enough to open five other Wireless World locations in addition to the three we had open when I started.
Tell us a little about your family.
My wife Khara and I moved to Lincoln over five years ago. She has been in education throughout her professional career. We have two children: Paige and Jace. I am from Iowa originally, but Khara is a Nebraska girl from Crete.
What do you see as one of the biggest turning points in your life?
My dad was the high school basketball coach during my sophomore season in high school. I started to find myself that year and played in front of upper classmen. When the season ended, my dad was let go. I could have moved to a different school but stayed to prove to everyone why I played the year before.
What is your favorite thing to do on a day off?
I like to get a round or two of golf in.
Who inspires you?
My dad. He volunteered his time coaching youth and worked his tail off. Now, he is super successful in the ag industry, and I look up to what he has accomplished.
What is your favorite quote or the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
“Do not take life too seriously, you will never get out of it alive.”
What local nonprofit organization(s) are you passionate about or involved with, and are there any special reasons why?
Wireless World works with the Food Bank of Lincoln. I also volunteered to coach my daughter’s second grade volleyball and basketball teams this year.
What is your favorite book or the last good book you read?
In our company, our owners actually pay us to read books and grow and develop. Two books I enjoyed reading this year were High Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard and The Weekly Coaching Conversation by Brian Souza.
What is your favorite movie?
Top Gun.
If you could have dinner with one famous person from the past or present, who would it be?
Michael Jordan.
If our readers would like to contact you, how should they do so?
Phone: (402) 858-9958; Email: mmalcom@wirelessworld.com; Website: wirelessworld.com.