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Meet the People Powering Advantive: Kristen Fullam, Rusty Bellar, Grace Barton, Eddie Diaz

By Grace Barton Updated
Meet the People Powering Advantive: Kristen Fullam, Rusty Bellar, Grace Barton, Eddie Diaz

At Advantive, we believe growth is most meaningful when it comes from within. Our people are at the heart of that growth, bringing passion, perseverance, and authenticity to their work every day. We’re proud to share the journeys of four teammates whose careers reflect the opportunities that come with being part of a fast-paced, purpose-driven organization.

Kristen Fullam – Chief of Staff

From Distribution One to Advantive

Kristen’s journey began at Distribution One, where she started as a receptionist before advancing into leadership roles following Advantive’s acquisition. Mentorship and challenge from leaders like Phil Burroughs and Kevin Boyce gave her the space to stretch and grow, helping her develop the clarity, curiosity, and prioritization skills that define her leadership style today.

Leading with Clarity and Purpose

Now as Chief of Staff, Kristen partners with the executive team to align priorities and ensure strategic initiatives move forward with focus and impact. For her, Advantive has been a place to lead through change, embrace complexity, and build a career defined by growth and collaboration.

“Advantive is a place where you can stretch, grow, and truly make a difference. If you enjoy solving complex problems and collaborating with passionate people, there’s a lot of opportunity here.” – Kristen Fullam

Rusty Bellar – Manager, Customer Success

Four Decades in Manufacturing

With nearly four decades in manufacturing, Rusty thought his time for career growth had passed until he joined Advantive. Starting at VIA Information Tools in 2000, Rusty built his expertise in MES before becoming part of Advantive in 2022.

Finding New Opportunities at Advantive

Since then, he’s been promoted twice and now leads a team of Customer Success Managers. One highlight was co-leading a “Tiger Team” with Kristen Fullam to tackle complex data challenges, which he calls some of the most rewarding teamwork of his career.

“At over 60, I thought my career growth had passed. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Advantive truly invests in people at every stage of their career.” – Rusty Bellar

Grace Barton – Marketing Specialist

From Content Writer to Marketing Specialist

Grace’s Advantive story began at PQ Systems, where she worked as a content writer while completing her graduate certificate in business analytics. That early role gave her insight into the quality space and became a launchpad for growth in marketing.

Expanding Skills & Contributions

Today, she collaborates across acquired businesses, creates impactful go-to-market materials, and drives tailored campaigns alongside product marketing managers. Mentorship from leaders like Amanda Lance has helped her move from tactical execution to more strategic, visible contributions.

“There’s room to take ownership and contribute meaningfully, even early in your career. The diversity of our portfolio keeps the work engaging and full of opportunity.” – Grace Barton

Eddie Diaz – Account Executive

Starting Fresh out of College

Fresh out of the University of South Florida, Eddie joined Advantive as a Business Development Representative (BDR). With support from his managers and guidance from leaders across the business, he thrived as the BDR team scaled its go-to-market motion.

Growing into an Account Executive

Investments in learning and development – from structured courses to trade show experience – prepared him for his next step. When the Account Executive role opened, Eddie was ready. Today, he’s proof of how quickly talent can grow when matched with opportunity and support.

“Advantive hires people for their strengths, not just to fill a role. You’re empowered to bring ideas, collaborate openly, and grow into the next stage of your career.” – Eddie Diaz

A Culture of Growth

Kristen, Rusty, Grace, and Eddie represent just a few of the many stories inside Advantive. Their paths are different, but the themes are the same: perseverance, humility, collaboration, and the chance to grow into something greater. At Advantive, careers progress with purpose, opening doors to new opportunities and inspiring others along the way.

Interested in joining a team where your impact truly matters?

Learn more

Grace Barton

Marketing Specialist

About the Author Latest Posts

Grace Barton is a digital marketing and competitive intelligence professional who crafts strategic narratives by bridging marketing insights with analytical expertise. At Advantive, she creates engaging, data-driven content tailored to the distribution, manufacturing, packaging, and quality industries. Her goal is to deliver impactful messaging that drives engagement and growth based on specific gap closure needs, whether responding to sales organization requirements, pinpointing gaps in content, or meeting immediate market trends.
She thrives on transforming competitive intelligence into actionable insights for the sales organization. Grace manages Advantive’s competitive intelligence platform, Klue, to equip the sales team with the battlecards and market data they need to stay ahead of competitors. Since launch, she’s built 28+ battlecards across four lines of business, ensuring the GTM strategy stays sharp.
Grace has a passion for leveraging market insights with storytelling to guide strategic decision-making, empower sales organizations, and nurture organizational growth.

Areas of Expertise: Digital Marketing, Competitive Intelligence, Strategic Narratives, Marketing Insights, Analytical Expertise

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