At Work with Marty Avery

Easy-going and relaxed are often the first adjectives many colleagues use to describe Healthier Generation’s Senior Financial Analyst, Marty Avery. Joining the team 3.5 years ago and based in Portland, Oregon, Marty is an integral part of Healthier Generation’s behind-the-scenes operations. As an animal and soccer lover, Marty continues to stay active during breaks and after busy work days. Read on to learn more about Marty.

What does a typical work day look like for you? 

Building budgets for proposals, tracking and reviewing grant expenses, working with internal teams to review and analyze spending activity, submitting financial reports demonstrating the use of funds, and anything else the comes across my desk an individual need support on.

What are you working on right now that really excites you? 

Generally anything that allows me to be creative, which at the moment would be organizational finance tools to facilitate faster availability of information.

What does working at Healthier Generation mean to you?

To me, working at Healthier Generation means that I am doing something proactive in my life to try and better the environments in our world for the benefit of the future. 

What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment (personal or professional)?

My life - I can’t single one event out. It is the journey and the story that I am proud of. I have always tried to build on top of great moments. My goal is to look back on my life one day and be able to relive a plethora of great moments. 

At Healthier Generation, there’s a lot of emphasis on work-life balance. How do you keep that balance? Or how do you stay active and "walk the talk?" 

I’m an animal person and as long as I have a dog in my life, I have an opportunity (and a good reminder) to get up from my desk and take a walk. This also helps create a routine in my day, which is something that helps me thrive. As a soccer fanatic, I still enjoy getting out on the field to run around and let off some steam. I play futsal (soccer played indoors, on a hard-surfaced court) 1-2 times a week and I also belong to a men’s’ outdoor soccer team and have multiple seasons a year. I believe everyone should keep their passions close and enjoy every second you get with them.

What do you enjoy the most about working at Healthier Generation?

The relationships that I have been able to make. I have been at other places and only ever seemed to build relationships within my department; at Healthier Generation I have built bonds all across the board. There is something special about the people that cross paths with our organization and the impact they leave on my life is what I enjoy most. 

What keeps you inspired and motivated?

I find my working area to be a place of great importance, so I like to surround myself with what is special to me. This photo is of a shelf that I have above my desk with items that are important to me and fuel positivity and productivity. 

What is your go-to healthy snack?

Strawberry banana yogurt is my all-time favorite afternoon snack.