Jason Taam’s journey to becoming the Vice President of Data and Analytics at The Barcode Group is bananas. Literally.

“Bananas are the number one thing on people’s grocery list!” he said. And Jason’s path to where he is today depends on him knowing a whole lot of information about a whole lot of things.

Jason grew up in Spokane, Washington and originally went to college on a pre-med track with the goal of becoming a surgeon. Halfway through his sophomore year, he realized that wasn’t quite right for him, so he decided to focus on business. “I hated accounting, so I chose to focus on supply chain management,” he laughed.

Sometimes what we don’t want to do in life can shape us even more than what we do want. And that was the case for Jason. After he received his degree in supply chain management, he achieved his masters in operations from Gonzaga University.

Right out of college he landed at Target T600 as the warehouse inbound manager. He moved on to a variety of roles with Amazon Fresh home grocery delivery including a stint as in-stock manager where he ordered produce for different markets including, yes … bananas.
“While every grocery store is different, the goods all come from one distribution center. I was able to go beyond that, even down to visiting the docks in the L.A. markets to see the produce come in. I got to experience the logistics and all the backend work of how food gets to certain places,” he said.”

Jason worked to launch Amazon Fresh in major markets like New York and San Francisco before transferring to Amazon Canada as a buyer for lawn and garden.
“What sells in Canada is very different than in the U.S.,” he said. “Even Toronto versus Vancouver is very different.”

All the changes in Jason’s professional roles reflected the changes in his personal life as well. He got married and took six months off to help care for his new and growing family.
Jason then jumped in as the Senior Director of Account Management at Tana – a sales and marketing firm, helping brands navigate the digital marketplace landscape, particularly within Amazon. Tana eventually became part of The Barcode Group and Jason readjusted his focus to data and analytics.

In his current role, Jason heads the centralized team managing all data and analytics across The Barcode Group – from Walmart and Target to Amazon and Costco, he helps ensure that all reporting is consistent and innovative. Not only does he manage IT – helping with all the setup for new hires – he also manages all third-party tools and vendors to optimize relationships and ensure everything adds value.

“We are all powered by technology and that’s a key component of what clients are expecting. It’s table stakes, not a higher-level service anymore,” Jason said. “I’m always looking for new technologies, but they have to be innovative and different ways to bring value.”
While Jason’s professional life is dictated by processes, his personal life has been more freeform lately. His wife works in healthcare and, after she pursued a new opportunity, the family of five hastily moved from Spokane to Louisville, Kentucky in time for the kids to start school.

While they are still getting settled, they are enjoying exploring their new area. As his three small children grow, the family is looking forward to traveling but also to fulling experiencing Kentucky bourbon and barbeque. Jason also enjoys golfing, playing poker and is ready to jump into a game of baseball when he sees the opportunity.

Like any parent helping to pave the path for their kids, Jason takes a similar approach to his role at The Barcode Group. “What tools and services can we create to bring value and take away pain points? How can we find or create suites of tools that can help?”  
 To connect with Jason or learn more about The Barcode Group’s data and analytics capabilities, contact us at info@thebarcodegroup.com.