Susan Benevides

About Me

Meaningful acronyms: SCRP, GMS 

What she’s known for: An obsessive focus on client needs, continuous innovation, annoying habit of intentionally scaring co-workers with loud noises, cheekiness. 

Path that brought her to Plus: “Right after I graduated from college 20 years ago, I started working as a receptionist at Plus, and then I went on to work just about every job in the company. I worked in the rental department, I worked in accounting, I was a home sale assistant, I was a move manager, I helped start the expense management department, then I went into client relations and sales, in 2006 I became president, and finally in 2016 I was promoted to chief executive officer.”

Problems she’s best at solving: Having grown up in the relocation industry, Susan understands the macro-challenges that mobility professionals face all the way down to the micro-annoyances. With this insight, she guides Plus to create solutions and technology that solve real problems and make a real difference to clients. 

What’s she’s passionate about: Susan has a passion for philanthropy and humanitarian work which has led her to start an unusual tradition in the relocation industry. Twice a year, Plus hosts an outreach event at industry trade shows to benefit the community where the show is being held. Employees, prospects, clients, supplier partners, and even competitors come together with the common goal of helping people in need. “It’s an amazing feeling when you’re sitting there packing hygiene kits for the homeless, and four of the people working at your table are competitors. I love that we can set business aside for those few hours and just be people together, doing something positive for the community.” 

People she hangs out with: Susan is actively involved in Worldwide ERC®, an industry organization with over 10,000 members, holding several positions on the executive committee over the past six years, including secretary, vice president, president and two stints as chairman. She also serves on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities and is a member of the Minnesota Women’s Economic Roundtable. 

Why people want to work with Susan: She keeps you on your toes, tells it like it is, and often is way ahead of everyone else in the room. It also doesn’t hurt that she keeps her office well-stocked with peanut M&Ms. 

Favorite book: The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann where the main character learns that changing his focus from getting to giving and putting others’ interests before his own and continually adding value to their lives, ultimately leads to unexpected returns.