Man have I been busy! I just noticed my last post was in May! Sorry for the time lapse, gentle blog-reader. Went camping, boating, fishing, and actually sold a few windows in the past month and a half. I have had a lot going on. But anyways, I have some time this weekend for some more of my interesting story (well, to me at least).
Since my last post, Simonton has fired the latest District Sales Manager who had my old territory. That's three reps they have burned through since I left 4 years ago. Let's see, I was there for 61/2 years, and apparently they can't find someone who will last. I must have done something right. Either that or I am a masochist. I also got a call from someone who tried to hire me a few years back asking me what I thought of the former DSM who was fired because he was interviewing for his window company. I decided that instead of indicting him on what I thought was a piss-poor job, I would defer to the production manager who dealt with him. That way he can be gainfully employed. Plus my competitors out there would get little or no help from him! It's a win-win.
Meanwhile my former boss called me up wanting me to work for him at his window company, Amsco, out of Salt Lake City, UT. Since I am doing well here I think I hold off a while...
Friday, July 15, 2005
Saturday, May 28, 2005
Time Flies When You're Having Fun
Had a plant tour Wednesday at the new Simonton plant in Vacaville. A much nicer facility. They have a nice grass area with outdoor tables and some very nice landscaping. The building itself is 180,000 sq ft with multiple conference rooms, multiple bathrooms, and multiple lunch rooms. They even have a showroom. All the offices look out onto the nice grass/landscaped area in the front. I'd take that anyday over the view of the parking lot we had before. The factory floor is huge, and well planned out for ease of production. A damn sight better than in 1995...
When I first started that cold January day in 1995, I was introduced to the world of production management, as well as foreign relations. I was given the task of coming in for two weeks to work literally building windows. Back then, All-Weather windows manufactured vinyl and aluminum dual pane windows and did a lot of commercial store-front type units. My first day started out only observing the welders in the aluminum area. I had no idea what I was watching. Just a guy welding aluminum pieces together. It was a very confusing place. Dale, the plant manager at the time, was great in keeping me out of trouble. He was fluent in Spanish, which I quickly found out was the dominant language on the floor. People were very busy building these things and had little time for teaching anyone else. Dale was great though in showing me what was going on and the overall flow of the plant and its processes.
The floor was a very loud, boisterous, dangerous, and sometimes crazy place. Lots of rapid fire Spanish conversations. Every once and a while I would pick up a word like "Ventanas" (windows) or "Vaminos" (hurry) which I heard repeated alot. Later in the week I worked in the vinyl window line where they put the sealed insulated glass into the windows. Let me tell you, it is an art. Those guys made it look easy. The edges are sharp and can cut you easily, and they have to be put into the window just right so it looked right and, more importantly, operated correctly. After ruining a few windows I finally started getting the hang of it. I, like most of the plant workers, started looking forward to breaks and the lunch half hour as the plant was not the most enjoyable environment to work in. The days did seem to go by quickly, however, as it was a challenge everyday to learn in a different area of the plant. Did I learn anything? You bet! I learned that I was glad that I was in sales...
When I first started that cold January day in 1995, I was introduced to the world of production management, as well as foreign relations. I was given the task of coming in for two weeks to work literally building windows. Back then, All-Weather windows manufactured vinyl and aluminum dual pane windows and did a lot of commercial store-front type units. My first day started out only observing the welders in the aluminum area. I had no idea what I was watching. Just a guy welding aluminum pieces together. It was a very confusing place. Dale, the plant manager at the time, was great in keeping me out of trouble. He was fluent in Spanish, which I quickly found out was the dominant language on the floor. People were very busy building these things and had little time for teaching anyone else. Dale was great though in showing me what was going on and the overall flow of the plant and its processes.
The floor was a very loud, boisterous, dangerous, and sometimes crazy place. Lots of rapid fire Spanish conversations. Every once and a while I would pick up a word like "Ventanas" (windows) or "Vaminos" (hurry) which I heard repeated alot. Later in the week I worked in the vinyl window line where they put the sealed insulated glass into the windows. Let me tell you, it is an art. Those guys made it look easy. The edges are sharp and can cut you easily, and they have to be put into the window just right so it looked right and, more importantly, operated correctly. After ruining a few windows I finally started getting the hang of it. I, like most of the plant workers, started looking forward to breaks and the lunch half hour as the plant was not the most enjoyable environment to work in. The days did seem to go by quickly, however, as it was a challenge everyday to learn in a different area of the plant. Did I learn anything? You bet! I learned that I was glad that I was in sales...
Friday, May 20, 2005
I Hate Change
I don't know why, I just do. I guess that attitude started when my Mom remarried when I was 10. After being divorced for 5 years and raising three kids on her own. We had the original "deadbeat dad" before there was such a term. We were extremely poor. My mom had to work the graveyard shift at a convalescent hospital as it paid better than the day shift. Plus my brother and I would come home from school and be very loud when she was trying to sleep. So I don't blame her for marrying the man she did. I cried when I found out not only she was marrying someone I didn't like very much, but we had to move to Novato, the hick town to the north of us from Terra Linda. That was a big change and I still have issues stemming from it 33 years later. That's why I'm a nut case. To get back on subject is this...I resist change. I don't like moving, changing jobs, changing cars, anything. Unless it's broke, don't fix it.
So after the bizarre events that night in San Francisco I started looking in the Bee in the classifieds under Sales, as that was my degree in college (marketing) and I wanted to get another rep job again. That was a big decision even to start looking as I had a pretty good gig in that I had a full expense account, car allowance, great territory with one overnight a week, and a great product to sell. I wasn't making big bucks, but the hours were great. That Sundays' Bee sucked for the ads that week, and I kept looking every Sunday throughout the holidays. I found an ad in January 1995 that intrigued me. I said;
WINDOWS-SALES
Vacaville window manufacturer seeks
sales rep with prior window industry
experience. College degree preferred,
but not necessary. Must be willing to
travel overnight. Salary DOE. Send resume
to Bee Box 1234
Well. Close, but no cigar. I sent my updated resume to the Bee Box and actually got a phone call a few days later. I went to the window factory, All-Weather, in Vacaville and interviewed with Les Stephens, the sales manager. I also met the plant manager, Stan Merrit, and HR person Judy. I did well enough on the first interview that I was invited back for a second interview. I met the owner on the second interview, Lance Porter, and just smoked it. They asked me why hire me with no window experience over another guy who did. I said I had been a manufacturer's rep in two different industries before and I could learn the window business. I added "How hard can it be?" I think that clinched it for me as Les started laughing and said I was right. Plus I had college and the other guy didn't. And, get this, Lance liked my shoes. Lance told me later that you can tell how a man dresses and how he feels about himself by his shoes! I happened to wear a new pair of Cole Haan dress shoes during the interview process and Lance must have noticed. The other guys shoes were nasty.
I came in for the third interview, but it was all cordial and casual with some paperwork and take a incredibly easy math test. I think they were blown away by my score, and I am no math wiz. During the last interview, Les, who had been the sales rep/manager for Viking windows had over ten years experience at the time, had told me that he loves the window industry. It was constantly changing, evolving. It was very dynamic. He also said "Once you get into the window business you'll never want to leave it". That has stuck with me because he was right. All of the above mentioned people are still in this industry and are not likely to change anytime soon (other than to switch companies). Les is no Donald Trump, but I had unknowingly become his apprentice.
Despite my reluctance to change it was a good decision.
I started a two week training by going to the window factory and working on the factory floor making windows.
It was hell.
So after the bizarre events that night in San Francisco I started looking in the Bee in the classifieds under Sales, as that was my degree in college (marketing) and I wanted to get another rep job again. That was a big decision even to start looking as I had a pretty good gig in that I had a full expense account, car allowance, great territory with one overnight a week, and a great product to sell. I wasn't making big bucks, but the hours were great. That Sundays' Bee sucked for the ads that week, and I kept looking every Sunday throughout the holidays. I found an ad in January 1995 that intrigued me. I said;
WINDOWS-SALES
Vacaville window manufacturer seeks
sales rep with prior window industry
experience. College degree preferred,
but not necessary. Must be willing to
travel overnight. Salary DOE. Send resume
to Bee Box 1234
Well. Close, but no cigar. I sent my updated resume to the Bee Box and actually got a phone call a few days later. I went to the window factory, All-Weather, in Vacaville and interviewed with Les Stephens, the sales manager. I also met the plant manager, Stan Merrit, and HR person Judy. I did well enough on the first interview that I was invited back for a second interview. I met the owner on the second interview, Lance Porter, and just smoked it. They asked me why hire me with no window experience over another guy who did. I said I had been a manufacturer's rep in two different industries before and I could learn the window business. I added "How hard can it be?" I think that clinched it for me as Les started laughing and said I was right. Plus I had college and the other guy didn't. And, get this, Lance liked my shoes. Lance told me later that you can tell how a man dresses and how he feels about himself by his shoes! I happened to wear a new pair of Cole Haan dress shoes during the interview process and Lance must have noticed. The other guys shoes were nasty.
I came in for the third interview, but it was all cordial and casual with some paperwork and take a incredibly easy math test. I think they were blown away by my score, and I am no math wiz. During the last interview, Les, who had been the sales rep/manager for Viking windows had over ten years experience at the time, had told me that he loves the window industry. It was constantly changing, evolving. It was very dynamic. He also said "Once you get into the window business you'll never want to leave it". That has stuck with me because he was right. All of the above mentioned people are still in this industry and are not likely to change anytime soon (other than to switch companies). Les is no Donald Trump, but I had unknowingly become his apprentice.
Despite my reluctance to change it was a good decision.
I started a two week training by going to the window factory and working on the factory floor making windows.
It was hell.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
First Post
Hello there. I am a window person. Not the Microsoft kind, but the kind that keeps your house nice and comfy. What you look through every day and not really look at. I have been in the window industry for 10 years now, and boy what a ride! You probably are bored already...but let me let you in on a little secret...the window industry is as dynamic and ever-changing as any industry out there. I should know, I've been in the beer/beverage industry, the specialty coating industry, retail indusrty, specialty catalog industry, and self-employed. I got my start at a Christmas dinner party in San Francisco in December of 1994.
It all started when someone put a piece of bread in my wife's wine.
You see we were there at a fancy restaurant in San Francisco, as part of a reward for hitting our sales goals for the year. I was selling paint/polyurethane coatings to paint stores, home stores, etc. The dinner was fabulous. I was deep in conversation to someone to my right, and my wife on my left was talking to my boss and his wife and two others. Next thing I know my wife whispers "Someone put a piece of bread in my wine!" I looked, and sure enough, a chunk of gourmet sourdough was floating in her Kendall-Jackson chardonnay. Later that night I realized what a child my boss was because he was probably the one who did it! I also realized that a) he really didn't like me or my wife, and b) It had explained a lot of prior behaviour towards me the the last six months. That night was a bizarre. The bread in the wine was the beginning of a strange night and a career change!
That night we also met Tony Bennett in the foyer of the Fairmont hotel in the City. And got his autograph for my wife's parents on Fairmont hotel stationary. Very cool.
We ditched a concert that was $35 a head and two drink minimum featuring Craig Chicquico (formerly of Jefferson Starship) It really sucked.
We crashed our yellow Miata convertible into a ridiculously large curb and bent the front right tire into the fenderwell, and had to wait two hours for a tow truck just four blocks from the hotel at 2 am.
And, was awaken abruptly at 6 am when the fire alarm went off in the hotel. We were very exhausted, hung-over, and still mad about the bread-in-the-wine thing.
On Sunday we limped our damaged Miata home. I was able to drive it with the small donut tire and save the $100 buck towing charge. It was veering to the right, and I could only drive it 55 mph on highway 80 (where people drive 80!) very scary to be in a lowered, small convertible.
I got the message. I started looking at the help wanted section in the Sacramento Bee when we got home. That was a little over 10 years ago. What happened next? Look for the next post!
It all started when someone put a piece of bread in my wife's wine.
You see we were there at a fancy restaurant in San Francisco, as part of a reward for hitting our sales goals for the year. I was selling paint/polyurethane coatings to paint stores, home stores, etc. The dinner was fabulous. I was deep in conversation to someone to my right, and my wife on my left was talking to my boss and his wife and two others. Next thing I know my wife whispers "Someone put a piece of bread in my wine!" I looked, and sure enough, a chunk of gourmet sourdough was floating in her Kendall-Jackson chardonnay. Later that night I realized what a child my boss was because he was probably the one who did it! I also realized that a) he really didn't like me or my wife, and b) It had explained a lot of prior behaviour towards me the the last six months. That night was a bizarre. The bread in the wine was the beginning of a strange night and a career change!
That night we also met Tony Bennett in the foyer of the Fairmont hotel in the City. And got his autograph for my wife's parents on Fairmont hotel stationary. Very cool.
We ditched a concert that was $35 a head and two drink minimum featuring Craig Chicquico (formerly of Jefferson Starship) It really sucked.
We crashed our yellow Miata convertible into a ridiculously large curb and bent the front right tire into the fenderwell, and had to wait two hours for a tow truck just four blocks from the hotel at 2 am.
And, was awaken abruptly at 6 am when the fire alarm went off in the hotel. We were very exhausted, hung-over, and still mad about the bread-in-the-wine thing.
On Sunday we limped our damaged Miata home. I was able to drive it with the small donut tire and save the $100 buck towing charge. It was veering to the right, and I could only drive it 55 mph on highway 80 (where people drive 80!) very scary to be in a lowered, small convertible.
I got the message. I started looking at the help wanted section in the Sacramento Bee when we got home. That was a little over 10 years ago. What happened next? Look for the next post!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)