This past week saw Sam Sterner, Stafford Sterner, Vance Haugen and Eric Thovson got together to “Tee It Up” at Deer Run Golf Course to help raise money for Pancreatic Cancer Research. What turned out to be a hot and humid day was briefly interrupted by a downpour rain delay. Fun was had by all and some money raised for a great cause.
Rant n’ Rave
What’s what as SJF Material Handling.
ET sighting – and he’s not phoning home
SJF’s very own November inside sales champ Eric Thovson (right) shown here with classmate Mark Karsten talking some smack & posing for photos this past weekend. Eric and Mark posted times of 27.84 & 27.95 respectfully. Not bad for 2 of the oldest swimmers at the meet.
Eric has long been very passionate about promoting the local swim team and has been instrumental in the success of the current program. When he’s not promoting swimming, Eric can be found at SJF Material Handling in Winsted, MN. There he works as a inside sales & solutions specialist. No stranger to success, November was a record sales month for Eric and good enough to secure the #1 rank honors among his peers.
So what’s next for Eric “ET” Thovson?
Could an Eric Moen swim challenge be in the cards for 2015?
Employee Spotlight – Vance Haugen
Well, it’s finally happened – our employee spotlight has shone its beam into the deep and dark world of our sales department. No matter the risk to body and soul, your intrepid reporter will brave this chasm of depravity and malfeasance* to bring you ever closer to understanding the people who make SJF tick.
Today, we get to meet Vance Haugen. Vance would be considered one of the elder statesmen of the sales department, having been here since 2007. Let’s learn a little more about Vance Haugen and what drives him to be one of SJF’s top-notch solutions specialists.
*It has been brought to my attention that not everybody would take this as the joke that it is. I truly like and admire all of my coworkers, but it’s always fun to give them a bit of a hard time – especially the sales guys.
Name: Vance Haugen
When did you start working at SJF? April, 2007
What do you like most about working at SJF? Working with my associates.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not at work? Golfing and spending time with my grandchildren.
What’s your favorite day of the week? Friday.
Biggest pet peeve? When I’m supposed to be somewhere and other people are holding me up.
What is something about you that people would be surprised to know? I enjoy cooking.
Employee Spotlight – Lori Bachel
Today’s Employee Spotlight introduces us to Lori Bachel. Lori is a finance machine! Any and all orders sent in to SJF will pass through her hands at least once.
The sales people give Lori a lot of flak, but she’s the one making sure that all of our ducks are in a row. Without Lori at the helm, we would be lost.
Name: Â Lori Bachel
When did you start working at SJF? January, 2011
What do you like most about working at SJF? That the supervisors trust that I will get my work done without hovering over me and micro-managing. I also like that most everyone at SJF has a pretty good sense of humor and are forgiving when you’re having a bad day.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not at work? I love to ride my motorcycle, it instantly puts a smile on my face. I also love hanging out with my kids, and doing most anything outside. Oh, and if I get a free 5 minutes, a good book is great.
What’s your favorite day? Thanksgiving
Biggest pet peeve? People who start a sentence with “It’s just… “ It instantly puts my hackles up.
Name something about you that people would be surprised to know. I hate getting out of bed. Even though I get to work bright and early, it’s a struggle. If I could, I would l live in bed, pay my bills there, eat there, watch TV there. I would stay in bed until I had bed sores.
What question would you like to answer that you didn’t get asked. What two foods would I have if stranded on a deserted island and it is all I could eat forever? Jerky and Pizza Rolls.
Employee Spotlight – Shawn Heaver
Hello, readers! We are going to try out something new today. We have decided to take one of our employees and shine the spotlight on them so that you can better understand who we are and what makes us tick.
We also want to thank the incredible people we have working here who fill orders, load trucks, refurbish equipment, do paperwork, and all of the other messy jobs that come with running a successful material handling equipment company.
That said, our first Employee Spotlight falls on Shawn Heaver. He runs the day-to-day dock operations, as well as works in the yard fulfilling orders from time to time.
Name: Shawn Heaver
Year started at SJF: 2005
What do you like most about working at SJF? I get to work with all different kinds of machinery. Â I’m a big machine guy.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not at work? Relaxing and gaming.
What’s your favorite game? God of War (PS3)
Do you have any other hobbies? Mostly sitting on the couch, trying to figure out what games can you win real money with. But as far as physical activity, bike riding and walking. I try to ride my bike to work when the weather is nice.
What’s your favorite day? Friday, because it’s payday and the weekend is just around the corner.
What is your biggest pet peeve? When people smack their lips when they’re eating.
Name one thing about yourself that people would be surprised to know. Nothing – I’m a pretty low-key guy.
A year in the Life of Material Handling Sales
December 20th marked my 1 year anniversary in SJF fully commissioned sales. I have to say – It was a year that flew by fast. I learned an enormous amount about our different product and service offerings and was introduced to the fast and furious world of fully commissioned sales.
At the end of the year, when all things were tallied, I’ll admit I was a bit deflated. Although my end of year grand total was nothing to sneeze at ($700K+), the monies earned weren’t where I was hoping they would be. But to keep a little perspective, I still have a roof over my head and food in the fridge, so I decided to stay on course for year 2.
As luck would have it, in the very first month or 2014, I reached a personal sales goal of over $100K sold in one month. This one winning month provided me hope, inspiration and a new drive to see what else I can accomplish in wild world of material handling sales.
