Episode Transcript
[00:00:05] Speaker A: Welcome to the Clear Impact podcast, brought to you by PGTI University. Thanks for joining us today. My name is Sherry Connor, and I am your host.
[00:00:16] Speaker B: So, good afternoon. We are here on the Clear Impact podcast, and we are recording from Annlin Windows indoors today. And it's been a fun day. We've gotten to meet some really great people, and I have a feeling that this gentleman is not going to be an exception to that. And so, welcome to the podcast. And your name is? Bert Mota.
[00:00:35] Speaker C: Bert Mota, correct.
[00:00:36] Speaker D: Yes.
[00:00:36] Speaker B: So thank you for coming in. They just said, hey, you got to go upstairs.
That was the extent of the invitation, right?
[00:00:43] Speaker C: That's it, and I'm here now.
[00:00:45] Speaker B: All right. That's awesome that you're just willing and able. So, Bert, you are the inside sales supervisor, right?
[00:00:54] Speaker C: Correct?
[00:00:54] Speaker D: Yes.
[00:00:54] Speaker C: My current position is in inside sales. I am the supervisor. We process all the incoming orders and provide customer support or technic support.
[00:01:04] Speaker B: Awesome. And so you mentioned just a minute ago that you've been here for 28 years. Is that what you said?
[00:01:10] Speaker D: Yes.
[00:01:11] Speaker B: So, yeah, tell us about that.
[00:01:12] Speaker C: I started with Allen in 1995. It's been now a little bit over 28 years, but there's been a lot of changes since then, of course. But, yeah, I'm kind of like the dinosaur here. One of the last ones, at least. I'd been here that long.
[00:01:25] Speaker B: And so did you start in a customer service role, or. Tell us about your journey in the 28 years you've been here?
[00:01:32] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:01:32] Speaker C: So when I first came to Anlin, there was a gentleman in an office. He had a duster in his back pocket. He had a wife beater on red bandana, and he was vacuuming the floor. And I asked him, hey, do you know where the foreman is? I need to talk to him. I'm looking for a job. And he said, yeah, you go right through that door and you'll find him there. So I spoke with a foreman, asked me to come in the next day for an interview. I came in the next day, and I opened the door, and the gentleman who was vacuuming the floor was sitting behind the desk. He was actually the owner.
[00:02:06] Speaker B: Oh, yeah.
[00:02:08] Speaker C: So it was a little surprising, but that's how it all began. And I first started in production. I was manufacturing bay windows and garden windows, and I did that until 2013. So 2013, I came in into order entry, and I've been here ever since.
[00:02:27] Speaker B: Wow, that's amazing.
[00:02:29] Speaker C: So I spent a lot of years in manufacturing.
[00:02:32] Speaker D: Yes.
[00:02:32] Speaker B: Out on the floor, building the windows.
[00:02:34] Speaker C: Just about every department, whether it was doors, windows, specials, combos, molds, geometrics, patio doors, insulated glass did it all.
[00:02:44] Speaker B: Wow, that's awesome. So all of that experience probably makes it easier for you to then be able to serve the customers on the front end because they're asking questions about things and you understand it completely.
[00:02:57] Speaker C: You're 100% right on that. I mean, I actually built the product. So, yes, I'm able to answer most questions. I don't know everything, but I do know who to go to if I don't have an answer for something. I think my biggest challenge there is just transferring that expertise and that knowledge to my coworkers. That's the toughest thing. There's 17 years of manufacturing that I'm aware of, and I need to train them on. So that's been my challenge.
[00:03:21] Speaker B: Well, that's for all subject matter experts. How do we just plug it in, right? Isn't there just a transfer that we can automatically just tap into, and then, boom, it's downloaded onto someone else's computer and then they have it all, right?
[00:03:33] Speaker D: Exactly.
[00:03:34] Speaker B: Yeah, it doesn't work like that.
I know. That's how Patrick Jameson, who's sitting right over here, one of our longtime employees, Patrick. Remind me, how many years?
[00:03:43] Speaker D: 22.
[00:03:44] Speaker B: Patrick's been with PGT for 22 years, and he's done a lot of different jobs in the organization, so it makes him a really great trainer because he knows the product, he knows the process, he understands how it all works, how it all puts together. And so when he's teaching a class, he has a lot of respect from the people who are in there because he knows so much. And it's really fun to try to stump him, like throw out some bizarre question and see if he knows the answer. He pretty much always does. And so one of the things I love to ask people, and it's okay if you don't have an answer, because I know you didn't even know you were going to be doing this until about 20 minutes ago. I love to know what kind of advice has made an impact in people, in their career, in their life. And so can you think of a great piece of advice that you've received at some point along the way?
[00:04:32] Speaker C: Well, there's so many, but the one that is on top of my head right now is just be nice to people, be kind. You don't know what they're going through at the time. That's probably the best advice I've ever received.
[00:04:43] Speaker B: Yeah. It's so simple. It's not always easy.
[00:04:46] Speaker C: It's not, like I said, there's a lot of advices I received over the years. I mean, that applies to your personal life as well, not just work.
[00:04:53] Speaker B: Yeah, it doesn't cost anything to be nice.
[00:04:55] Speaker C: Exactly.
[00:04:56] Speaker B: And so we just kind of introduced ourselves just a few minutes ago. And so the university has been busy putting together some product training courses for our platform, for your dealers and customers, and even your inside sales team or outside sales team just further deepen their knowledge about the products. So that's going to be ready. Once we get a final proof on everything and everyone's looked it over and signed off on it, sales team will be able to launch that out to the dealer base and to their employees. And so with that, how do you think something like that will help it? Anlin?
[00:05:28] Speaker C: I think it's going to help everybody by understanding the product. I mean, some people are stuck in a position where, for example, in manufacturing and a position where they're doing a repetitive job, and so they don't really understand the full spectrum of what we sell, what we produce here, and how we sell it to the homeowner. So I think, yeah, that'd be really helpful on all levels. Not just here at Anlin, but also at the dealer level, of course.
[00:05:53] Speaker B: Yeah, it's nice, you know, to be able to offer something like that, because then people know what they're selling and they can then have those conversations with the homeowners with a lot of confidence and like, yeah, this is what you need. And here's why our product is the best. And the thing that I've gathered the most from our time here is we had a plant tour yesterday morning, and then have had lots of conversations with leadership here is just everybody really has a lot of pride in being part of Anlin and putting out just an excellent product. And so it's just fun to link arms and say, hey, here's one more thing you can have that maybe your competition doesn't have. Just another way to lead to their success.
[00:06:31] Speaker C: I agree.
[00:06:32] Speaker D: Yes.
[00:06:32] Speaker C: One thing we've always built here was a sense of family togetherness. And as you can see, you spoke to some of our leadership, and they could probably repeat the same thing. But we've always been proud of being a family, being together, and being proud of what we do here and doing it right.
[00:06:47] Speaker B: Well, it shows that's been a unanimous statement across the board, and that's without any coaching or prep or like, hey, when those guys ask you that question, be sure you answer like. Like, that hasn't been the case at. So anyway, Bert. Well, it's been a pleasure to meet you and thank you for taking some time to come up and chat with us and looking forward to your feedback on the courses and let us know what we can do if there's holes or gaps. And you're manning the team that gets the questions and the calls. So, like, hey, what if we included this in a, like, let us know. We're happy to include that.
[00:07:18] Speaker C: Sounds good.
[00:07:19] Speaker B: Well, d all right. All right. Have a great afternoon, Bert.
[00:07:21] Speaker C: Thank you for having me.
[00:07:22] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:07:23] Speaker E: PGTI University is the customer education team for an entire family of brands. We began with the original easy breeze porch enclosure line, then became PGT, America's leading brand of impact resistant windows and doors. We then added CGI, CGIC window, western window systems, new south windows, echo windows and doors, anlin windows and doors, and our latest acquisition, Martin garage doors. We create products built to withstand major storms, keeping people safe, secure and prepared. Our exceptional brands give you the protection you need without compromising design or functionality. PGTI University is here to educate you, our listener, so that you can be a more informed consumer of window indoor products.
