Episode Transcript
[00:00:09] Speaker A: Welcome to the Clear Impact Podcast, brought to you by PGTI University. Thanks for joining us today. My name is Sheri Conner and I am your host.
[00:00:26] Speaker B: Good morning. We are here on the Clear Impact Podcast and. And we are recording in Scottsdale at our CX event, and we're just wanting to chat with people, and there's so many new faces here that we don't know yet, so we have convinced Tony to come sit down. So, Tony, introduce yourself. Tell us a little bit about you and your role at Mitre Brands.
[00:00:49] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:00:49] Speaker D: So my name is Tony Quattrero. I've been with the company for about 20 years.
[00:00:53] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:00:54] Speaker D: Started off in port.
I was there for 12 years. Then got the opportunity to take on a little bigger location in Temecula, California. I've been there for eight. So this is my 20th sales meeting.
[00:01:07] Speaker B: Wow. And so what is your role?
[00:01:09] Speaker D: Director Southwest. So I oversee team of reps in the Temecula area, and then we also have the desert Mountain, and I oversee a sales manager there. Regional sales manager.
[00:01:21] Speaker B: Okay. And so primarily Milgard is the brand that you're selling?
[00:01:24] Speaker D: Yeah, Milgard in the West.
[00:01:26] Speaker B: Awesome. So you've had 20 sales conferences.
[00:01:28] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:01:29] Speaker B: Have you ever done a podcast at a sales conference before?
[00:01:31] Speaker D: First time. And like, we were talking earlier, I think this is an amazing idea that you guys came up with. So congratulations.
[00:01:38] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:01:39] Speaker D: And I'm excited to dig into your 160.
[00:01:42] Speaker B: You said 160 some. Yeah, yeah.
[00:01:45] Speaker D: And learn a thing or two that I should already know, but looking forward to learning it.
[00:01:49] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, most of the people who have listened to it find value in it. So what are you hoping to get out of this year's conference?
[00:01:55] Speaker D: What I like best so far about this conference is just the timing. So we typically do it in April. So we're already four months into the year, and we're learning stuff that is meant to motivate you to go out and sell for the year. And the fact that it's already April means that you've already lost some time. The fact that this time is in December means we can start the year with this great knowledge and ready to roll.
[00:02:19] Speaker B: And so what has been something positive that you've seen as a result of the integration with the PGT brands?
[00:02:27] Speaker D: Well, this for sure. We didn't have this in the past. I just sat in a training or a practice session and noticed that we were bouncing back and forth in that practice, meaning that we're going to have both east and west in the classroom, making sure that the presenters spoke to the east and spoke to the west because there's some different language. And so just understanding that we have that dynamic and we get to learn what they do in the east and then hopefully bring some of that over to the west and vice versa. So it's one of the most unique meetings that I think I'm gonna be able to attend. So looking forward to it.
[00:03:02] Speaker B: So from a broader perspective, now that Mitre Brands is double the size and has more of a national footprint, how do you see that impacting your area in terms of sales and presence?
[00:03:14] Speaker D: So already is. The best example I could give would be the national account team and the national builders that we might have a really good relationship in the east and still trying to earn that relationship in the West. Well, because the contacts are the same as far as the key purchasing agents, the East's relationship can now help us in the west get some of those opportunities.
[00:03:36] Speaker B: Nice. And I'm sure it'll be reciprocal, too. Right. Like, you'll have some people that you've got really solid relationships with in the west that then can boost in the east as well.
[00:03:47] Speaker D: Absolutely. Yeah. Good point.
[00:03:49] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, we're all here to help each other succeed. One of the things I heard early on is that it's not an us and them, it's a we. And it's hard to wrangle that in our minds. Like, who is everyone? So that's one of the things about the podcast, too, is that we get to meet a broader team, part of a larger family. So anything else you want to share?
[00:04:07] Speaker D: No. Got a great team, both in Temecula and in the desert. Mount Desert Mountain had a really good year this year, so I want to celebrate them. And Temecula is coming off a really good year. Not quite as clean this year, but we'll get after it. Have a great start to next year.
[00:04:23] Speaker B: Nice. So one of the things that I like to ask people, and they usually get some notice on this question, so no pressure if you don't have an answer, but one of the things I love to ask people is around advice that they have received. So if you can think of a great piece of advice that you've received over the years, it'd be fun to hear.
[00:04:40] Speaker D: Well, I'll tie it to the Mitre experience.
[00:04:43] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:04:44] Speaker E: Right.
[00:04:44] Speaker D: Since we're all going through it and even more so now because of the PGTI acquisition is still fairly fresh, and that is, you've just gotta be ready to change, period.
[00:04:56] Speaker B: Yep.
[00:04:56] Speaker D: You know, don't sit on what you knew because it doesn't matter, right?
[00:05:00] Speaker B: Yeah, that's so true. Well, I appreciate your courage to sit down with us. I know it can be a little intimidating to pop down and like, okay, what are we gonna talk about? Where is this going? So thank you for spending a few minutes with us today.
[00:05:12] Speaker D: Of course.
[00:05:12] Speaker F: Thank you.
[00:05:13] Speaker B: It's been a pleasure chat.
[00:05:14] Speaker F: Thank.
[00:05:22] Speaker B: Good afternoon.
[00:05:24] Speaker E: Good afternoon.
[00:05:25] Speaker B: We're here on the Clear Impact podcast and we are recording in Scottsdale at the 2024 CX event and my good friend and colleague Jason Rosenberg has been arm twisted to sitting down with me, so. Hey, Jason, what's up?
[00:05:40] Speaker E: Hey, Sheri, how are you this fine afternoon?
[00:05:42] Speaker B: I'm doing well. So what have you been up to today? What have you been learning?
[00:05:45] Speaker E: Thought it was a really, really impactful day. It started off with an emotional turn that I wasn't expecting and I thought that was a really great start to the day and a precursor of what was to come.
[00:05:57] Speaker B: And what was that specifically?
[00:05:59] Speaker E: It was the gentleman who was in.
[00:06:00] Speaker B: The Navy, Brad Snyder.
[00:06:02] Speaker E: Brad Snyder, who was injured when he stepped on an IED and was blind and took that from that experience. He decided, this isn't going to define me. I'm going to learn how to live with this. I don't consider it a disability. He was able to get a gold medal in the Paralympics in 2012. And his story is just so inspirational. And I really didn't know anything about him, but there wasn't a dry eye in the audience and I thought it was just so compelling. And I think the founder's conversation was very insightful as well. And I wanted to glean from today. I wanted to learn as much as possible about mitre. Obviously we've been integrated for better part of the year, but to actually have a chance to have conversations with people that we see their name in an email or we're on a call and really get a chance to converse with them, I think gave us an opportunity to put a face to the name and to get a better sense for what people do and how they do things, obviously a little differently geographically. And I thought it was a great day. I got everything I wanted more today.
[00:07:00] Speaker B: Awesome. So did you go to any of the breakout sessions?
[00:07:03] Speaker E: I did. I think the marketing breakout session was very good. We learned about Power BI or Miter BI as well. I just went through the commercial class a few minutes ago about multifamily, and I don't delve too much into that arena, but it was certainly, you know, important for me to see how they handle these large projects across the country and their process and whatnot. So I learned a lot from that as well. I think by and large it was a really good day and especially for neophytes like us that haven't had a chance to have these conversations or learn how they do things and why they do things. So I'm jazzed for tonight.
[00:07:36] Speaker B: So tell us a little bit about your role at pgt.
[00:07:38] Speaker E: I am the dealer channel marketing manager and I get the opportunity to work with our dealers at a much deeper level at full. Thankful that I have a lot of experience working with them and have a sense for what they need and what they want. But because of those relationships, it gives me the opportunity to reach out when I have questions about something we want to try or something that's coming, a new product development, et cetera. And I think it's been a really good run about a year and a half now that I've been in the role and I've worked with a lot of really good people. I work under Debbie Bondonzi now and directly through Tony Mater. And we're looking forward to the next six to nine months as we start to integrate a little bit more and we start to rationalize products and brands, make it an easier go to market strategy. But it's been a very good first year.
[00:08:23] Speaker B: So what's your biggest takeaway from today?
[00:08:25] Speaker E: As I said, I think the biggest takeaway was really not just the networking, but really getting a sense for learning how the MITRE teams across the country do things, why they do things. And hopefully my goal moving forward will be able to turn what we learned today into action and know who to reach out to for X, Y or Z. But more importantly, it's like the iceberg. What's beneath that waterline? Who does what and why, and more importantly, why. So I think gleaning that from today is probably the most important part of it.
[00:08:53] Speaker B: Awesome. Well, tonight's gonna be fun. There's a big awards dinner in gala and more food. We've been well fed and watered since we've been here.
[00:09:01] Speaker E: I think it's gonna be a great evening.
[00:09:02] Speaker B: Nice. Well, I appreciate your time, Jason. Thank you so much.
[00:09:05] Speaker E: Thank you. It was my pleasure.
[00:09:07] Speaker B: Thanks. Take care.
[00:09:07] Speaker E: You too.
[00:09:08] Speaker B: All right, bye.
[00:09:11] Speaker A: We are sharing our expertise around all topics relating to the window and door industry. Whether you are a customer selling our products or a homeowner doing. Clear Impact Podcast provides helpful content that makes an impact. Subscribe today wherever you listen to podcasts.
[00:09:33] Speaker B: We're recording at the Scottsdale resort with a Beautiful view of Camelback mountain. It's our 2024 CX event, and I just roped these three people. Come sit down with me. So we're going to go around the table. You're going to tell me your name, where you work, and how many of these events you've been to. So we'll start with you.
[00:09:51] Speaker G: I am Evertonez. I work out of the Portland plant. I am a new outside sales representative. This is actually my second week on the job.
[00:09:59] Speaker B: Oh, okay.
[00:10:00] Speaker G: So that means it is my first meeting.
[00:10:02] Speaker B: Nice. And so you're thinking, wow, this is a pretty sweet job. I'm like, been here two weeks. I get to go to this fancy resort. I get to eat some great food. Nice. Good for you. That's fun. All right.
[00:10:12] Speaker C: Anthony Scales, legacy Milgard plant out of Portland.
[00:10:15] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:10:15] Speaker C: This is, I think, my 17th CX, what we call CX now.
[00:10:20] Speaker B: Wow. Okay. So you've been around for a little bit.
[00:10:22] Speaker C: A little bit.
[00:10:23] Speaker B: Nice. It's evolved.
[00:10:24] Speaker C: It has evolved. I would say the biggest thing that's hit me from an evolution standpoint is the charitable arm portion of MITRE and what they do and how they highlight it. And then the last couple years, they've been doing really good inspirational stories by bringing in people with military service and valuable and very engaging stories.
[00:10:47] Speaker B: Yeah. All right, so.
[00:10:48] Speaker H: And my name is David Flores, and I am out of the Milgard Tacoma territory. And I have Hawaii and Alaska. Those are my two territories. So a bit away from home right now, but they make it real comfortable for us. So this is my second CX meeting.
[00:11:02] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:11:02] Speaker H: I went to Washington, D.C. last year. Here this year.
[00:11:05] Speaker B: So where do you live?
[00:11:06] Speaker H: I live on the big island in Kona.
[00:11:08] Speaker B: Okay. And so then you go to Alaska.
[00:11:11] Speaker H: Like in the summer about every two times a year. In the beginning, you start ramping things up when that summer comes, and then head out there right before wintertime so we can close things down with those guys.
[00:11:21] Speaker B: Yeah. Cause I can't imagine they're doing a whole lot of building when it's dark and freezing.
[00:11:24] Speaker H: They do. They do believe. Yeah. They get the lights out.
[00:11:27] Speaker B: Really?
[00:11:27] Speaker H: Yeah. Yeah, definitely.
[00:11:28] Speaker B: Oh, gosh. So, Anthony, you touched on, like, how it's changed a little bit. So one of the questions I want to ask each of you is what is your biggest takeaway so far from either one of the main sessions or from one of the workshops that you've attended? So we'll start with you.
[00:11:41] Speaker G: I think overall, it's realizing that it's a big organization. Each department is very specialized and subject matter experts in what they do. And as a new person, it's really helpful because it's like kind of identifying faces and people that I can rely on when I need help. And as I'm growing into the role, but then in more in depth, at least applied to a session, you know, it's. It's learning about everything I can do as a sales rep to be successful in the role and how there's a lot of aspects to that as well.
[00:12:05] Speaker B: Yeah, it's a complex role. You're brave. That's a tough role to step into. Like brand new. Do you have window and door background at all?
[00:12:12] Speaker G: No, but I do have sales experience.
[00:12:13] Speaker B: Okay, well, that's helpful.
[00:12:15] Speaker G: Yeah.
[00:12:15] Speaker B: Yeah. So you can chuck and jive with the best of them, right?
[00:12:18] Speaker G: I hope so.
[00:12:18] Speaker B: Yeah. Okay. Anthony, anything other than what you shared?
[00:12:22] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, a little bit more to build on that. So I think the theme, grit and taking that away. It's always enlightening every year to kind of hear a story from somebody who's had to deal with real adversity and how it doesn't put them into victimhood. And that's always a good reminder because I've never had to deal with any kind of severe adversity like anybody like that. Everybody's got adversity in their life, but not to the degree that they have. And so it's a good reminder that, you know, at the end of the day, what we do is just windows. And, you know, last I checked, nobody's died from not getting a window on time or whatnot, so.
[00:12:54] Speaker B: Oh, but you don't deal with hurricane zones in my territory, we do. Like, it is a life saving measure for that is true.
[00:13:01] Speaker C: So the point is it's, you know, it's not that serious. So realizing that, you just have to fight through it and figure it out. So I like that. That's what I'm taking away so far.
[00:13:09] Speaker B: Yeah. Nice. Okay. What about you, David?
[00:13:11] Speaker H: Yeah, the productions that they put on are awesome, right? I mean, from the very beginning, it gets you going, right? He's playing the clip of Dan Campbell. He's showing you the Top Gun, they're playing the music. And it gets you juiced up for the rest of the day.
[00:13:22] Speaker E: Right.
[00:13:22] Speaker H: Gets you set up for those sessions to keep you up and keep you going throughout the day. So last year they had a great one with the wounded warriors this year, bringing him in and hearing him talk and his story. And then those guys last year, their stories, you know, last year they hiked Right.
[00:13:35] Speaker C: Kilimanjaro.
[00:13:36] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:13:36] Speaker H: Kilimanjaro. Yeah. So to hear their story and to hear this one, they. They're always keeping us on our toes with what they're bringing to us and it's awesome.
[00:13:43] Speaker B: All right, well, I'm going to turn you guys loose because happy hour is coming around soon. We got to go back to our rooms and get fancy because there's a gala and awards banquet or something tonight. Anyway, thank you so much.
[00:13:54] Speaker C: Thank you. Appreciate the time. Thank you.
[00:13:55] Speaker B: Have a great day.
Good morning. We are here on the Clear Impact podcast and we are recording at Scottsdale at the 2024 CX event. And this will be our final recording for this event. We gotta pack it up and ship it back. But Josh, Williard, thanks so much for sitting down and having a conversation with me.
[00:14:20] Speaker F: Sure, absolutely.
[00:14:21] Speaker B: So tell me a little bit about you.
[00:14:23] Speaker F: Yeah, so I've been with the business 20 years now. What? Okay, that's. Yeah.
[00:14:28] Speaker B: Did you started when you were like in second grade?
[00:14:31] Speaker F: I was in college summers. Yeah. So it's been a long time, so. Well, my dad actually worked in the fact for 20 plus years and when I was in college, I said I need a job to help pay for it and thankfully went to him and they were hiring some college kids for the summers. So I spent two summers in the plant making product and a bunch of different roles. But at the time I thought I was great cause it was piece rate. So even going back to that time, I was making pretty good money as a college kid.
[00:14:57] Speaker B: Nice.
[00:14:57] Speaker F: But at the same time, I never wanted to go work at MI because that was what my dad did. And I was going to college to not do that. I think when I was working there in the summers, I realized that, oh wait, there's this whole business behind just the manual labor stuff. So I ended up doing that for two summers and then got an internship. I was one of the first interns at MI in the marketing department and I did that for between my junior and senior year and then started full time. Wasn't formalized, but a management trainee type program.
[00:15:24] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:15:24] Speaker F: So I did that and started in 2007 and came in and kind of learned on the fly because business was crazy. And then six months later, it just fell apart with the housing crash in 2008. So it's a really weird time because I was relatively new to the business but tried to learn as much as I can and saw a big, you know, a lot of change go down in the next couple of years with, you know, the Unfortunate plant closures, things like that. But it's allowed me to kind of see and come full circle. Where am I? Almost didn't make it, you know, after the housing market, but really kind of revolutionized the business and shifted focus and really learned how to come a really profitable and good business. So I spent the next couple of years after that downturn in the sales side of things and about 10 years ago took on product management. So we never had product management at mi.
[00:16:08] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:16:08] Speaker F: It was a new function and I kind of raised my hand and said, I think I'm going to tackle this. So was running product management and then for the last 10 years. So this spring, right after the acquisition, the warranty and service role opened up and I kind of felt it was time to have a new challenge, a new opportunity. So put my name in the hat for that and was given that opportunity here in the spring. So really just kind of as transitioning out of product management and into the service is still helping out a little bit on the product side. But yeah, I got a new challenge and really excited to continue to dig in and continue to integrate the business and become a little more efficient and service customers.
[00:16:45] Speaker B: Wow. So you've had like four different roles, but all within the same organization.
[00:16:50] Speaker F: Yeah. Only job ever had. Yeah.
[00:16:52] Speaker B: That's amazing. That's amazing. So you're in Harrisburg, I presume?
[00:16:55] Speaker F: Yep. Based in Harrisburg. Yeah, I grew up about 15 minutes north the Gratz plant and settled down in Harrisburg with my wife once. She was from Philly. So we kind of settled kind of somewhat in the middle.
[00:17:05] Speaker B: Okay, and so how many CX events have you attended?
[00:17:08] Speaker F: Well, before they were called CX events, I think my. We were talking about that this week a little bit. I think my first one was in 2015.
[00:17:16] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:17:17] Speaker F: So there was a little point in time where we weren't having sales events when the market was a little soft, but it was 2014 or 15, so it's been 10, 11 years for sure.
[00:17:27] Speaker B: Okay, nice. And so what are your big takeaways from this week's event?
[00:17:34] Speaker F: Yeah, I think there's a couple, but the biggest one is just getting the team together. It's now 350 plus people at this event, which is just insane to see how it's grown. And so you get to meet a lot of new people and put our faces to names that you've maybe talked to. So just the networking and meeting all the team and building that camaraderie, I think is the number one. But you know, the other thing is just I don't know how you don't leave this event really pumped up and kind of re engaged. And hopefully the team that this is their first one really gets motivated and understands what we're trying to do and build. So, yeah, it's definitely a unique event. I've had multiple people come up and say, do they always do it this big? And I'm like, yeah, this is how we roll. So it's a lot of fun.
[00:18:12] Speaker B: Yeah. So as part of the education team, we've had a lot of interaction with Sean Martin, who's kind of running point for the whole event. And I recorded with him earlier and he said, Matt DeSoto says, Listen, if you're not doing it first rate, don't do it. And so this has been astounding event for us and just to further embrace the Mitre culture and to understand how much it really is about people.
And just, you know, the keynotes have been inspirational. The founders panel was inspirational. So it's such a privilege to be here. We're thankful. So I won't keep you. We got a general session starting soon. But Josh, I appreciate your willingness to sit down.
[00:18:51] Speaker F: Yeah, absolute.
[00:18:51] Speaker B: And I hope you have a safe travels home and, you know, look us up the next time you're in Venice.
[00:18:56] Speaker F: Absolutely. I'll be down quite a bit this winter, so, I mean, it's cold in Pennsylvania, so getting down to Florida is a good time to do in January. February, come on down anytime. So. All right, awesome.
[00:19:07] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:19:07] Speaker F: Have a great holiday.
[00:19:08] Speaker B: Yep, you too. Take care. All right.
[00:19:16] Speaker A: The Clear Impact podcast is brought to you by PGTI University. We are a part of Miter Brands, a family of leading wind door brands united by our passion for quality and relentless pursuit of 100%. One of the missions of Mitre Brands is to unite and deliver the finest customer experience possible across the nation. Our window and door brands deliver regionalized expertise and products. Backed by a national company. PGTI University is here to educate you, our listener, so that you can be a more informed consumer of window and door products.
