Episode Transcript
Speaker 1 00:00:05 Welcome to the Clear Impact Podcast, brought to you by pg t I University. Thanks for joining us today. My name is Sherry Connor and I am your host. Good afternoon. We are here on the Clear Impact Podcast and we are being hosted this week by Western Window Systems, and we have with us in our makeshift studio a Boss Ali. Hi. Did I say it right?
Speaker 2 00:00:31 You said it. Perfect.
Speaker 1 00:00:32 So welcome.
Speaker 2 00:00:33 Thank you. Thanks for
Speaker 1 00:00:34 Having me. Yeah, thanks for coming down and making time to chat with me. So we're just kind of introducing everybody, um, the executive team and people in the training function here, um, the Western Division. And so introduce yourself. Tell us a little bit about you, like your background, your history, how you landed here, all of that fun stuff.
Speaker 2 00:00:51 How I landed at Western, you know, I've worked for some pretty large companies. I joined Western in 2017 when we were just Western Window Systems, not owned by PG t I and much smaller companies than what I was used to, but loved what we did here and, and the sophistication of it at some point. Uh, start as a p and a manager back in the day and have now wounded my way around Few million Anders here and there over the last five years. I just hit my five year anniversary in July of 2022.
Speaker 1 00:01:23 Okay. Congrats.
Speaker 2 00:01:24 Thank you. And currently, uh, sit as the CFO of the Western Division.
Speaker 1 00:01:30 Nice. And you're also helping with the Crisis Connection, GoFundMe for all the Hurricane Ian people. I saw your name on that.
Speaker 2 00:01:39 I did. I set up the GoFundMe page. I got a call from Debbie Lipska, a lot of folks here in the western division. This includes Alan here and c I were reaching out and saying, what can we do? Where can we help? Mm-hmm. <affirmative> and a bunch of emails that were just thrown around. You know, we can't be there physically. I know there's a lot of work going out there with people donating water, food generators. Right. So what can we do here and what better way than to fund something called Crisis Connection, right. Where I know all the funds will go to our employees. So we started that. I got a call from Debbie Lapins Con Friday, uh, a couple weeks ago now and saying, Hey, let's get this going. Yeah. We can use all the help we can get. And started that and kind of, it took a life off its own and I think we've up to 25,000 plus thousand dollars, uh Wow. Donated. So
Speaker 1 00:02:34 Pretty cool. Cool. That's amazing. Yeah. Our area was, uh, for fortunately I don't live in an area that was, you know, directly hit. Like everything was kind of south of me. So personally I didn't have any damage or anything like that. But a lot of our folks live further south and so there are many who have lost their homes. So I know that those funds are gonna definitely get put to good use. So
Speaker 2 00:02:54 I'm glad I've heard some of the stories. I've seen some of the pictures. It's very scary. So yeah, we're here as one family. Yeah. And times like this is where, uh, families step up and help each other out. So proud of the entire PG t i family, but especially proud of the Western people that jumped in and were eager to help.
Speaker 1 00:03:12 Yeah. No, that's amazing. All right, so back to you. So tell us about your education. Tell us a little bit about that.
Speaker 2 00:03:18 Yeah, so I came to, uh, United States in 2003 to do my undergrad as an estate university. And I took a, like a 16 hour flight from Pakistan.
Speaker 1 00:03:32 Oh wow. Okay.
Speaker 2 00:03:32 Yeah. So, uh, yeah, wanted to pursue, uh, finance and accounting. So my dad said, oh, you're going to go to the US and study there. And I didn't know anybody here. Oh wow. But that was definitely an humbling experience. Pretty cool one, right? Once I got the hang of things. Yeah. <laugh>. So I did my undergrad and finance accounting. Graduated in 2006 with that degree in joined Deloitte Accounting Practice. And then through the great recession I left my job and wanted to pursue my mba. So, uh, got my MBA in 2009 and then kind of shifted out of the true accounting world and got more into the financing side of things. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> analytics and in fp and a and haven't looked back since. Nice.
Speaker 1 00:04:20 So one of the things I love to ask executives is about advice that they've received. So tell us a piece of valuable advice that you've received.
Speaker 2 00:04:28 As I look through my career and some of the folks that I've worked with and continue to work with, it's hard to pick one or two. That's two binary for me, right. But one that stood out and my dad said this to me close to when I was departing, to come to the United States as try to be the best in what you do, no matter what it is, don't be ordinary, whatever profession you pick, whatever major you pick, you know, I remember that time I was debating it, accounting, finance, I was all over the place. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And he never stopped me from saying, no, go towards this field or that field. He said, just whatever you pick, try to be the best. Don't just be good enough.
Speaker 1 00:05:12 Right. That's a great piece of advice. So just a side note, is your family still in Pakistan or are they here now?
Speaker 2 00:05:17 Most of my family's still there.
Speaker 1 00:05:19 Okay. You get to go back and visit.
Speaker 2 00:05:21 Unfortunately, I don't. It's a long flight and I got two little guys putting him on a closed capsule for 16 hours. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, they'll drive everybody insane.
Speaker 1 00:05:32 <laugh>. Okay.
Speaker 2 00:05:33 So I haven't gone for a while, but my parents do visit. But yeah, we'll I think, figure out when we want to go back and stuff, but yeah, this is my home. I've been here 20 years, so this
Speaker 1 00:05:43 Is it. Nice. That's amazing. And so because we're the education team, uh, PG t I University, and because we've just kind of embraced the Western family this year with product knowledge and now some video training that, how do you see our team being an asset to the Western family?
Speaker 2 00:06:00 Yeah. Firstly, can I say I'm super excited that you guys are launching this. Yay. Right. It's gonna be phenomenal. As I look through the future of educating, not just our customers, our vendors, our employees. When I joined Western right, I looked at a window door, as most people will look at it unsophisticated. It's just a window door, it's a class with things around it, right? Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, it's not that complex. But since I've worked here and I've looked how complex it can get now I granted it, we're not making telescopes or rocket ships here, but we are making very precision different products here. And I think most of our customers, our vendors don't appreciate that. Even our employees, I should say, don't appreciate it. And I look at what you guys are doing through PG t I University and some of the training classes and really showing the intricacies and sophistication it takes to build our product. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> and especially the custom side of the products. Right. I'm really looking forward to that and to highlight that to our customers and the rest of the stakeholders.
Speaker 1 00:07:09 Awesome. Well that was a perfect answer. It was like I wrote it for you. Yeah. I didn't Oh yeah. <laugh>. Well, I'm glad that you're a fan. We're a fan of the Western family. We love coming out here when we get a chance to, and you know, seeing the games and Patrick's a big fan cuz there's coffee machines everywhere and, but yeah, this has been a great time. Thank you so much for coming down and chatting with me today and it was great to meet you.
Speaker 2 00:07:31 It was a pleasure, uh, being here. Awesome.
Speaker 1 00:07:33 Thanks. Thank you. Have a great day. PG t I University, it's the customer education team for an entire family of brands. We began with the original Easy Breeze, porch and closure line, then became P G t, America's leading brand of impact resistant windows and doors. We then added cgi, CGI I c Window, Western Windows Systems, new South Windows, echo Windows and doors, and Lynn 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. PPG t I University is here to educate you, our listener, so that you can be a more informed consumer of window and door products.
