How does one end up choosing a career path that is best suited for oneself? Some paths are chosen based off a family business, a personal introduction to a company, or lifelong interest in a specific field. Many people are lead down multiple paths before finding the one that is right for them if they are so lucky. My Path to Printing took multiple twists and turns but finally ended with a role at Huston Patterson as a Client Service Manager covering Chicago, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
As far back as I can remember, say late 90’s in college, I was fairly certain that a job in sales was the best career path for me. This was probably the case since my Dad and older brother were both successful salesman working for print brokers in the Chicago area. I told myself I was going to be different and go into the financial industry which led me to Scudder Investments located downtown Chicago. After selling mutual funds to financial advisors for four years, I was introduced to the trading floors of the Chicago Board of Trade and my path took its first detour.
The Chicago trading floors have been around for 100+ years and are where many fortunes were built and lost. I knew quite a few people who built successful careers at the exchanges and some who just started their careers as a trader. Working as a trader had always intrigued me but the opportunity had not presented itself until this point in my life. I told myself that as a young and single man, this was the time to give it a go so not to have any regrets as I got older. As the trading markets were transitioning from the open outcry trading pits and to an electronic trading market, many successful traders began opening what are called proprietary trading firms. These firms would put up the cash for young & ambitious people to try their hand as a trader without the required financial resources to trade for their own account. One of these traders who was starting his own firm decided to take a chance on me. After a few successful years trading, I realized the job did not provide long term financial stability due to the temperament of the markets.
As my search evolved, I realized there are many industries where a salesman can have a successful career and one of those was the printing industry. In a conversation with a family friend, who owned an Aqueous & UV coating manufacturing company, he mentioned he would like to slow down his travel and was looking for a salesperson to take over his territory and learn the business. I jumped at the opportunity to work for this successful small business and learn firsthand from this family friend. The company I began working for manufactured Aqueous and UV coatings for the printing industry. It was at this company that I was first introduced to Huston Patterson on one of my first cold calls.
Huston Patterson eventually became one of my top clients. The more time I would spend at HP, the more I got to know people in all departments including the President and VP of Sales. From my monthly lunches with the pressroom, shipping, and sheeter directors, I slowly built a relationship with all of them that went beyond just business. I always said that Huston Patterson felt like one big family. During one of my visits, I ran into HP’s President, Tonya Kowa Morelli, and she asked if I had spoken to the VP of Sales. I told her I had but it was a casual conversation and wondered why she was asking me about it. She said, “he didn’t tell you that we want you to work here? On my gosh, I’ll have him call you again so you can meet to discuss.” We ended up meeting the following week and the rest is history. I have been working as a Client Service Manager with Huston Patterson for 5 years and can truly say that I have found the right company and career path for me.
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