This month we are spotlighting Doug (Dee) Brown, who works as BEST Enterprises’ lead for Inside Sales Support & Order Management. Doug has been working with BEST for 18 years – 15 of which he was the Fulfillment Manager. Because of his background with the company, Doug has a pulse on everything that goes on at BEST. Doug works diligently to make sure that our customers feel comfortable with the level of communication that we provide. We met with Doug to learn more about his position, as well as his life outside of BEST.
- Briefly Describe your position at BEST. I am in charge of taking all sales quotes and converting them into orders. I create part numbers, check pricing, and then I confirm those orders to the customers to let them know what they are getting and when they are getting it. I also provide estimated ship dates if any backorders exist for an order. As material comes in, I am in charge of allocating material to each customer.
- How did you get introduced to the company? I was living in Springfield Missouri for 8 months after leaving Elkhart, Indiana and I was planning on moving to Minnesota, so I went to a temp service who said they had the perfect job for me (a small company in Oakdale). I came into town to interview for the job and started two weeks later. I’ve been at BEST ever since!
- What has been your favorite project to work on at BEST? Supplying material for the Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Gophers football stadiums. I am a big sports fan so knowing our material are inside those facilities was pretty special.
- What is your favorite part about your job? My Favorite part of my job is learning something new everyday. No matter if its building quotes, part numbers, checking price guides, etc. I am never bored!
- What is your favorite thing about working at BEST? Working with Jamie Rosenow, who has taught me so much from the very first day I started my new position. Now I have a better understanding of the flow of a project from a sales perspective, knowing the ends and outs of what the sales team does daily. I wouldn’t be as good as I am today without him.
- What’s something interesting about you that people may not know? I was a Journalism Sports Editor 4 years in high school and Journalism major in college (1 year).
- Do you have any kids, pets, or a fun hobby? I have one daughter Kadijah (DeeDee) that is 29 and twin Grandsons Zachariah and Josiah age 10.
- What is your proudest moment from working at BEST? I’m most proud of the relationships that I have built with the all of the people that I work with everyday, and going through the fire with them. We survived when most small business didn’t. I also love seeing customers I met on my first week on the job, continue to work with us because they trust us, respect us, and know that they are our top priority.
- What are some hobbies you have outside of the office? My hobbies include watching a lot of movies (since I was 2), attending a lot of rock and heavy metal concerts (Since I was 10) , religiously following my sports teams (since I was 5) and being an avid comic book collector (Since I was 6).
It’s not hard to see that Doug is invested in the relationships that he builds with his colleagues, as well as the relationships he keeps with the customers. He is a man who believes in respect and trust, which aligns with the main pillars of our company. With his years of experience, and dedicated loyalty, we are grateful for Doug and his years of hard work.
While interviewing Doug, he told us a story about his first winter in Minnesota. “I kept telling my boss Tom Best that I was moving back to North Carolina…and now 18 years later I know that there’s no better place to do the things that I love. Minnesota is my home.”
When Tom Best was asked about Doug and his role at Best, he said, “Doug started in 2005, and I have always had a great relationship with him. Since his transition into his new position, it’s clear that he is in the right seat. He has the skillset for the job and he absolutely thrives in it – he just seems happy. He’s organized, has an incredible attention to detail and has the ability to work with different personality types”.
Thank you for sticking with us Doug, we can’t wait to see where your new position takes you!