CSI salutes soon-to-be retired Sales Manager Steve Marak, who is wrapping up his 46-year career in the material handling industry.
Steve has been a top producer at Container Systems, Inc. for over 40 of those years. He began his association with CSI when he approached CSI Founder Bob Wall at an A.M.M.S. regional meeting, inquiring about a sales opportunity. Bob then proceeded to pursue Steve for 6 months before Steve joined CSI. The rest is history.
Steve has sold more than $30 million of materials handling equipment to thousands of his Chicagoland customers. When asked what he liked most about working in Sales, and at CSI specifically, Steve recounts that CSI was set up in such a way that those who were willing to work hard were rewarded financially. “The company and management set us up to succeed, plain and simple. The sales function is very straightforward, and I liked that I knew right from the start that I would get out of this job exactly what I was willing to put into it. And management was always very fair. Great group of people.”
A favorite memory of Steve’s from early in his career: In the late 80’s, a prospective customer asked Steve to be the third bidder on a large project. He knew that his quote would just be checking a box for the customer who needed three bids, and that getting the job would be an incredible longshot. However, Steve treated the situation like any other opportunity, and put the time and effort in coming up with a better layout and flow for a distribution center. The result was a million dollar plus deal for Steve and CSI!
What will Steve be doing in his free time? Goal setting with a whole different focus: Lots of golf. Additionally, Steve plans on traveling, finishing up those projects at home, and fostering the love of golf in his grand-kids.
Lastly, Steve has some words of wisdom for newcomers to the sales function in the materials handling industry: “There’s no substitute for making calls and talking to your customer, and convincing him or her that you can solve their problem. If you can’t do that, the customer will go to the next person to buy.”
We’ll miss you here at CSI, Steve, and wish you the best of luck with your golf game!
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