Armando Ramirez
Title: Sales
Hired: April 5th, 2021
Marital Status: Single
Hobbies: Food, fishing, beer, playing guitar, and soon will have a new dog
Bio: For Armando Ramirez, he doesn’t believe in doing a job unless it’s done to the fullest extent. That’s a mantra that he’s believed, and practiced, throughout his entire career. Whether he was in California or Colorado, he works until the work is done.
That’s an attitude that he brought with him when he began working for Hose and Rubber Supply in April of 2021.
“Like a lot of other Californians, I was trying to get out of California,” Ramirez stated. “I was looking for the right opportunity to escape all the legal policies and the crazy rising costs of housing. So, I did a little job searching and Hose and Rubber came up.”
An opportunity in the Denver branch of Hose and Rubber presented itself and Ramirez jumped at the opportunity.
“I looked through their website and saw a lot of impressive things about the company,” he said “So I submitted my application for the Branch Manager position.”
Ramirez had served as a branch manager for a different company, so he had the experience and the work ethic, but Hose and Rubber Supply really strives to promote from within, and that’s exactly what they did.
However, they knew that Ramirez was a catch, so they offered him a different position in the company.
“Scott Hilton and Brian Shackelford, I assume, thought that I was talented, and they saw all the different things that I’ve done, so they asked if I’d be willing to do sales for them,” he said. “So, we had that conversation and the things is, I’ve done it all in this industry. I started off as a driver and parts runner and did inside sales, and then I became an operations manager and then a branch manager and then I did regional sales. So I’ve done it all. And they made an enticing enough offer that I said sure.”
That was about a year-and-a-half ago and, in that short time, Ramirez has distinguished himself as one of Hose and Rubber’s best assets. Hose and Rubber Supply was lucky to have Ramirez and, Ramirez said, he was lucky to have Hose and Rubber.
“When I first started with Hose and Rubber, I was a little hesitant because, with my past employers, when you’re interviewing, the bosses aren’t as transparent as they probably could be,” he said. “And when I spoke with the Hose and Rubber higher ups, I thought, ‘This sounds too good to be true.’”
It wasn’t.
“I soon realized that everybody, from the bottom up, from our counter sales guys to our CEO – everyone is down to earth and humble,” he continued. “There’s no BS with anybody and I appreciate that.”
That’s an attitude shared by many of the employees of Hose and Rubber Supply, simply because it’s such a tight-knit organization. The bosses value their employees, and the employees value their bosses…and each other.
“My favorite part of the job…it more so has to do with how I feel valued with the company,” Ramirez said. “But I also like making myself available to be a resource for all the guys here. I have my roles and my responsibilities, but I’ve also been able to lead and teach and I feel value in knowing that I can help out. That matters a lot more to me than just ‘Where’s my paycheck?’”
But make no mistake about it, Ramirez earns his paycheck.
“I hope I lead by example,” he said. “I want to be the hardest worker here. I hope I’ve proven to these guys that when I need to roll up the sleeves and get dirty, I’m the first one in line. I hope that in three years or five years’ time, I’ve earned some stripes within the company and if an opportunity is ever presented to be a Regional Sales Manager, where I can help develop other sales guys, I’d like to be able to do that and help guide our sales force.”
Ramirez has the experience, he has the skills and, most importantly, he has the passion. Ramirez cares about this job; he cares about his coworkers, he cares about his bosses, and he cares about his customers.
“I feel like our mission statement, our core values of the company – people actually believe in them,” he stated. “They’re not just words. I have pretty clear and open communication with my bosses, and with Scott Hilton, and when I talk to them, I know that they’re not just offering me empty words. It’s not just a pretty mission statement to impress customers.”
Because, in the end, it’s not just words that will leave an impact on our customers; it’s actions. And every single employee of Hose and Rubber Supply understands that it’s their actions that will determine whether a customer returns or not.
“I feel like we really care about our customers,” Ramirez said. “Obviously, we want to be profitable. We want to make money but, more than that, we’re here to solve your problem and take care of you. And we’ll go to any length to make sure that when you leave Hose and Rubber Supply, you say ‘Man, these guys exhausted everything to make sure that my problem was solved.’”
Ramirez may not have initially signed up for a sales position when he applied to work for Hose and Rubber Supply, but all parties involved quickly realized that it was a role he was born for. Undoubtedly, Ramirez will continue to grow in his position, teaching others and even learning a thing or two as well. And he’ll do it all with charm and grace and gratitude.
But Hose and Rubber Supply is grateful for him, as well.