Name: Blake Williams

Title: Inside Sales

Hired: 2011

Hobbies: Running, Watching College Football, the NBA, and Rugby, Spending Time with his Children

Bio: Blake Williams was looking for a change. For 20 years, Williams worked in the restaurant industry. Only those who have worked in the industry know how hard, how demanding, how draining it can be. So, after 20 years, Williams decided to try something new. He just didn’t know what. That’s when he ran into  his old friend.  

“I’ve known Scott Hilton my entire life,” Williams said. “He and my brother were best friends growing up, so I’ve known him my whole life. I was, at the time, out of the job and I came across Scott and he asked me what I was doing. He said ‘Come on down and talk with Brian Taylor and we’ll see what we can do.’ And a month later, he hired me.’”

Williams works in Inside Sales and considers himself to be “more or less” a people person. He developed that characteristic working in the restaurant industry. But, eventually, he grew tired of the pirate-like lifestyle and wanted something a bit more ‘normal,’ a bit more concrete.  

“I was just ready for a change,” he said. “I needed to get out of the food industry. I’d gone as far as I could go there and I was just done. So this just kind of came up at a good time, because I wasn’t able to find anything in the food market that appealed to me. Scott was there and it worked out quite well.” 

So well, in fact, that Williams has been with Hose and Rubber Supply for over 12 years. Throughout those years, he’s worked in inside sales and customer service. He says the customers are his favorite part of the job and customer service, Williams says, is where Hose and Rubber Supply thrives.  

“It’s our customer service and our willingness to help customers in general,” Williams said. “That’s our top priority.” 

And by making customer service their top priority, Hose and Rubber Supply has cemented itself as a leader in the industry.  

In addition to working with the customers, Williams says he really enjoys the camaraderie between the employees. 

“It’s very family-oriented,” Williams said. “Everybody seems to get along pretty well. It’s very casual and it’s a good working environment. I mean, it’s stressful but that goes with any job.” 

What makes the job stressful? 

“It’s just the nature of the beast,” Williams said. “Having the products available for what our customers need, just trying to figure out our customers’ needs in general and getting everything done in a timely matter. There’s a lot but we’re always busy and that’s good. This place is very customer-driven.”  

The shops do get busy, but Williams and his coworkers never make their customers feel like they’re a nuisance or a burden. They view each and every customer as somebody worthy of their full attention. That’s one of the biggest lessons Williams has learned – to make sure the customer feels at home when they come to Hose and Rubber Supply. 

There’s another lesson that Williams has learned as well. 

“Time is money,” he said. “When these machines go down, time is literally money. It never really hit home until I got into this industry that I realized how important downtime is. Because when these big machines for our customers are down, they’re losing a lot of money. So it’s important for us to have the product and to be able to get them in and out quickly.” 

That’s exactly what they do at Hose and Rubber Supply. They provide solutions. 

“The customer comes first,” Williams said. “That’s what it’s all about. If we can’t take care of them, they can’t take care of us. So, it’s our responsibility to make sure the customer is taken care of.” 

It’s a responsibility that Blake Williams does not take lightly. And it’s one that he works every day to fulfill.