Name: Trever Pope

Title: Branch Manager

Hired: 2013

Hobbies: Video games, electric guitar, and auto racing and instructing.

Bio: “It’s kind of a funny story,” began Trever Pope, the Commerce City Branch Manager for Hose and Rubber Supply.

And indeed, it is. Many of the employees of Hose and Rubber Supply have described the company, and those who make it up, as a family.

And, in many cases, that’s what it actually is.

We’ve talked about mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and more. But, like many a Hollywood movie, Hose and Rubber Supply also has an example of an extremely talented professional marrying the boss’ daughter.

Such is the case with Trever Pope and Brian Taylor.

“Brian is actually my father-in-law,” Pope said. “At the time, I was dating one of his daughters. They had a driver position open up, and he offered it to my now-wife. She refused and suggested me. So, he called and asked if I would be interested. I was working not a great job at the time, so I didn’t hesitate at all to take the job.”

That was in April of 2013.

“It was supposed to be a temporary thing, but here we are over 10 years later,” Pope laughed.

And, in those years, Pope has worked in a variety of roles for Hose and Rubber Supply. He began working as a delivery driver in Provo, Utah. He also worked in the warehouse. Then he transferred to Salt Lake City to work as strictly a delivery driver. Following that, he began doing in-house assemblies and working the front counter. After that, a sales position opened up back in Provo, so he did that for three years.

Following that, he worked as a purchasing specialist, and then a warehouse lead. And then, finally, in April of 2021 he became the Branch Manager for the Commerce City (Denver) branch of Hose and Rubber Supply.

And, lest anybody think that nepotism was at play, make no mistake – Trever Pope worked his tail off and has more than earned his position. But what does that position actually entail?

“Just making sure things work,” laughed Pope. “I handle the day-to-day stuff; obviously helping customers over the counter, if needed. Managing inventory and making sure we’ve got the stuff that we need to be able to help our customers. Working with our sales team to help them figure out what kind of pricing we need to be at with our customers. Things like that.”

There are many aspects of the company, and the job itself, that Pope enjoys. His favorite part is the challenge that goes along with the gig.

“It’s super rewarding to come into something and implement a few ideas and see the progress that happens as a result,” he said.

Another aspect of the job that hits very close to home for Pope, both literally and figuratively, is the family-like mentality of the company; not just with the employees, but with the customers as well.

“I did make it a point in my early years to try and separate the family aspect of this job, and not have my prospective father-in-law being my direct boss, so I moved around a lot,” Pope said. “And moving around that way, I got well-acquainted with pretty much everyone in Utah that works for Hose and Rubber. And it was very easy to get along with everyone. It definitely has that almost family-like culture to it. And that hasn’t changed no matter what department I’ve worked for.”

That’s an important thing for Hose and Rubber Supply – to ensure that both employees and customers feel heard, and seen, and taken care of.

“It’s almost a contagious sort of attitude,” Pope said. “That’s kind of the best way I could put it. Like, dealing with Brian – he’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. And even though he’s in that boss role and has to act accordingly when the time comes, there’s a very personal aspect to his approach. And I think that ripples down through everybody here.”

It’s that contagious sort of attitude that really leaves an impact on customers.

“The most important thing is making sure that the customer is taken care of,” Pope revealed. “Whether we benefit from it, or our competitors do, that’s the goal. And I think our customers see that we’re willing to send them to the competitor if we don’t have what they need, and I think that carries some weight behind it. Obviously, it doesn’t feel great to lose out on an order those big orders, but the important thing is making sure that the customers can get up and running and continue their job.”

So, that’s what Trever Pope, and the entirety of Hose and Rubber Supply, does on a daily basis. They take care of the customer, to ensure that they can get back to work.

In his pastime, Pope enjoys instructing fellow race car drivers on how to get acclimated to new tracks, teaching them the lines to drive, and more. It’s one of his favorite things to do and it perfectly encapsulates how much he enjoys being a teacher, a leader.

But, as his friends and employees will attest to, Pope does not micro-manage.

“My approach is that I’ll definitely give the basics and the methodology, but as soon as I’m able to, I take my hands off the reins and just observe and chime in when needed,” Pope said. “I feel like that is probably one of the most effective ways for people to learn, is to give them the basic tools and then let them struggle through it. The best teacher is experience.”

In his decade with Hose and Rubber, Pope experienced a lot. He has learned a lot. And now, as a Branch Manager he’s able to teach a lot, as well. Of course, the biggest lesson he can impart is that the customer is, was, and always will be the priority.

“Plain and simple, I think it’s pretty obvious to everybody that deals with us that we actually care about our customers,” Pope said. “It’s not strictly about making a profit. It’s not about the bottom dollar. Our first priority is customer service above anything else. I don’t know of any of our competitors that have that same mentality.”

It’s a mentality that Pope learned quickly, when he began working for his girlfriend’s father. And it’s a mindset that he’s carried with him throughout the entirety of his career; a career that, in his words, began with “kind of a funny story.”