My first blog (Part 2)

Thanks for coming back! This is part 2 of another post I started. Here's part 1. Continuing with my story.... I left Boeckeler in 2005, Hollaback Girl was on the radio, and I found myself in Houston, TX with my husband and his family. I went to work for an IT integrator, and I learned a lot there as well. I learned how to work for a big company, I learned some really great organizational skills, I managed a team of 8 people. I wasn't in a technical role, and I really missed AV. The AV industry is so small and close-nit. IT is a whole huge different world. I know the whole "convergence" thing is in full effect, but there is still a big difference between an IT integrator and an AV integrator. A handful of years went by, and we went back to Tucson, and I back to Boeckeler as the National Sales Manager. Is your head spinning yet?

I had a another great run there. I traveled. I loved visiting integrators and consultants. Everyone was really nice. People liked to hear about the Pointmaker technology and how their customers could use it. I was involved in production, new product development, R&D, marketing, the list goes on and on.  The decisions I would make on a daily basis could affect the whole company. It was fun! Sadly I left Boeckeler again, and had a short yet very fulfilling run with Stewart Filmscreen. I am obsessed with screen technology. Who'da thunk it that a passive device like a projection screen would have so much that goes into it?! I must do another post about screen technology!

So long story short, or short story long I have since moved back to Texas. Loaded up the cars and headed out like the Beverly Hill Billies. "There's oil in them thar hills!" We are definitely here to stay.  I love Texas. For those of you that have met me in person, you will know that now everything is NOT bigger in Texas. (Thanks to Mark Coxon for that joke)

In my job search I wanted to make sure I found a place where I could grow. A place where I could be myself. A place with people who were warm. A place with mentors. I chose Synergy because I knew the owners from when I called on them as a manufacture. I knew the work they did, and I knew they did it with integrity. As a manufacture, our products didn't leave the door unless they were checked, re-checked, and checked again. There is no "good enough." Product goes to market almost damn near perfect. That is the mentality I like to have, and I knew I needed to find a place like that....

I started with Synergy on Oct 7th. Coming from the manufacturing side of AV there are things I bring to the table, but there's a lot I have to learn. Knowing the difference between DVI-D, DVI-I, VGA, and how to solder an RS-232 cable isn't going to help me convince IT Director he needs video conferencing. Knowing the Pointmaker at the component level is not going to get me into Big Oil Executive's office to sell him a complete global AV solution. It is so interesting having to shift my paradigm and completely change the way I talk to people. The few accounts I've seen so far have been a big mix of completely non-technical, way more tech knowledge than me, and some where in the middle. I feel this is going to be my biggest challenge in this new career is learning how to talk to the end user. It's only been 2 weeks, so I'm sure there will be many more challenges to uncover!

So that's me. That's my first blog. Please comment with any critiques on my post, any wise words of advice about blogging, or working with end users, or anything else.

Oh I almost forgot my call to action, stay tuned and check back often for new posts!

Victoria