In our ‘Introducing Altum’ series, we’re introducing you to the people behind the scenes who take care of our different operations. Today, we’ll learn more about Nat, our Sales Director. What are the best parts of his job? What has he recently learned? And what does art have to do with being a Sales Director at Altum? Read on to find out!

What is your title?

Sales Director, North America

How long have you worked at Altum?

I’ve worked at Altum for 2,5 years.

What is your educational background?

I have a diploma in Electrical Engineering from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.

What made you want to work at Altum?

I had been in sales for a long time and was looking for new challenges. I was interested in the opportunity to work for a smaller company and already knew someone at Altum from a previous workplace.

What tasks does your role entail?

My role covers a wide variety of tasks, from high level business development and planning to being on-site with our customers. I work with our customers to review applications, and help with setting up and starting up our systems. In a nutshell, I’m involved with pretty much everything from sales to supporting our installations.

What are your favorite things about your job?

I enjoy the diversity of the industries we work with, as it brings a nice variety to our sales discussions. Each industry has its unique production cycles and needs, which ensures that there are always interesting conversations taking place.

Additionally, I appreciate the opportunity to travel frequently. It allows me to explore new places, meet new people, and see a lot of North America.

What are the most challenging things in your job?

Working with and selling a new technology that industries are not yet familiar with is always a bit challenging. We have proof that our solution offers many benefits, but understandably, getting end users to adopt new, disruptive technology requires extra effort. 

Is there something you have recently learned on the job?

I’ve learned more about how significant the cost of lost production can be for our customers, even in smaller industries. I hadn’t fully anticipated the extent of the financial impact that downtime can have. This highlights how much money could be saved by minimizing downtime and maintaining continuous production.

Describe the Altum work community with 2 words?

Supportive and driven

Would you like to share a funny memory from your time at Altum?

One funny memory is from an industry event organized by TAPPI in Tampa Bay. The event included a visit to an art museum, and together with a colleague from another company we bonded over our shared lack of artistic inclination. The museum featured works by an artist and designer, and as two of the least artistic people there, we found ourselves just walking around trying to understand the art. We had a good laugh about it, and it was a very memorable industry event.

Thank you Nat for sharing your thoughts! 

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