Expanding Outside Sales With Four New Hires
New territories include Colorado, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana
At a time when many companies are reducing staff, Braxton-Bragg is expanding with four new outside sales consultants, strengthening its footprint and adding some serious CNC experience to grow that sector of its business.
“These four experienced sales consultants will allow Braxton-Bragg to continue to strengthen partnerships, gain market share and increase our local presence throughout the South and West,” said Jeff Dykstra, Braxton-Bragg vice president of sales and marketing. “Their customer networks, combined with significant stone and CNC experience will bolster our already strong sales force, and elevate our CNC program. We are now positioned to train, educate and install CNC products for our customers.”
“We have made a significant commitment to expansion of our local presence with the addition of these seasoned team members,” said Braxton-Bragg CEO Rick Stimac. “They will propel our strategic plan of greatly increasing industry experience and enhancing local presence, all in one fell swoop. This will be a huge impact on our business, as well as our customer and vendor partners. These guys are highly-regarded in the industry, and we are blessed to have them in the Braxton-Bragg family.”
Randy Brock is a U.S. Navy veteran who has been in the stone business 40 years.
He started with GranQuartz in 1980 as one of the very first employees, when there was not even a countertop segment for stone! After 28 years there, he worked for Granite City Tool for 5 years, and then Lackmond for the past three years.
“I’ve covered this territory for 20 years,” said Brock. “I love getting to meet the people in this industry and it is different every day. I know this territory like the back of my hand, and I’m excited to get Braxton-Bragg products in the hands of my long-time customers and friends.”
Robert Ruiz brings more than 30 years of sales experience in the stone industry to the Florida market. Ruiz has worked for GranQuartz, Ermator, Stone Essentials and Lackmond. He has worked in all aspects of the stone industry from restoration, sealers, fabrication, installation and the importing and exporting of natural stone. He was also the vice president of sales for Stone Brokers of America in Miami for 8 years. He headed the GranQuartz restoration division in the Southeast territory, then was promoted to the tooling division. Ruiz went on to be the store manager in charge of of Florida.
“Braxton-Bragg has a great reputation in the marketplace and I think we are poised for extreme growth with the backing we need to succeed,” said Ruiz. “The company’s professionalism, leadership, and team-building atmosphere empowers employees to use our talents in the best way possible.”
Jerry Herring has vast CNC experience from fabricating and installing, to consulting on advanced operating, programming and maintenance. He started his stone career in a granite/headstone shop in 2004 where he learned to template, fabricate, operate CNCs, and install and repair countertops. Over his career he has run CNCs and managed shops. In 2009 he was promoted to general manager and significantly increased the number of square feet fabricated daily. He then gained experience as a technical salesman, selling CNC tools and teaching fabricators how to run CNC machines, from setting tools, to basic and advanced operating/programming, maintenance, and even organizing shop flow. Before joining the Braxton-Bragg team, he worked for 7 years at DTS and Lackmond.
“The people in this industry are amazing; most people I meet turn into friends and I can’t wait to share the same experience with Braxton-Bragg,” said Herring.
Brandon Carrier has 5 years experience in the stone industry. He started in customer service and worked his way up to outside sales. He has been working in Georgia and the South Carolina territory for the past two years with Lackmond. “I am excited to hit the ground running in a territory I am very familiar with for Braxton-Bragg,” said Carrier.
These additions, join the Braxton-Bragg sales consultants hired last month, and will allow Braxton-Bragg outside sales to cover the United States, with decades of stone industry and CNC knowledge.
“At a time when many are companies are in a holding pattern, Braxton-Bragg is moving full steam ahead with our strategic plan for expanded local coverage and a robust CNC program that rivals any in the industry,” claimed Stimac. "Our enhanced sales organization will allow us to reach and surpass those goals. We are there for our fabricator partners from the planning stage, to training, education and installation of CNC systems and products to increase their profits and efficiency.”
