At Source, our sales staff collaborate, consult and create functional office furniture solutions for our valuable customers. This month we sat down with Furniture Sales Specialist Josh Lozornio from Source Langley and Abbotsford to learn more about his role. Continue reading to view the full interview.
How long have you worked for Source?
I’ve worked for Source for two months. I’m still pretty new.
Describe your role and what you do for the company.
I was hired at Source as a Furniture Sales Specialist. I love this job because all of my background is in office furniture. I really enjoy helping people and creating a nice office space for them. In my role I create drawings for customers using a program called AutoCAD. These drawers assist the customers in visualizing how the finished space will look. Often times customers don’t know what they want, and I enjoy creating something functional and unique for them. I enjoy the challenge of having a blank space and creating a plan. It makes me happy when I see the customer’s face when the project is completed.
What is your biggest achievement to date – personal or professional?
I believe that my biggest achievement is yet to come. However, I started my own office furniture business when I lived in Mexico which was a big personal and professional achievement. I was working for Herman Miller in Mexico, but then they decided to leave Mexico, so I created my own company and became a HON dealer.
What does a typical day look like for you?
A typical day for me is pretty busy. I do both inside and outside sales, so I have to help people as they come into the showroom, as well as manage my additional projects. I answer phone calls, emails, create quotes, and help people as they walk in. I also have on-site meetings where I commute to the customer’s workplace. On-site meetings are beneficial for both the customer and I but sometimes it takes longer than expected so its hard to balance everything.
What do you enjoy the most about working at Source?
I like to help others and make a positive change in their work environment. I also like building relationships with customers.
What are your biggest professional challenges?
My biggest professional challenge at Source is using our software program. It feels like I’m taking a step back in time. I’ve worked for other companies that have easier software systems to learn. Additionally, everyone at Source has their own way of doing things on the software so that can be challenging.
Given a chance, who would you like to be for a day? (Anyone dead or alive)
I would want to be Nikola Tesla. He is very intriguing and smart, as well as mysterious. No one knew him very well because he was quite reserved. I feel like my personality is similar to his. I believe that he was a great guy.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was little, I wanted to help animals. I had a lot of pets growing up and I always loved animals. However, I took a few animal related courses and when I saw the reality of it, I realized it wasn’t for me. Then, I studied architecture. However, because I was running my own business at the time, I was too busy for school. I still have a dream down the road to be an architect or an inventor.
If you won the lottery, what would be the first thing you would buy?
I would buy a piece of land and take care of it. I would have a lot of animals and endangered plants. The only wealth we have in the world is our planet, so we have to take care of it.
Where did your career start? How has it progressed over the years?
I was 18 years old when I started working for Herman Miller in Mexico. I travelled all over Mexico which was awesome. I worked for them for eight years and then they left Mexico so I opened my own company. I was working too much in Mexico and I needed a break so I came to Canada without a job. After living in Canada for two and a half years I applied for a work visa and it got accepted. I continued working in office furniture sales. I tried to start my own business here in Canada, but it wasn’t the right time. Now I’m happy where I am.
How do you define success?
I think that success is based on how happy you are in life. It’s also important to help others. That will bring you success.
What do you see as the latest trends in office furniture?
I think now there’s a lot more team stations and everyone wants to have open spaces. Offices are also more minimalistic with less clutter. Certain people still have private offices, but having an open floorplan is a large trend. The layout of the office also depends on the customer’s industry and function. For example, I had an engineering company customer and everyone was male. All of the employees wanted to be separate and have dividers. I worked with another company that was mostly females, and they didn’t want any division. It’s very interesting because everyone works in different ways.
What’s your favourite Source product?
I really like our height adjustable desks. Especially when I’m spending time on a project. I can work standing. I also like my CoolMesh Pro chair. It’s interesting because the Madison seating series, as well as the Nova seating series are very similar to high-end designer office furniture styles, but they’re offered at a much more affordable price point.
A typical day for me is pretty busy. I do both inside and outside sales, so I have to help people as they come into the showroom, as well as manage my additional projects. I answer phone calls, emails, create quotes, and help people as they walk in. I also have on-site meetings where I commute to the customer’s workplace. On-site meetings are beneficial for both the customer and I but sometimes it takes longer than expected so its hard to balance everything.
What do you enjoy the most about working at Source?
I like to help others and make a positive change in their work environment. I also like building relationships with customers.
What are your biggest professional challenges?
My biggest professional challenge at Source is using our software program. It feels like I’m taking a step back in time. I’ve worked for other companies that have easier software systems to learn. Additionally, everyone at Source has their own way of doing things on the software so that can be challenging.
Given a chance, who would you like to be for a day? (Anyone dead or alive)
I would want to be Nikola Tesla. He is very intriguing and smart, as well as mysterious. No one knew him very well because he was quite reserved. I feel like my personality is similar to his. I believe that he was a great guy.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was little, I wanted to help animals. I had a lot of pets growing up and I always loved animals. However, I took a few animal related courses and when I saw the reality of it, I realized it wasn’t for me. Then, I studied architecture. However, because I was running my own business at the time, I was too busy for school. I still have a dream down the road to be an architect or an inventor.
If you won the lottery, what would be the first thing you would buy?
I would buy a piece of land and take care of it. I would have a lot of animals and endangered plants. The only wealth we have in the world is our planet, so we have to take care of it.
Where did your career start? How has it progressed over the years?
I was 18 years old when I started working for Herman Miller in Mexico. I travelled all over Mexico which was awesome. I worked for them for eight years and then they left Mexico so I opened my own company. I was working too much in Mexico and I needed a break so I came to Canada without a job. After living in Canada for two and a half years I applied for a work visa and it got accepted. I continued working in office furniture sales. I tried to start my own business here in Canada, but it wasn’t the right time. Now I’m happy where I am.
How do you define success?
I think that success is based on how happy you are in life. It’s also important to help others. That will bring you success.
What do you see as the latest trends in office furniture?
I think now there’s a lot more team stations and everyone wants to have open spaces. Offices are also more minimalistic with less clutter. Certain people still have private offices, but having an open floorplan is a large trend. The layout of the office also depends on the customer’s industry and function. For example, I had an engineering company customer and everyone was male. All of the employees wanted to be separate and have dividers. I worked with another company that was mostly females, and they didn’t want any division. It’s very interesting because everyone works in different ways.
What’s your favourite Source product?
I really like our height adjustable desks. Especially when I’m spending time on a project. I can work standing. I also like my CoolMesh Pro chair. It’s interesting because the Madison seating series, as well as the Nova seating series are very similar to high-end designer office furniture styles, but they’re offered at a much more affordable price point.
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