Employee Spotlight: Tim Burgett
| Name: Tim Burgett Position: General Manager Tenure: New Employee! Hometown: Denver, CO | Astrological Sign: Aries Ghirardelli Chocolate: All Flavors Restaurant: Italian Sports Team: University of Colorado and Iowa |
Where did you previously work? I’ve spent a long time in the office industry – 25 years in the Boise-Max-Depot organization. Then I transitioned to 3 years of service at Essendant, a wholesale national distributor of office supplies, followed by my last 3 years at V3GO, a start-up independent dealer in Denver, Colorado.
How do you like your coffee? I love caffeine, but not in coffee form. I’ll take a Diet Pepsi.
What are some of your skills? What you like most about your career: I am a grower. I love growing sales teams, customers, revenue and margin money. It’s my career passion.
Who has inspired your career path most in your life? Several people: Tom VanHootegem, who built Boise Cascade’s national account program stands out. He’s long since been retired, but we catch up via phone frequently. Currently fascinated by the “never say no” attitude of Coach Prime at University of Colorado. He said something about sense of urgency that resonated: “play every down like it’s the fourth quarter.” I try to keep that in mind.
What’s a memorable experience you’ve had in your career so far? One year, my entire district qualified for OfficeMax’s version of President’s Club. That’s really hard to do, but the team had a phenomenal year. It was great to celebrate with them in Mexico.
What is the biggest strengths you bring to the Blaisdell’s Team? Experience, relationships inside and outside the industry, strong culture ethos.
What do you like to do in your free time? I’m a big sports fan, so I enjoy attending live sporting events. I also enjoy hitting the green and playing a round of golf. I spend a lot of time with our family dog – a Duck Tolling Retriever.
What’s your favorite day of the work week and why? Call me crazy, but I like Mondays. It’s one day of the week where we typically engage with the entire team, and set the stage for the entire week.
What’s your approach to work-life balance? Work hard-play hard. We had a motto at a former employer that I have taken with me: Plan, do, check, act and then repeat. The gist is communicate early and often, and you won’t waste time. Hopefully that frees up time for the life part of the balance equation.
If you could be an office supply item, which one would you be and why? Cut-sheet office paper. This way I can be recycled and live many lives. Plus, I grew up on the paper side of this business and have always had an affinity for office papers.
