By David Maloney, Sr. Account Manager
At the end of every year in this industry, I become reflective. There are another 30K or so miles on the car in ’24, days on end in airports, and another pair of shoes worn out. The follicles on the top of my head are fewer than the year before, and grayer for anything that’s left.
Exhaustion for me always rolls in right around Thanksgiving. I fight the good fight every minute I can all year, until the tank gets empty, and I feel like I have had enough for a while.
I have won some and lost some, but I continue to grind, day after day, week after week, year after year. I reach mid-December, and the sense of fatigue after another grueling 12 months makes me wonder why I want to keep doing it all for years to come.
My customers, both long-term and new, mean the world to me personally and professionally. Not only have I tried to bring maximum value to all of them, but I am privileged to get to know most of them on a level well beyond business. Many of them have become people I count among my closest friends. I have written college recommendations for some of their kids, mentored them when appropriate, and even performed a eulogy for one of my cherished departed customers.
Our vendors at Genesis are top-of-the-line. Organizations like Shell and Heartland employ extremely talented, hard-working individuals who perform diligently in our customers’ best interests. These folks are great partners with sound values.
Why do I do it? Is it the rush I get from closing a big deal, like a football player scoring a touchdown? Is it the satisfaction of getting a customer out of a jam when they forgot to order material? Is it the journey of working with new faces and getting them to appreciate the value that I and my company, Genesis Polymers, can provide? Is it the excitement of walking through a store and showing your kid what Dad’s hard work does to help create products that improve people’s lives? Is it watching a young person grow in our industry and become a hero to their family?
For me, these things matter. However, what matters most to me—and why I’m compelled to “leave it on the field” every day in the resin business—is the relationships with the people I am blessed to encounter in our industry.
Our team at Genesis is family. We come from diverse backgrounds with varying degrees of experience, and we come together in pursuit of the common goal of adding value to our customers. At Genesis we care deeply for the well-being of each other and understand that the team is always greater than the sum of its parts.
It is for these reasons that the tired old man I am in December will once again be a “spring chicken” when 2025 rolls around. Sign me up—I can’t wait for January! Let’s roll it back! I’m jumping on the Genesis train yet again! Let’s go!
Happy holidays to all!
