Welcome to our first ever employee biography. The guinea pig for this first run is Matt H. When the interview began, I didn’t know where the process would go. Would Matt crawl into a shell at the first question that caused him discomfort? Would he simply hype himself up so he appeared greater than the person he truly is? Would we have any rapport whatsoever? All three questions were answered quickly.
Matt has been with Good Guys Signs for five years. He is the epitome of what the owner is looking for in an employee. He got his foot in the door because his best friend from high school hooked him up. Matt started in the production area, running the flatbed press. In his mind, he would prove his worth and move over to the sales floor, where his talents could really be a tremendous asset to the company.
As he tells me, “The best part about working here is the opportunity for growth. You can do very well if you work hard and follow the lead of our owner.” Matt moved to the sales floor after just a couple months, and four years later, he was named the sales manager.
Sounds like a little slice of Americana, right? It wasn’t all glitter and gold for Matt. Born north of the border in Toronto, the now-37-year-old, moved to Florida during his teenage years after his parents divorced, and his mother found work in the Sunshine State. He attended college, but found his mind wandering. He did some filmmaking during his collegiate stint; writing, producing, shooting, and editing a summer series about wine (and of course, the only child in his family, who admittedly says he has always been the center of attention, had to star in most episodes). Lots of talent. Lots of ability. These traits resided in Matt, but he recalls being kind of rudderless. “I moved back home. My parents said I needed to get a job. I worked as a stockperson in a niche grocery store. The person who stocked the wine section quit, so I said I’d do it.” With a long-standing interest in wine, the new position led him to studying and taking tests every day to become a sommelier. What is a sommelier? It’s OK. I had to ask, too.
A sommelier is a person who is a wine expert, one who recommends to restaurants and bars that they are providing the right wines for particular settings. He says it was essentially a sales job. Sales, communicating, making a connection – that’s what I’ve seen him thrive at in my time at Good Guys Signs. He does have a way about him in which those three things come easy for him.
I asked him, “Matt, what’s your greatest strength?” His response came without thinking for a second. “My charisma.” Makes sense. As for his biggest flaw? The inability to follow through with things he says he’ll take on, like learning French. Matt’s favorite movie isn’t one most people would put in their top-10 lists. “It’s American Psycho,” says the guy from Canada. Matt collects different versions of the classic board game Monopoly. He is also an avid gamer. He says it enhances his brain function and keeps it strong.
His favorite sports team hasn’t won a Stanley Cup Championship in 53 years!
But, he’s still passionate about his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs. For Matt, it isn’t just about the hockey. There’s a deeper, more meaningful reason…the connection he has always had with his father, and their time spent together watching the Leafs.
Matt was the first person I spoke with when I was hired, and the first person I interviewed for our employee bio series that will be up on our page every Friday. Thank you, Matt.