Linetec People to Know: Jon Close

Jon-close-upQ: Tell me about your job
A: I am the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Linetec. My responsibilities include the oversight of our Outside Sales, Inside Sales, Estimating and Marketing functions. Making sure each of these areas works closely – not only with each other – but also with the rest of the organization is a large part of what I do every day. I also spend a significant amount of my time working with our customers and making sure we are doing our best to service them and meet their needs.
Q: What did you do prior to Linetec?
A: Prior to joining Linetec, I worked in the automotive and aerospace finishing industry in Detroit. While many of the finishing technologies are similar, the architectural and automotive/aerospace industry is completely different. Architectural is primarily focused on performance and aesthetics, and the area of the automotive/aerospace industry I worked in was primarily concerned with functionality.
Jon-2013-golf-teamQ: What is your favorite part of your job?
A: What I enjoy most is working with our customers and with all of the associates at Linetec. By having a national presence, Linetec has a very diverse customer base. I enjoy learning and getting to know more about our customers, their businesses, and the regions in which their businesses are located. Also, our employees are second to none. Linetec’s employees work very hard and take great pride in their work. There is no doubt our employees make my job easier.
Q: What poses the biggest challenge for you?
A: The velocity of Linetec’s environment is incredible. Because we are a service company we have very little foresight of what is coming at us from a volume standpoint, and our customers’ order frequency and job sizes are not consistent through the year. Balancing these factors, while ensuring our quality, reliability and service remain at high levels, requires constant effort.
Q: Are there any finishing types or trends that you are seeing more of lately?
A: Not necessarily new, but finishes and colors that are or emulate natural metals remain very popular. Because anodize is a natural finish, we have seen it gain more and more favor in recent years due to the depth the finish offers along with its metallic appearance. Also, paint colors that resemble natural metals like zinc, pewter, copper, weathered steel and others are very popular with architects and specifiers.
Jon-horsesQ: What is something you are looking forward to?
A: Warm weather and all of the outdoor activities I will be able to do as a result of it.
Q: What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
A: Anything  outdoors. I like biking, running, fishing, hiking, camping and anything that keeps me active and moving. I also love to travel with my family and showing them as many new places as possible. When the weather does not cooperate and I have to be indoors, I like woodworking.

Jon-ski
Park City, Utah
 
Jon-arch
Arches National Park
 
Jon-hulahoop
Linetec Golf Outing hula-hoop contest