Archives

I grew up in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and moved to Calgary when I was 27. I started with Watson in 2016 and I’ve been here since then, so it’ll be 10 years in July! 

I enjoy spending time outdoors, taking my dog for hikes, golfing, and sipping some Margaritas with friends. I also love to cook – I’m happiest when I’m in the kitchen. Growing up I was quite active in martial arts for about 15 years. I was on the national karate team for about 10 years as a competitor. I have a second-degree black belt and a number of other belts in different disciplines. 

When I was looking for a job at the time, I stumbled upon an ad looking for a new CSR in the Watson Calgary branch and I applied. After a few interviews with Kirk McManes (Senior Director, Sales Operations) and Kasey Whitman (CEO & President), I landed the job. It was a very different role back then compared to what it has evolved to now. 

I worked as a CSR for about five years and then I moved into a National Sales Assistant role, which was about the time when we launched our U.S. operations, so I looked after many of our U.S. customers in that role. From there, I was promoted to Customer Operations Specialist. 

And just recently I’ve stepped into a new role as Logistics Specialist. It’s still very, very new so I’m still learning all about it but I’m excited to get started! 

What I enjoy most is the people that I work with. We have an excellent team here. Everybody brings different views and experiences, and it really helps us thrive and grow together. We have a good relationship with everybody here, and I just enjoy coming into work and working alongside them every day. Also, a lot of it has to do with the Moore family and being a family-owned company – I’ve never worked for a company that treats its employees so well, and that all starts from the top.

To me, it means representing a brand that we can all take pride in. So, it’s things like being first to market with sustainable options, the details that go into all our S.W.A.T onsite assessments, and being industry leaders in a crowded market which is definitely something to take pride in. We just recently won Supplier of the Year at Indica. That’s a big deal, right? And each and every one of us contributes to that, which is important. It’s rewarding to know that the work we do every day contributes to the overall goal and help the company continue to grow. Being a Watsonator means maintaining that reputation and being a reliable part of the team.

One of the things I’m most proud of is being part of our U.S. operations and seeing it grow from its earliest days. When we first started processing U.S. orders, we had only a couple of customers that would send in maybe one order a month, which I would process myself and pass along to the warehouse. Today, the U.S. operation is a thriving, standalone division with a dedicated branch in Mesa, Arizona, its own team, and defined sales targets. The growth of the U.S. division over the past six years has been remarkable, and I’m proud to have played a role in building it from the ground up and handing it off before stepping into my next role.

I’ve received a lot of advice over the years, mostly because I’m the type of person who asks a lot of questions. Sometime so many that people joke, “How do you still have more questions?” haha… But over the years, I’ve learned a lot from Melissa McKee (Senior Director, Technology and Data Operations). She’s been a source of knowledge and ideas. It’s very rare that I go to her with a question she doesn’t have the answer to. And when I’m on the right track but need help getting across the finish line, she’s always there to point me in the right direction. Her support, guidance, and instruction has been instrumental to getting me to where I am today, and I’m very grateful for that.

One of the biggest things I’ve learned that’s shaped my career over the years is adaptability and building that skill over time. No two days are alike for me. I look after an active sales territory, and I’m now crossing over to operations. I also volunteer as the branch IT point person here in Calgary. Every day is something different and may require me to switch between different roles. So being adaptable, and being able to shift from a sales hat to a customer operations hat, and occasionally jumping in to support IT, all while staying focused and being effective. It’s taught me how to prioritize quickly, understand who needs what most, and move forward from there. That adaptability has definitely helped me be a more reliable and collaborative teammate.

There are so many good ones. I’m a big fan of puns, so Van Goat is a good one, just because of Vincent Van Gogh. I like the Black Velvet because that song is just iconic. But I think my favourite glove is the Colonel. The fact that the glove itself is made of biobased corn husks and it’s called the Colonel, that’s a great name.

I am a Vancouverite through and through! I was born and raised here so I have known about Watson Gloves since I was young. It is a very well-known brand locally, having been around for over 100 years. I graduated from UBC and am a Varsity Alumni from playing on the hockey team. I held various sales and marketing roles within different companies before joining Watson Gloves. 

Although I have been indirectly associated with Watson Gloves since my teens, I was first told I should work for Watson Gloves 45+ years ago by Barrie Moore, and I decided that he was right and joined the company 18 years ago. 

I was in a pub meeting with a gentleman named Bruce Dally, who was being promoted to National Sales Manager at the time, and he asked me if I would be interested in joining Watson Gloves to take over his current role as the B.C. Sales Manager.  

It has been a great ride, and now I am the Director of National Industrial Accounts. 

Most people know of the incredible culture of family and community at Watson Gloves and that is one of my favorite reasons to work here, but another is the ability to put ideas on paper in a meeting one day and then see them put into motion the following day! The team is always pushing towards new innovations – whether it be developing a new glove, improving a current glove, or with our sustainability and social responsibility initiatives. 

Once you become a member of the Watson Gloves family, it is amazing how the company allows you to be yourself. As in most families, you are encouraged to be yourself and you are supported as an individual by a team that genuinely wants to support your growth.

I would have to say the fact that you are embraced and celebrated for being yourself. You were hired for a reason so don’t try to be someone different. Combine that with the enjoyment of working and collaborating with all the other Watsonators and the next thing you know, you have been with the company for 18 years! 

I am constantly impressed by this team. We pull together for the common goal of growth, while still maintaining the company’s engaging culture, which is hard to come by in the business world. It has been amazing to see and be a part of the phenomenal growth over the years.

There are lots to choose from, but I have two favorites. The first is “Tough as Nails” because to me, it describes the team members at Watson Gloves. 

The second is a name that was suggested for chemical resistant gloves – “Liquid Courage.” I think it is extremely clever because you need to have courage when handling dangerous liquids, and our gloves offer the protection people in that position require. It is also a bit tongue-in-cheek, like a lot of our glove names, because liquid courage is also exhibited by people who have enjoyed a few adult beverages.

Other than the 100th anniversary, which is an obvious choice, I would say that it would have to be the day it was announced I was joining Watson Gloves. It was at an AGM Golf Awards & Dinner. The reaction and acceptance I received from all the Watson team members in attendance was amazing, and I knew right then and there that I had made the right decision!

The challenges of the job. That, and the people I work with both internally (Watsonators) and externally (customers). I can recall an interesting conversation with Bruce Dally when I was being interviewed for the position. He said “Graham, when you join Watson, you will not want to go work anywhere else.” He wasn’t wrong!

Even with all the recent global disruption, I think the future looks fantastic for Watson Gloves. Since 1918, Watson Gloves has seen some challenging times and has always gotten through them. With the current forward-thinking leadership team driving new strategies, combined with the commitment of fellow Watsonators and support of Martin and the Moore family, how can it not look fantastic? 

As for me, I look forward to the next number of years here, continuing my goal of supporting Watson Gloves’ growth while ensuring that the strong corporate culture is maintained. I am excited to see the company continue to thrive and be passed onto the fourth generation to run for the next 100 years!