Watson Story – Graham Kerr

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!