16 Jul 2019, Q&A's

An SFC Energy Q&A with the Grande Prairie Team

Simark-grande-prairie-team-pic

The SIMARK Grande Prairie team may be small, but they’re certainly mighty. A lot has happened in the first few months since the northern region location opened its doors. A grand opening celebration, multiple SIMARK Academy training sessions, new client relationships, and an expanded stock offering are just a few of the standout achievements to date, say Regional Sales Manager, Curt Marchesi and Inside Sales Representative, Christine Loiseau.

Here’s some insider insight straight from SIMARK Grande Prairie.

What products and services does SIMARK GP offer northern region clients?

Curt Marchesi: We offer all of SIMARK’s products and are adding more as the customer needs are changing. We currently stock Foxboro , SCADA Packs , EFOY replacement methanol, predesigned and built SP350 panels (24Vdc and 120Vac), turbine meters , totalizers , device batteries, RTD’s, and many other highly requested replacement parts.

Have you been busy since the grand opening?

Curt: It’s been a nice, steady increase in activity. The pace has allowed our team to become familiar with SIMARK procedures like ISO and Quality Health and Safety.

Christine: We’ve definitely seen a steady increase, especially with people walking in to place an order and pick up the item at the same time. It’s great we can offer this one-stop solution for them.

What’s been the best part of the new location?

Curt: The best part has been having stock available for our customers the same day. And, of course, the training centre. But, truly, it’s been the feedback I’ve received that makes it the best. Customers have been very welcoming and happy to see SIMARK open a permanent facility here.

Christine: We’re also in a good physical location. Just off Highway 40 and in close proximity to lots of shops.

What sort of educational initiatives have taken place in the new training centre?

Curt: To date, we’ve offered the SCADAPack and SCADASuite Refresh training session, as well as the EFOY School, and we have many more sessions to come.

Christine: I’ve seen many familiar faces come in for the training we provide. It’s great to see these guys who’ve been working with our product for years come in and learn something new or just refresh their knowledge.

Curt: The facility has also been utilized as a meeting room by local groups like the Canadian School of Hydrocarbon Measurement and a hockey club. We’ve also allowed customers to set up and build SCADA programs and strategize on their logic control. Our training centre offers an 80” LCD screen, portable white boards, and portable desks and tables. It’s pretty modular and quite versatile.

What challenges are unique to northern region clients? How do you help find solutions?

Curt: The biggest challenge is delivery from the major centres. We try to eliminate that extra day’s wait and provide our customers with the comfort of having immediate possession of the product they need. That way they’re able to plan their work days more effectively.

Christine: Agreed. We live in a “we need the product today” area up here. Having stock on-hand is a huge help for us to provide for our clients.

What’s the best part of your day?

Christine: The best part is having repeat customers and walk-in orders. It’s always nice to see who’s purchasing and utilizing our products. I also love putting the stock away when it comes in — especially when there’s a new item for us to carry. Then we know we have even more to offer for immediate solutions.

Curt: Every customer interaction, whether it’s answering a question or offering a solution that works. I’m happy when I know that our customers are happy.

How do you see SIMARK GP evolving over the next year?

Curt: In such a short period of time, we’ve put a lot of key pieces to the puzzle into place: office, training centre, inventory, and our Inside Sales Rep (Christine). I see us evolving our stock as we learn more of what our customers’ needs are. I also see us offering additional free customer training designed by our customers and an increase in our community involvement.

Christine: I can see our involvement with customers greatly increasing as more and more people find out we’re here. That will lead to an increase in our stock and the volume of orders coming out of our location.

What are your goals for SIMARK Grande Prairie?

Curt: I want everyone to know that SIMARK is here for the long haul. I’d also like to grow our location to have a full-time Service Technician and increase our sales support staff operating out of the Grande Prairie office. In short, I want to outgrow the office