Mary Ann Graue, Rod Noll and Tim Peters of Hobart recently visited our offices for a Content Review Workshop (CRW). In a CRW, manufacturers meet with our Content staff to go over best practices that can help optimize their products’ presence in the AQ Catalog. They also meet with our Customer Support and Product Management departments to review AQ’s newest features, capabilities and releases.
(l to r) Mary Ann Graue, Rod Noll and Tim Peters
Hobart/Traulsen/Baxter are part of the ITW Food Equipment Group portfolio and are a leading manufacturer of food equipment products for baking, cooking, food preparation, dishwashing, waste reduction, refrigeration, weighing and packaging. We had a chance to sit down and talk with Mary Ann and Rod.
First, congratulations to Mary Ann (Manager, Technical Specialty Support), who is retiring this December after 13 years with Hobart. We wish her well with what comes next! Prior to Hobart, Mary Ann spent a number of years with a company that manufactured industrial mixers. “What I liked about both Hobart and my previous company was the family-type atmosphere,” says Mary Ann. “I get the same feeling from AutoQuotes.”
Mary Ann with a retirement cake from the AQ Content Dept.
Rod Noll (Senior Quotations Specialist) has been with Hobart for more than 40 years. He came onboard as a draftsman, rendering drawings of modular refrigeration designs. He spent time in technical support and customer care before moving into quotations. Rod uses AQ every day, working with Hobart’s field sales organization and independent rep groups to prepare quotes.
Hobart is one of the largest AQ license holders, with sales, customer care, and even a retail group using AQ to get the information they need. “I’m a huge proponent of AutoQuotes,” says Mary Ann. “One of the biggest hurdles at a company like Hobart is learning all of the products and all of the variations. We want our people to be experts, and using the AQ software helps train them.”
What trends are Mary Ann and Rod seeing in the industry? “A growing market is assisted living centers and similar places for the aging,” says Rod.
“Casinos dropped off during the recession,” says Mary Ann, “but they are on the way back. We pull a lot of data out of AQ to analyze our quoting activity and determine trends.”
A big thank you to Mary Ann, Rod and Tim for visiting us at the AutoQuotes headquarters in Jacksonville, Fla.
If you’re a manufacturer that publishes in the AQ Catalog and would like more information on our Content Review Workshops, please contact your Content Account Manager for dates and details.