Page 52 - Lighting Magazine March 2019

hall of femme
At Hinkley’s national sales meeting, Karyn Hayes motivates the company’s rep force.
into each category, she discovered there were opportunities to grow margin that were being overlooked. It meant asking individual distributors di cult questions about their business. “I would conduct business vs. product meetings with the local reps to ensure we were all aligned and work- ing towards the goal,” she says, adding, “It was a tumultuous time, but it was also a fun time.”
Showing business owners how to improve their bo om line and become more pro table is some- thing she is passionate about. Maintaining status quo, on the other hand, does not appeal to Hayes. “I’m a doer,” she a rms. “I enjoy expanding my knowledge.”
A er nearly 18 years at Ferguson, Hayes felt it was time to leave, take a breather, and begin a new path. She had been toying with the idea of starting up a business, but before she could do so, o ers
“It was a tumultuous
time, but it was also a fun time.”
began coming in from many di erent industries. The opportunity to join Hinkley as East Region Sales Manager popped up unexpectedly. “I was intrigued. It was one of the lines [at Ferguson] that I loved and respected,” she recalls.
That was seven years ago. In 2016, Hayes was ap- pointed to the newly created position of Showroom Sales Manager for North America at Hinkley. The new responsibilities are an ideal t. “I enjoy teach- ing customers about lighting and about business,” she states.
When customers ask for advice, Hayes pulls no punches. “I’m very ma er of fact. When people ask if the showroom channel will still be around in the future, I’m honest with them about the options they should be considering. I’ve been in roughly 200 showrooms over the years from being on both sides [retail & manufacturing] so I have an understanding
48 enLIGHTenment Magazine | March 2019
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