Often the days at Superior Glove would start with meetings with my Sales Manager for 6 a.m. at the Acton, Ontario Canada head office. We worked so well together that he requested me to work with him on major accounts, which were both a part of, and not a part of, my responsibilities. Late mornings through to the evenings I would attend to my territorial responsibilities.

I relished this opportunity both because I learned greatly under his tutelage and because I would be most knowledgeable when it came to lobbying for the customers I represented. My strong diplomacy skills and the closeness to the market contributed to our discussions: such topics as pricing: what we believed the market could bear and what the company could offer, what market leadership and share did we want to ensure, crafting counter-offers, and tender submissions.

As the leading welding apparel manufacturer I was assigned full responsibility for presenting two international tenders. On one such tender the company requested all types of confidential and competitive information: I had the foresight to present only minimal information and to recognize their attempt at backward integration with offshore markets.

This affinity to recognize opportunities, in terms of strategic versus tactical merits, was also encouraged in my Account Management of Ford and Honda. I learned first hand how to decipher production-line needs, relate this to management and bring domestic and offshore prototypes to market: How to recognize related niche opportunities that would further position ourselves most favourably with the customer and the market.

In sum, with the strategy-setting experiences, I learned how to facilitate the company's resources to meet the needs of our target market in a six-year continuum of reinvesting for growth maximization.