Schaunnea Arnold
Sales Development | Tube & Solid Tire Ltd./Dobermann North America | Age: 34
What was your first job in the industry?
Counter sales at GCR.
What attracted you to the industry?
The opportunities for growth and the mobility.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced in your career?
Chasing knowledge to stay up with trends in the industry is a constant challenge, and relocating to San Antonio while finding a great job in the industry.
Who has had the biggest influence on your career?
Jim Schlechta from GCR and Kenton Kirkpatrick from Southern Tire Mart.
What is your biggest accomplishment in the industry?
Transitioning from counter sales to inside sales and finally to a development position with a manufacturer/distributor. It feels good to be in an industry with an upward path.
Tell us about your current job and responsibilities. How do you spend your work day?
We have a couple national account managers in the field, but I am the only national account manager in the office. I act as the account manager for national accounts and container ordering in the office. I also act as a liaison between the account managers in the field and the office/warehouse. I take on these responsibilities to put me in a better position to move up in the company as a manager.
What’s one thing you wish someone would have told you before you took your current job?
I wish I would have known the challenges I would face going from retail to distribution.
Tell us about your family.
I am a single mother to four beautiful babies. I have a smart 12-year-old boy, a 10-year-old boy that is full of energy and 7-year-old twin girls that absolutely amaze me every day. My boys are into soccer and the girls just started tumbling. We love the outdoors and going on adventures.
What did you learn about yourself in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic?
Through the pandemic I have learned how important every moment is because tomorrow is never promised. I have learned to slow down and take in what is going on and enjoy my life.
Name a talent you wish you had.
I wish I was an amazing ballet dancer.
How do you recover from a bad or stressful day?
I go home to the biggest hugs and the most amazing smiling faces. Some days I just need to wrap my arms around them and hear their little voices say they love me and sometimes I need just a little more, so we snuggle on the couch and watch a movie.
What’s the best book you’ve read lately?
Honestly, I am busy hustling that I do not get much time to read. I do have a book my current vice president gave me that I would like to take some time to read which is “On Emotional Intelligence.”
If you won an Olympic gold medal, how would you have earned it? (You can make up a sport.)
Shooting.
What’s the biggest issue facing the industry today?
Keeping enough product in stock.
What advice would you give to tire dealers who are desperate to find good employees?
Invest in your people. Far too many companies only look at the bottom number and lose some very good people along the way.
What do you expect to be doing 20 years from now?
Working with some of the best people in the industry and managing the company.
