Page Perrine
Project Manager | K&M Tire Inc. | Age: 25
What was your first job in the industry?
Loading and unloading tires at K&M Tire.
What attracted you to the industry?
Most of my family is in the tire industry. I would say my family and my love for cars has attracted me to the tire industry
What is the biggest challenge you have faced in your career?
The constant changes and updates in technology. You would think being in the tire industry you wouldn’t deal too much with technology. But there are changes we make with our inventory management system. Finding a more efficient way of doing something is almost mandatory to stay ahead of the game.
Who has had the biggest influence on your career?
I have had multiple mentors over the past 10 years that I would say have influenced me greatly. The one that stands out from the rest would be Cheryl Gossard of K&M Tire. She pushes me and the rest of the team to do our best every day. It does not matter what position you are in, whether there is office work that needs done or the warehouse is hitting record numbers, she is not afraid to lend a hand when needed to. Her ability to lead by example and live out our vision, mission, and values day in and day out is what sets her apart from the rest and is why she has had the biggest influence on me.
What is your biggest accomplishment in the industry?
I would say I’ve had many “small wins” and focusing on getting 1% better every day has helped get to where I am today.
Tell us about your current job and responsibilities. How do you spend your work day?
I am the project manager. I also carry the responsibility of K&M’s real estate and facilities department. I also help with the installment of our warehouse inventory system and order our storage racks for tires. I wouldn’t say I have a typical day at work. Everyday presents a new challenge which may consist of various items. One day I may be looking for land or buildings for sale in Texas, creating a warehouse layout for our new facility in Pennsylvania, reviewing quotes for a roof replacement at one of our facilities, or even traveling to help set up racking at a new warehouse.
What’s one thing you wish someone would have told you before you took your current job?
Not all contractors hustle to get the job done! I have never had to work with building contractors in any previous positions before, so this wasn’t something I thought would be such a bottleneck. I have since learned and have adjusted to this since things like this are out of my control.
Tell us about your family.
I am going on two years being married to my wife Kayla and we are expecting a little one in February 2022. We really enjoy travelling and hiking different areas of the country together, having traveled to 15 different states in the past two years.
What did you learn about yourself in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic?
I have never been much of a reader until 2020. The short bit there in early 2020 while being laid off, I picked up a book. I have since read a few books and found out that I enjoy it!
Name a talent you wish you had.
To multitask efficiently.
How do you recover from a bad or stressful day?
Especially on a stressful day, I try to do my best to think about everything that is going very well so I can build off of that for the following days.
What’s the best book you’ve read lately?
“The Five Levels of Leadership” by John Maxwell.
What’s your favorite, can’t-miss podcast?
I don’t typically listen to podcasts, but if I do, it is Vehicle-related.
If you won an Olympic gold medal, how would you have earned it? (You can make up a sport.)
Putt-Putt golf.
What’s the biggest issue facing the industry today?
Tire shortages from every manufacturer. Another issue that every industry has seen is it is difficult to find people that want to work.
What advice would you give to tire dealers who are desperate to find good employees?
In the current state of the world when it comes to finding good help, my advice would be to make sure you have your current employees in the right positions first. Once that is established, offering competitive wages definitely helps to get people in the door. We also struggle with this and still have not narrowed down the perfect answer.
What do you expect to be doing 20 years from now?
In 20 years, I hope to be part of the reason why K&M Tire is the leading and most trusted provider of tires and services in all of our geographic markets. There aren't any specific positions or job duties I’d want, as long as I can contribute in some way.
