News

Who's Who: Doug Smith

When Southwest Fixture Installers decided to add a kiosk division, Doug Smith popped up out of nowhere as the man to run the division. The result -- in and out of the office -- has been instant karma.

May 2, 2002

Southwest Fixture Installers Inc. is not your typical kiosk startup company. The eight-year-old fabrication and installation firm based in Tempe, Ariz., specializes in storefronts, custom millwork, shelving systems, display cases, and islands. The company employs about 100 carpenters during the peak months of July through November.

But after being encouraged by friends and business associates to look at the kiosk market, Southwest made the plunge in July 2001 as a site preparation and kiosk-installation firm. At the head of the effort was the company's new kiosk program manager, Doug Smith.

"Doug was hired to kick this thing off," said Jon Moore, Southwest president. "He kind of appeared on our doorstep one day, and we hired him because of his experience and knowledge in the field. We felt he would be a great fit."

The man off the street has turned out to be a good hire for the company, and not just for his skills in the kiosk industry.

"He coached my son this past season (in Little League baseball); he's a great coach," Moore said. "He gets down at the kids' levels, and really gives them instruction. He's not the mean kind of coach."

Nor is he a mean supervisor. Smith understands that supervising employees carries the responsibility of keeping those people happy, motivated, and informed. He currently oversees five program coordinators, and works hard at keeping morale high.

"We have a very casual, fun work environment here," Smith said. "Of course, being in Phoenix, we wear shorts and polo shirts. It's very relaxed, and we all have our own offices. I have an open door policy, big time -- we're on good communication around here."

Happy, shiny co-workers

According to Smith, company events -- picnics and the like -- are important, as are newsletters and proper intra-office communication.

"Our guys are on the road all the time, but we really try hard to keep them informed all the time."

So what does he hope his employees would say about him, at the end of the day?

"I'd like them to say that Doug always takes care of me," he said with no hesitation. "Again, I'm sending guys all over the country, and I like to set them up in the best possible scenarios -- the most convenient hotels and rental cars. It's a tough business when you're traveling all the time, so you've got to throw in as many perks as possible."

But while he adopts a warm, cozy persona with his co-workers, Moore said he has zeal and a take-no-prisoners attitude when it comes to dealing with clients.

"He's aggressively selling," Moore said, "and I don't know if he really is a salesman or not, but he's out there knocking on doors. Plus he's doing the project management and bidding them, so he's wearing all the hats."

Are you experienced?

Smith brought an extensive amount of experience to Southwest. He has worked 10 years in the industry and has handled practically every aspect of a kiosk operation.

"I worked with a company called MicroAge which used to be the largest distributor in the world of computer related products," he said. "They were a $7 billion corporation, and I ran their kiosk division, was involved in the startup of it. That's where I got my knowledge -- I went from installation and service to design concept, project management. I was an actual engineer. I used to write specs for the complete project from start to finish. So my background is very extensive in the kiosk industry."

Smith's experience and industry knowledge have sold others as well.

"I think Doug knows his business well," said James Windsor, vice president of new business and technology for Arral Industries Inc., a kiosk design and manufacturing firm located in Ontario, Calif. Windsor said that Arral has recommended Smith to his clients in the past for installation. "He's been in the business for a while, and because of that it makes him shine more than other individuals."

When asked what will drive Southwest Fixture's kiosk program, Smith was quick to answer: Personnel.

"One of the things that we pride ourselves on is that most of our installers are employed by us -- they're not subcontractors," he said. "We use subs when necessary, but we've got over 500 installers across the U.S. that are actual employees. And we're building that network on a continuous basis. It's a quality issue, using your own people -- they're more accountable."

For Smith, it is all about letting people feel like human beings; from keeping them motivated in the office to feeling happy on the baseball diamond.