It’s one of those universal truths that when you jump on a Zoom call with someone, there will be a few minutes of awkward shuffling and small talk while you both get settled and adjust cameras. Maybe even a little nostalgia for the Verizon “can you hear me now?” ad. But when I sat down with Brian Padian, the Vice President of Sales & Marketing at High Caliber Line, things were a little, well, different.

As we got started, there were no awkward chuckles or pauses. We only started discussing this blog’s content about twenty minutes into our meeting. We immediately jumped into an easy conversation – as though Brian and I had been friends for nearly a decade. We talked about how none of this was necessary because the real importance was the USA vs. Iran World Tournament game (USA won!), and we lamented our woes about customer service.

It was refreshing and, again, different.

That word – different – actually guided our whole discussion about High Caliber Line.

Brian has been with the company for about a year and in the industry for almost 30 years. He said the difference in atmosphere and the culture is like a breath of fresh air from where he came from in the past. Because of that difference in atmosphere, they were able to gain 35% growth this year alone. Brian believes that to make your customers happy; you need to make your employees happy, starting with celebrating your employees’ differences.

As humans, we all bring something unique to the table. Brian wants to make sure that they celebrate those differences as much as possible, whether it’s how an employee approaches a problem or comes up with an idea to implement something new. 

He also has another rule: have fun.

Having fun and being different are the top two rules for working for High Caliber Line (along with being safe of course). He believes the workplace should be fun – you should want to come to work and do what you love. And he believes that brings customers back time and time again – and I have to agree. As a millennial, when I’m looking to do business with a company, I immediately look for companies that treat their employees like people, not just numbers. I look to see what they’re doing for sustainability too – which, keep a look out for some sustainable products coming from High Caliber Line soon!

They celebrate the heck out of their employees, whether it’s with $25 every month for those who get great reviews on SAGE or it’s giving them customized tumblers with their names on them for their Summer of Safety event. We tout all day long how special your employees feel when they receive a gift from their employer – and they put it into practice.

Brian believes you can sell tumblers and pens until the dogs come home. Anyone can do it. But the key to getting return customers is how they celebrate and treat their employees – they’re more than a number. They’re different.

For more information about High Caliber Line, click here! To check out other Supplier Spotlights, click here!