TITLE                         Business Development Specialist

REPORTS TO            Business Development Manager, CFO

GENERAL INFORMATION

Location:                     3445 36th St. Kentwood, MI 49512

Hours & Schedule:      Full-time on-location, Monday to Friday 8 AM – 5 PM

COMPANY INFORMATION – WHO WE ARE

Howies Hockey Tape is a locally owned and fast-growing business that has been around the Grand Rapids area since 2002 with another distribution facility operating out of Burlington, Ontario, just outside of Toronto. Our focus is selling high quality hockey tape, accessories, apparel, and many other sporting goods. Over the years we have become a staple in the hockey community, and we are currently working with every team in the NHL, AHL, and the majority of division 1 colleges around the country.

In 2015 we launched our sister company, Howies Athletic Tape. This allowed us to branch into new markets and has given us the opportunity to work with all sports. We have built this side of the company to an elite level that allows us to supply products to MLB, NFL, MLS, and NBA teams. We are also supporting D1 football programs like the University of Michigan, Alabama, and Michigan State, as well as thousands of high schools across North America. If someone needs tape or sports medicine products, we want to be the ones to supply it.

All in all, we pride ourselves on providing the world’s highest quality products to pro shops, retail stores, teams of all levels, and international distributors. Another facet we are focused on is expanding our internet sales business directly to consumers so everyone can use Howies. Our team-oriented culture, industry-leading customer service, and ability to fulfill orders quickly and error free across all sales channels sets us apart from the competition.

POSITION INFORMATION

“One Thing”: Take amazing care of customers and prospective customers, leading to a better reputation for the Howies brand and guaranteeing lifelong customers.

We are looking for a driven individual to join the Howies Hockey / Athletic Tape team in the position of Business Development Specialist. Here at Howies, customer service is a key priority, and this position is a direct connection between our team and the customers we serve on a daily basis. Whether a hockey mom or dad is calling in about a sweatshirt being too small, or an NHL equipment manager is calling looking for an update on their order, we expect our team to make sure they feel like our most important customer every time. If you are looking to work in the world of sports for an internationally recognized company, this is a great chance to thrive in a fast-paced and culture-focused environment!

CUSTOMER SERVICE – ONLINE & WHOLESALE

• Answer phone calls with an excellent attitude, assisting online and wholesale customers with ordering, resolving issues, answering questions, general information, etc.
• Create a stellar rapport with our online customers within seconds of them calling in
• Develop relationship with ALL wholesale customers. Learn about their businesses, get to know them personally, and use that to help facilitate a positive brand image for Howies
• When appropriate, use knowledge of Howies catalog and marketing strategies to give good advice and upsell by suggesting products to online customers
• Upsell ALL wholesale customers and keep respective sales rep informed on progress
• Maintain and thoroughly respond to emails sent in to the general Howies email – howie@howieshockeytape.com. Prioritize wholesale customer requests / inquiries
• Ensure that all information entered into our system is accurate and organized well
• Assist with customer walk-ins, developing rapport and upselling where possible
• Use relationships and rapport to seek out new business with existing customers

REQUIRED SKILLS & COMPETENCIES

• Have a thorough knowledge and understanding of Howies product lines as well as shipping information such as including quantities, weights, box sizes, etc.
• Utilize and understand our distribution inventory management & CRM program SalesPad to create sales documents, quotes, and move orders through the system
• Track inventory to help process backordered items as soon as stock is received
• Understand Shipstation and other shipping tools / software to help process online orders, as well as produce shipping labels for the cheapest possible cost to Howies
• Verify pricing on each order according to the corresponding price levels
• Work in a timely manner to carry on Howies mission to provide same-day shipping
• Keep an open line of communication with the sales representatives for any issues regarding order fulfillment or customer clarification
• Be a helpful and friendly liaison or “bridge” between the warehouse and salesforce

GENERAL – As a small business there are many other tasks that will be required

• Represent Howies Hockey / Athletic Tape at tournaments and tradeshows as needed
• Order fulfillment – know how to process and pack all orders that come into Howies
• Work with the management and marketing teams to develop new marketing pieces
• Work with the management and sales teams to develop new sales ideas
• Help the social media team create and make content 
• Communication and positive relationships with the entire team – top to bottom
• Engage both the operations and sales sides of the business daily
• Anything else required from Howies to be a best-in-class business

OUR COMPANY MANTRA

Here at Howies, we take the phrase “work hard, play hard” very seriously. When we are not busy assisting our customers, we are busy playing hockey and having a good time. When the days are just too perfect to be working, we will take a quick trip to the driving range, play pickup basketball, throw the football around, or get some batting practice in to stay seasoned for our summer softball league. In the wintertime, we will crack open a couple of cold ones and watch the Red Wings or even pop downtown and catch a Griffins game at the Van. All in all, we are always up for a good time, both in the office and out. We strive to make the office an awesome environment that our team is excited to come to on a daily basis and put in a hard day’s work.

APPLY HERE