Chairman and CEO Victor Pais shares his recollections of working with three of his valued colleagues, who just celebrated milestone anniversaries with SIGMA: “Mitchell came to SIGMA from a job selling payphones. I knew he was a keeper in the early days. I was in the office one Saturday, and a lady came to the office looking for Mitchell. It was his mom and she had brought him lunch! I didn’t even know he had come in to work on a weekend. Soon after that, Mitchell came with me on his first trip to China. We went to dinner with customers and dinner became a karaoke evening. Mitchell was game, he got up, and had no idea what he was singing; he just made it up as he went along, singing nonsense, and the Chinese hosts did not realize he was singing nonsense. I did not blow his cover! Mitchell always wanted to do and learn as much as possible about everything. He’s been a great asset, shown longevity, commitment, and loyalty. He took on supply chain and the OEM business; without Mitchell, there would be no OEM.” Under Mitchell’s leadership, OEM has grown from a $3M enterprise to a $61M operation.
Mitchell himself adds, “When I started working 30 years ago, I didn’t know anything about the OEM business. I’ve now been at SIGMA for more than half my life. The reason I have stayed is the people; my relationships with my coworkers and customer have been key. The friendships I’ve built here at SIGMA and in the industry have made all the difference.”
Victor described Scott Johnson, Warehouse Associate, as “the strong and silent type. When we started SIGMA, all the product was stored outside. We relied on people like Scott to contend with the heat, wet, anc cold. We needed peole like Scott who knew the product; Scott and people like him are our mainstay.” Scott adds, “SIGMA is a team effort and I’m glad to be part of this team.”
In describing OEM Sales/Product Manager Craig Schapiro, Victor jokes, “What does he do for SIGMA beyond running our fantasy football league? Well, Craig is one of those all-rounders. He came in as a Customer Service Representative, but he’s so versatile that he rose quickly through the ranks. We needed someone who was extremely knowledgeable to run our E-Products group and he graciously accepted. He has risen to the challenge. Craig has a wealth of inside knowledge about SIGMA.” Craig accepted his award with a tribute to his colleagues, “My 25 years’ service award is a testament to everyone here at SIGMA. When you work with people you like then time goes so much quicker!”
Best wishes for continued success!