Spotlight on Doug Graber
His career with Sauder Worship Seating began 34 years ago, and he is now a Senior Sales Consultant for the company. If your place of Worship is in Florida or the Caribbean, you may have had the pleasure of working with Doug. If not, he is happy to help you find the worship seating that’s right for your worshippers. We interviewed Doug to learn about him as a person as well as a senior sales consultant. See what he had to say below.
Tell us a little about yourself
My wife Dawn and I will celebrate 40 years of marriage this August and have four grown children and seven grandchildren. Dawn is a process consultant with a master’s in education and helps to keep me grounded. I have a BA in business administration/finance. I enjoy golfing and boating in the Gulf of Mexico every chance I get. When I am not working or doing one of the above, I volunteer my time as a commercial pilot for Agape Flights. This mission organization serves the Caribbean with hurricane relief and essential needs for mission workers. It’s sort of fun to fly over the same area I sell furniture in.
How did you first get started in the furniture industry?
I grew up a farm boy just 7 miles from the Sauder plants and never dreamed I would someday sell for this wonderful organization. After a short career in the commercial banking industry and some voluntary service work in Haiti, I ran into a college friend in Sarasota, Florida, who had a regional sales office for Sauder. We reconnected, and the rest is history.
What do you enjoy about your job as a Sales Consultant?
I enjoy meeting such a varied group of people in the worship/courtroom markets, including Pastors, Judges, Architects, GC’s and, of course, committee members. There never seems to be a dull moment as each new project develops its unique personality. It’s rewarding to assist people with the furniture they need to carry out their missions. How else can you meet both a Judge and a Pastor on the same day and not be in trouble somehow!
What product is your favorite?
Sauder has a chair line that is second to none in our industry, and I love selling the Paragon chair. You may ask me why? When Sauder came out with this new chair style, I won the competition for coming up with the name! I just wish I had been smart enough to negotiate some sort of sales percentage, and I would be on a beach somewhere in the islands.
