Company’s Growth Amplified by New Products, Market Visibility, and Dealer-Centric Approach
LEOMINSTER, MA – After a record year of sales, AIS continues to respond to high demand for products from dealers. To support its ongoing growth, the company has embarked on an ambitious recruitment effort to hire sales professionals in markets across the country.
To date, five new members of the sales team have hit the ground running in the Pacific northwest, Midwest, and southern United States. New team members and their territories are:
- Taylor James – Michigan
- Adam Neumeister – OR, HI, Central WA
- Chandra Smith – Metro Seattle, Spokane, Alaska
- Cristina Stoker – Florida
- Jana Turner – Tennessee
The AIS sales team is managed by two senior vice presidents, Ben Maxwell in the east and Doug Bowen in the west. Under their leadership, the sales team is charged with maintaining excellent relationships with the company’s dealer customers, responding to inquiries, developing new business opportunities, and gaining brand exposure to increase market share in their respective territories.
According to Maxwell, “Our sales teams are busier than they’ve ever been. The volume of interest in AIS has increased dramatically and with these additional sales leaders, we are able to respond promptly to help our dealers succeed. As regions continue to grow, onboarding new sales reps just makes sense.”
AIS’ sales teams receive extensive training about the company’s ever-growing product portfolio as well as the organization’s strong commitment to its dealer partners. The success of AIS is a combination of many factors – and its well-equipped sales team is certainly one of them.
Bowen concurs, “We are experiencing a season of growth, not only for our teams, but also with exciting new products that will take AIS into new areas including outdoor furniture and expand upon our proven laminate expertise with modular caseworks. There is great momentum at AIS and we’re pleased to be adding talented people to the team to help our dealers win.”
NEW SALES TEAM MEMBER PROFILES
Taylor James began with AIS on May 3 as a territory manager based in Michigan. He has eight years of experience in IT sales, primarily in customer-facing roles. He joined the furniture industry working in inside sales for another manufacturer for the past year and a half.
James holds a bachelor’s in communications from Siena Heights University in Adrian, Michigan. In his free time, Taylor enjoys golfing, hiking, and spending time with friends and family on the weekends on Lake Michigan. This coming winter, he plans to try his hand at skiing.
Adam Neumeister began as a territory manager on April 29 and is responsible for Oregon, Central Washington, and Hawaii. Neumeister has 12 years of contract furniture industry experience, most recently as a manufacturer’s representative promoting multiple competitive lines.
He is working toward a Bachelor of Arts in business at Clackamas Community College and is proficient in CET and CAD/GIZA. He and his wife of nearly nine years like to travel, spend time with family and friends, and their 4-year-old Siberian Husky. He is an avid chef and a self-professed whiskey aficionado.
Chandra Smith joined the company as a territory manager for Metro Seattle, Spokane, and Alaska on May 13. A dealer-focused industry professional and former regional sales manager for a large furniture rental business, she has also had long-term sales roles with manufacturers.
Smith holds a degree from Fort Steilacoom Community College in Washington State. She and her husband are Seattle natives with two grown daughters. She enjoys travel, cooking golfing, wine tasting, and frequenting dog parks with their 5-year-old Bernese Mountain dog.
Cristina Stoker began her role as a sales associate with AIS on March 11 supporting the South Florida territory manager in all sales efforts. An interior design consultant, Stoker creates tailored solutions for clients, including floor plans, layouts, and specifications.
Most recently, she was an interior design consultant at a dealership. She holds a master’s degree in interior architecture from Florida International University. In her leisure time, Stoker enjoys socializing with friends and family and her dog. She is a certified scuba diver.
Jana Turner began her tenure with AIS on January 31 as a territory manager for the state of Tennessee. Turner has more than 20 years of contract furniture industry experience in both the manufacturer and dealer areas. A Canadian by birth, she attended University in Nova Scotia, graduating with a degree in business.
She and her husband live in the Nashville area, are enthusiastic travelers, and have four dogs, two whippets and two greyhounds.
A SEASON OF GROWTH
“With the addition of these sales professionals, AIS will continue to be responsive to our dealers while we explore new markets that can benefit from forthcoming product lines,” stated Bowen.
“These staffing additions, in combination with a new third floor showroom at THE MART, will open up even more possibilities by expanding our reach and amplifying our brand,” echoed Maxwell. “We remain dealer-centric and that will never change. Every decision we make is centered around the question, ‘How will this affect our dealers?’ Operating with dealers at the center of what we do is a critical part of AIS and our success.”