Adam Stuck - Therma-Tru
I started out at Therma-Tru as a Wholesale Distribution Sales Intern in May, 2015, and after eight months I accepted a position as a Retail Sales Representative in the Florida market. Recently I was named Therma-Tru’s Retail Sales Rep of the year!
My primary responsibility is to grow sales with our retail accounts throughout Florida by partnering with distribution, as well as by delivering product knowledge training, sales training, and providing tools designed to grow retail accounts. Therma-Tru is a premium product, so providing training and selling tools are critical to generating higher profitability.
My favorite part of my job is being able to impact others by representing a premium market leading product.
The University of Toledo College of Business and Innovation played a major role in helping me obtain this position by creating multiple corporate networking opportunities for students such as sales competitions, round tables, job fairs, mock interviews, resume critiques, and in-class presentations with business professionals.
I first spoke with Therma-Tru at a job fair in regards to internship opportunities, then spoke with Therma-Tru again at round tables, which is a power networking event where students meet recruiters from several different companies, each just for a few minutes. A few months later I spoke with Therma-Tru again after attending a presentation on the selling profession. Finally, after the UT sales competition, I landed an interview with Therma- Tru for a Wholesale Distribution Sales Intern position.
I attended The University of Toledo because it was local and has a great reputation. I also knew friends and family that attended UT and are successful in their career. The College of Business is also AACSB accredited, which was important to me.
UT COBI created the right environment for me to build a presence with Therma-Tru recruiters and ultimately allowed me to land a job after graduation. The amount of networking exposure you receive from business professionals is a powerful tool the College of Business and Innovation gives to their students.
COBI also helped prepare me by giving me the ability to get a lot of real world experience through three internships before graduating, which helped me prepare for my current role. I selected professional sales as my major because it is a challenging and competitive field that allows you to have positive impact on other people’s life and business.
In my opinion, the best investment you can make is in yourself. The University of Toledo College of Business and Innovation offers a great opportunity to better yourself by offering a great education and networking tools to get in front of great companies. Also, professors genuinely care and will help you stand out if you are willing to put in the work.
My strongest skill is persistence. Although nobody is skilled at everything, through hard work and persistence, I know that I can achieve any goal.