On December 9th, BDSers who exemplified what it meant to be an excellent employee in performance and attitude this past year were recognized at the annual BDSmktg Christmas party. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be showcasing even more fantastic Employee of the Year award winners, all of whom have helped make 2016 one of BDS’ best years ever.

Our first Employee of the Year spotlight features the winner of the Brand Advocacy Field Employee of the Year Award: Bill S., Senior Moto Agent! Bill began his journey at BDS over 7 years ago, initially coming on board as a Moto Agent. After 3 and ½ years as a Moto Agent, he was promoted to Senior Moto Agent where some of his responsibilities include building and growing relationships with retailers, helping training managers design and record training for the team and most recently, overseeing a team of representatives to help drive sales for the Moto team. Plus, here’s a fun fact: Bill has lived in 38 out of the 50 states. Read on to learn more about Bill and his life at BDS!

Q: How does it feel to win this award?

A: I know that it means that I’m one of the best employees in the company but I think that there are a lot of essential people in the program, like people in Operations, who without them, we’d be dead in the water. I’m not what you might consider your typical brand rep, I am by no means hip or cool; but I have been involved with Moto since 2000. I started by selling the Motorola RAZR when it first came out. I love and truly believe in the brand that I represent and that belief is what drives that passion, and that takes you to that extra step that gets you that buy in.

Q: What is your favorite part about working for BDS?

A: I like the culture. There is always an open-door policy. All too often in any organization, you reach a point where those making decisions are out of touch with how decisions affect people in the field, and I don’t see that here at BDS. No matter who’s in charge, I always see leadership reaching out to people in the field to get our feedback to understand how their decisions affect us. This doesn’t only affect productivity, but also affects the morale of our team. If you see changes made based on what you say, it validates your work. It shows that I’m being heard; I’m not just another line on an Excel sheet.

Q: Where did you go on your last vacation and where do you want to go next?

A: (laughs) So on my last vacation, I went to Wilmington, NC to celebrate my father’s 70th birthday. It was a good time, getting together with all my family. Next year, I look forward to simply unplugging all my work devices and spending time with friends and family here in San Diego.

Q: What do you like to do on your spare time?

A: It’s split between reading books, Netflix, and sleeping. There is no rock climbing or sky-diving in my future. I spend a lot of time talking to people, so I recharge through solitary activities.

Q: What is your proudest moment here at BDS?

A: I’ve been shadowed by someone who was senior leadership and was given no times or dates on when he was arriving; I had no idea he was coming to the store that day. I was selling to 3-4 different people at that time, doing my turnaround and I was surprised to see him standing there! We were initially going to go on a sales call to see how the team works and things we could improve on, but the next 5-minute conversation was him telling me he already saw everything he needed to. Not 20 minutes later I got a call from my manager letting me know that he just had a great conversation and received an excellent review of my performance from that senior leader. I’m here today where I am because of the positive reinforcement that was given to me on that day. It showed me that I am of value to this program and it’s what bought my loyalty to BDS.

Q: What is your favorite band right now?

A: I would have to say that based on the songs I rock out to the most while driving, it’s Taylor Swift. I’m all about “Shaking It Off”!

Q: Where did you grow up?

A: Everywhere. I was born in the tri-city (San Diego area), but I am the middle child of a Marine, and my family, including my brother, has had 6 generations of active Marines. I’ve lived in almost every state in the country, but California is my favorite. We came back to San Diego in ’91 and I haven’t left since.

Keep an eye out for more Employee Spotlights featuring all of this year’s Employee of the Year Winners! Interested in becoming a BDSer yourself? Check out our Careers Page for the latest job openings.