Rebekah Taylor with SPI (L) and in her Army Days (R) posing with a friend
Upon meeting Rebekah Taylor, you might never guess that she was a diesel mechanic in the US Army before joining Specialty Products, Inc (SPI). Now, she is an 11 year veteran of the spray foam and polyurea industries. “I took the ASVAB test when I joined the Army in 1996 and scored high in mechanical aptitude. I was stationed at Fort Hood in Texas for 4 years where I received training and put my mechanical skills to use, “said Rebekah. Upon completing Army service, she applied to SPI as an Executive Administrative Assistant to Vice President Chas Weatherford which required a variety of high-level skills. After 2 years in this position, she became SPI’s Parts and Equipment Manager for another 2 years and thereafter became SPI’s Midwest Sales Account Manager. Rebekah’s mechanical aptitude, and her intensive experience in several high-level duties at SPI, has made her a highly skilled Sales Account Manager.
Rebekah explained, “I joined the SPI team in 2008. In addition to my regular duties as an assistant, I worked closely with Chas Weatherford to create technical documents such as technical data sheets, application specifications including drawings, custom formulations and bid submittals with our applicators. I was the liaison between our Technical Department, QC Department, R&D Department as well as our Sales Department. This interaction paved the way for me to learn everything about SPI’s many products--from their creation to their end uses. Additionally, this position allowed me to represent SPI on job sites for customer presentations and at industry tradeshows/conferences, which required a great deal of knowledge of SPI specific products and equipment.”
Rebekah’s intensive exposure to the technical aspect of the coating and foam industry, from surface prep to product selection to the equipment, paved the way for her to excel in the SPF and Polyurea Industries. “I gained extensive knowledge into the mechanical side of the industry and successfully completed the Advanced Applicator Training Course. I was the voice of SPI at Graco’s Annual Distributor Conferences. While gaining experience in processing equipment, spray guns and mixing modules, I was able to learn the necessity of the synergy between various products and the correct equipment. My position gave me front-line contact with our end users, which in turn provided me with insight into the urgency of keeping an applicator going on a project,” she said.
“In November 2011, when SPI made a strategic business decision to create new sales territories, I was presented an opportunity to once again move up in the company. I enthusiastically accepted the position of SPI’s Midwest Sales Account Manager. Throughout the past 7 years, I have worked diligently to provide existing and new customers (including many engineers and architects) with information on how to get our products specified on new projects. “The most rewarding part of my job is in providing assistance to owner/operators because I understand how important it is to keep them up and running and successful at all times,” said Rebekah.
Last year, Rebekah was elected the first female President of the PDA—Polyurea Development Association. “My key goal is to help the association achieve the objectives we set for ourselves, work closely with our affiliates, other industry professionals, and contractors and applicators to build our relationships and support of each other. As an association, I believe we have an impressive history, a very strong industry presence, and devoted members who have the talent and the ability to take our association to the next level in the coatings industry,” she said.
For more information about Specialty Products, Inc. visit specialty-products.com