Family Matters | Mike & Nick Lewis

Meet Mike & Nick Lewis! In this edition of Family Matters, we have the privilege of introducing you to this dynamic father-son duo. Their close bond and shared passions exemplify the essence of the American family.

What was your first job and how old were you?

Mike: If you count growing tomatoes and selling them on the side of road, that would be my first. That same summer, I delivered TV Guides when they were 15 cents each and mowed neighbor’s yards when I was about 12. I met my wife at Sears working in the record department. It was next to the TV department and started selling some, but I could not get the commission because I was in High School, so I had to give the sales to the full-time salespeople. When I was Nick’s age (22) I worked at Best Products. 

Nick: I started working the day at the age of 15 at Moe’s for about a year. Then I worked at Care Free Boat Club for 5 years until I started at American.

Have you gotten the opportunity to work together before American?

Mike: I started taking him to see customers when he was in middle school. 

Nick: I had a decent understanding of this job from a young age from getting to tag along with him.

Mike: I’ve been getting him ready for a long time, he just didn’t know it.

What’s your favorite memory from Nick’s childhood?

Mike: Probably all the vacations we went on. I remember one year we went on 8 vacations! We used to go to the B&B dairy farm in Pennsylvania. One year Nick and I went just the two of us because my wife and daughter were on a trip to Europe. It was just us and we got to milk cows and such.

Nick: Then he drank warm unpasteurized milk and had to drive us home while very sick! We used to do shelving installations at Doctors offices before electronic medical records came along.

When did you both start working at American?

Mike: I joined in 2008, and wish I had the opportunity Nick has to have started at a younger age. I think the nicest thing I can say is nothing much has changed. Larry & Justin are still very family-orientated. You can’t say that about many companies. I’m so glad I can hand things off to Nick, and are very few companies that you can pass on your customers to your family. I’ve been in this industry since 1992 and I’m glad we found our home.

Nick: I was in the June Discover American session and got to interview with Amy and Kim right after graduation. I don’t think I’m going anywhere.

Mike: To say he can be “a lifer” at 22 would be pretty cool.

What are some of your favorite sales projects?

Mike: I had a pretty difficult one a 3 years ago. I’ve had this customer for a long time, and they wanted to buy office chairs. I made a sale with my contact, and she gave me the go ahead to order, but her boss reneged on her approval to my contact. It was a $20,000 order, but I had already ordered the chairs which could not be returned to the vendor. I did not make a huge deal about this. I sold them to another customer. Two Years later she bought the chairs, and she is still a good customer. I want to teach Nick to take care of his customers, especially during difficult situations. So not really a fun project, but a nice ending.

What’s the easiest thing about working together?

Nick: Honestly because he’s so well acquainted here, using his customers for referrals makes it easier for me. I do a lot of cold calling, but when his customer has connections in places that he might not, they can name drop for me and open that door just from working off the relationships my dad has built.

Mike: Just getting to work with him. He’s gotten into a lot of accounts that I have tried but failed to close the sale. He’s very driven, and people really like seeing a young, motivated person doing business. I think that’s pretty rare these days.  I feel comfortable introducing all of my customers to Nick, and they are giving him leads to help him win more business. Our vendors also want to help him succeed. I want to give a shout out to Stan and Bori for talking to Nick, and offering to help him close new large customers.

What is the hardest part of working together?

Mike: My expectations. Realizing that Nick is 22 and still young, I think he’s learning the “getting through the nine no’s to get to the yes.” He’s very competitive and doesn’t like to lose. I don’t want to micromanage him, so I let him do what he needs to do. In the beginning I was, but he’s shown me I don’t need to. He’s great with people and a great communicator.

Nick: We haven’t had any problems so far! I think I would struggle more if I didn’t grow up around this, but this isn’t some random company with a job I’m not comfortable doing. That has made a difference.

Mike: He has a lot of my personality.  That’s the great thing about this company – you can work without being slowed down by  reports and sales managers.

What’s a fun fact about the two of you?

Mike: When Nick joined the crew team in high school, he met a classmate whose name sounded familiar to me. Turns out I went to elementary school with his dad, and now the four of us are great friends. He is now one of Nick’s customers and his dad also does some work with us. How often does that happen?

Nick: He got me interested in stock trading in college because he was always talking about it and I wanted to understand what he’s talking about. I also got him into going to the shooting range because I’ve always loved being outside.

Why do you recommend working with family?

Nick: If your parent is working and you’re interested in their business, don’t let their customers go to a random person! Work with them so you can be part of that succession plan, so they don’t sell the business to someone who doesn’t love your customers like you do.

Mike: I think it’s a great opportunity at his age. I see what’s happening to other companies and know they don’t have the relationship with their vendors like we do. When I joined ASB in 2008, they were having a tough time. During that time Larry gave the employees the option to invest in the company instead of dealing with a bank. I invested some of my IRA, and that’s pretty cool. You don’t see that very often, a CEO that takes care of people like Larry does. I am very excited for Nick to be working with a great company at a young age.  I want him to have a very successful career, and ASB is the best place for him to succeed.

To learn more about American Solutions for Business, visit http://www.americanbus.com.