Our Director of Marketing, Adam Acosta, sat down with Adrian Garcia to learn more about his interests and discuss his career and success as an Account Manager at Boston Retail Solutions.
To start off, how long have you been with Boston and what do you do?
I’ve been here for two years now. I started off as an associate account manager. Now I’m the account manager for our national accounts in the core division. There’s never a typical day at Boston, but every day I come in, I check if we have the photos in and that the client gets the photos right away. I prepare for any calls or meetings that are scheduled for the day. I meet on Microsoft Teams to collaborate. We meet depending on the workload or as often as a project would need.
What was your first job like? Did you enjoy it?
My first job ever I got was when I was 18, freshly out of high school. I worked as a CVS cashier and I did that for six years as a part-time job. During snowbird season, working at Hutchinson Island was unexpectedly busy. I didn’t like that job. People could get hostile over little things. The job taught me patience. It takes a special kind of person to deal with people. I had really great coworkers and understanding management. Overall, I didn’t enjoy the job, but I enjoyed the people that I worked with.
Where did you go to school?
I went to IRSC. I took most of the classes at the Ft. Pierce campus and some were at St. Lucie West. I originally was going to go for Restaurant Management then decided I couldn’t do it. I then chose Business Admin as a basic, general study.
How would your friends describe you outside of work?
Most of the things I can’t describe here! Overall, I would like to think that they would say that I’m fun, go with the flow, and chill. I’m the kind of person if someone makes last-minute plans, I’m down to do whatever, whenever. I’m a little obnoxious here and there. They also know that anytime they need something, they know they can count on me. I’m in a position where I can give them advice and they can rely on me.
Do you have any hidden talents or hobbies?
It’s not really hidden, but I really love to cook. I’m a good cook, but I haven’t really had the time lately. I go all out for family holidays since there are only a few of us making desserts. I completed the culinary program when I was in high school. I’m really good at making pasta dishes and for dessert, I make a really good cheesecake.
As far as hobbies, I really enjoy anything involved with the water. Going to the beach, the pool. I love swimming overall: it’s so freeing I could spend the entire day on the beach, but regret it the next day because I get extra crispy.
What is your source of motivation?
I would say myself. I’ve always been a self-motivator. I don’t want to put myself in a bad position, so I do what I have to do to climb up. I need a degree, I need a career. I need to do what I have to do to get what I want.
If you had to pick someone who stands out, who is your inspiration?
If I had to choose, I would pick my mother. She raised me as a single parent for my entire childhood. We never had much growing up. She instilled important values, like hard work, waking up early, and always doing your best. We were essentially poor, so every day I told myself that she was able to handle me, so I should be able to take care of myself. She inspired me to go to school, and get an education.
Back to your role here, out of the whole day, what do you enjoy the most about being an Account Manager?
I think what I enjoy most is seeing the project beginning to end and knowing that I was able to make that happen with the support of my entire team. I love the people that I work with. Everyone is always willing to help you and answer any questions you may have. So I’d say working on the project knowing that you helped make that project succeed and seeing it through to the end.
Is there a certain project that comes to mind that you enjoyed more than others?
Yes, and it always sticks out to me, and people still bring it up, but for American Eagle, we did a large lightbox floor to ceiling for Fashion Show Las Vegas, and I think for me that has been the most special project, and my favorite project. For one, it is the first light box project that I have ever worked on. I had no idea about the ins and outs of the lightbox product. It was really cool to see the end product and it is the one project that sticks out to me.
What do you think when you see the completed pictures?
So what I think is, okay, does everything look right? Does everything match what was on the layout? Is there anything that is missing? Because that’s going to be a huge red flag. If there are issues I think, has this happened before, if so where and what did I do? If it’s something I’ve never encountered before, that’s when I raise my hand and I have this, I don’t know how to handle this, I need guidance.
Is there anything else that you look for?
I look at the color and make sure that nothing is off with the color. That it was not what was approved.
How would you describe the Account Management department?
What I like about them is first and foremost there are people that are close in age with me. At my previous job, everyone was way older. It is nice to have people that are easier to relate to. Everyone has different personalities, but as a whole, we all work well together. Regardless if you’re on someone’s team or not, people will help you. There’s someone I can lean on if there’s support.
How do you think you participate in the work culture and shape it?
That was brought up by a colleague. They described me as cool as a cucumber. I’d like to think I’m cool, calm, and collected and that I bring some kind of a calmness to the storm, so to speak. Peacefulness.
Do you have any advice for new team members?
First and foremost, do not be afraid to ask for help. Sometimes when someone is new, there is a hesitancy to ask for help because they may see someone as too busy or that they have too much on their plate. Even though we are fast-paced, we will not leave someone behind. So, do not be afraid to ask for help.
If you could switch your job with anyone else in the company, who would you switch it with and why?
I would want to switch with Kayla Kowalski. I don’t know Kayla that well, but she’s close friends with my cousin. I’ve gotten to chit-chat with her here and there and ask her what she does for work. She’s the Purchasing Manager. I think it’d be cool to be in her shoes one day and see what it’s like.
Is there a skill that you’d like to improve upon?
It may seem random, but I need to learn how to do oil changes. I’m not a car guy by any means and I always have my roommate help me. He tries to teach me how to do it, but I can never remember how to and I’m afraid I’m going to blow my hand off. Although I do know how to change my tires.
Any accomplishments inside or outside of work that you’d like to share?
Being a homeowner. I’ve been a homeowner for one and a half years now. Every time I go inside I think wow, I actually did this. I made this happen. It’s such a big deal because these days it’s so rare to hear of someone my age having a home. Especially with how the prices are going.
And finally, what do you have today that you did not have two years ago?
I’d say I didn’t have that many opportunities for growth. I didn’t have that large team behind me. And I did not have a corporate setting. So being at this company in this role, there is a structure that I find to be very helpful. And overall support.