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AIMING TO PLEASE

by Jim Morgan

For Territory Manager Becky Burkholder, there is nothing quite as sweet as the smell of diesel fuel.

"My dad, Verne, is a retired diesel mechanic," she explains with a smile, "and I still associate that smell with him. As a little girl, I learned a lot about mechanics just watching him work. Sometimes he'd spread paper out on our kitchen table and rebuild a carburetor right there. I was always at his elbow, so I got a lot of insight into how things are put together and how they work."

In addition to her mechanical aptitude, young Becky also acquired a love of reading. "My mom, Jo, loved to read, and she always encouraged me to have a book in hand. She'd take me on trips to the library, and she'd always make it seem like a grand adventure. I became an avid reader, and I know that's helped me make friends and relate to people from all walks of life."

Having been born in San Antonio, Becky was adopted at the age of six weeks. Verne and Jo welcomed her into their Dallas home, and the adoption was openly discussed as their daughter grew up. "From the very beginning," Becky recalls, "my parents told me that I was adopted, and that I was the answer to their prayers. As an only child, I grew up imagining a big hospital nursery where they chose me out of all the other babies. It gave me the feeling that I really was very special, and that I could accomplish anything I ever wanted. That's made a big impact on my life, and I love them so much for the confidence they gave me."

Becky moved to Tulsa in 1982, and she spent the next several years working in both the insurance and advertising specialties industries. She was hired as an account manager here at RL Hudson in January of 1989. Two months later, she married her husband, Dave.

"We had started dating back in 1985," Becky says. "Dave was trained in carpentry and engineering, and I was impressed with his mechanical abilities. He could build furniture without even looking at a drawing, and he could fix his own truck. I didn't realize this until much later, but I think I also liked him because sometimes he'd pick me up after working on the truck, and he smelled like diesel fuel."

In November of 1990, Becky became our territory manager for Texas and Arkansas. In the years since then, she has formed long-term friendships with many of her customers. "The people I call on always seem genuinely happy to see me," Becky says. "I like to think they view me as a provider of solutions, as someone who always has their best interests in mind. I feel like I bring creativity to a number of areas, whether it's part design, or the supply flow, or even implementing a new inventory control system."

Becky also enjoys using her creativity to suggest cost-saving improvements on a wide variety of products. "I really like having opportunities to look at existing parts and to brainstorm cost reductions on them," she says. "I always think there's an opportunity to make a part function better and be less expensive. Or maybe the part itself can stay the same, but the supply chain – the delivery, the packaging, the documentation – can be streamlined. That can also save money."

As for the future, Becky is excited about the prospect of RL Hudson gaining QS9000 status. She is also looking forward to consulting with our other territory managers as they develop new accounts. "I think my experiences over the last decade may be of help for some of our newer personnel," she says. "That would be a nice way to give them a hand, and I think it will benefit our customers."

And in her time away from the office? "I see myself on a ranch in central Texas," she muses, "on the banks of the Guadalupe River. I'm leaning back in a chair on the porch, with my boots up on the railing, and I'm watching horses graze in the sunset. I'm able to hear the trickle of blue-green water, and from time to time, there's just a hint of diesel in the air."