For our last PathGuide employee Q&A, we sat down with Mark Van Leeuwen to learn more about his experience with the company over the past decade. A regional sales manager, Mark is a sales and business development executive with a diverse background of management roles across multiple industries.
As a sales leader on the PathGuide team since 2011, Mark has developed an invaluable knack for establishing long-term relationships with clients, vendors and partners alike. He is also adept at identifying operational issues within client organizations and successfully spearheading the development of the most appropriate IT solutions to address those challenges.
Thinking back, what attracted you to the job you were hired to do at PathGuide?
The opportunity to sell application software that could be added to existing ERP systems, instead of replacing ERP systems, was a big part of it. Also, the structure of the position allows for someone in my role to have considerable input on both how the sales cycles are structured and how new customers are onboarded. I did not have that sort of input in prior positions.
What work or projects are you most proud of and why?
There are so many from the past decade that it’s hard to pick just one: Helping get the CED program put together and set into action. Finding an Eclipse user and an Eclipse programmer to allow PathGuide engineering to write an interface to Eclipse, opening the door to additional Eclipse users as potential customers. Finding the first Infor SX.e user to bypass TWL and use Latitude, which allowed PathGuide engineering to write an interface to SX.e and also opened the door to additional SX.e users as potential customers. And putting together a program for one of our customers following an acquisition that expanded our footprint into Canada.
What advice would you offer someone who is interested in a similar career path?
If you like having direct input into your working life and being rewarded for your success, then PathGuide is a great place to make a career.
What excites you most about your role today?
For me, it’s the opportunity to work and collaborate with a group of talented and supportive people who value each other’s input.
Who do you turn to for advice, guidance or inspiration within PathGuide?
That’s a great question. In no particular order, I would include Greg, Eric, Keith, Marc, Rebecca, Joy, Poulina, and Gloria as some of the people I turn to for advice and guidance.
We knew that you’d have helpful insights to share with our readers. Thank you for taking the time to stop by and chat. We appreciate all that you do day in and day out on behalf of our clients and prospects. Here’s a link that will take you to other employee interviews.