I cannot tell you how many times in the past few years I’ve been told, “It’s business. It’s not personal.” Another favorite I hear is, “You shouldn’t take things so personally. It’s just business.” Well, I think that’s crap.
I believe taking business personally is what makes a business successful. It is what makes a business a good place to work. It means those in charge actually care about their employees and customers and the reputation of the business, not only about making money.
When a customer calls and has a problem or issue, I care and want to make it better. I cannot always fix everything, but I care enough to want to and try to help the best I can. We believe in trying to help solve your problems and making your life easier. However, we do not believe in you paying extra to push your valves in line in front of others. We believe in trying to do the best we can. Period.
If I can get something out for you the same day, as you need it the next day, I am going to do my best to do it. However, I am not going to lie to you. I won’t make promises if we are swamped. I am definitely not going to take more money from you to get your valve out ahead of someone else who ordered their valve a few days ago, understanding we need a few days to ship.
I hate the attitude right now in society that if you just throw more money at something then you get priority. I understand plenty of companies out there do this, but that is not how we work.
Everyone is equal. We try to do our best for everyone.
How can I not have a personal connection with NASVI? My whole life has been tied up with NASVI. I remember as a little girl coming down to work with my parents. My mom had her business set up in the basement of the original building, so she would go down there to work and my dad would go to his o ce. My sister and I would entertain ourselves in the building, roller skating around the warehouse among the surplus valves, playing some weird DOS-based games on the old computers, or going down to my mom’s area to sew pillows (the only thing we could make).
When I was 14 and 15 years old, I worked at NASVI during the summers. The first summer I filed and answered phones. But that second summer, I wanted to work in the shop, and my dad let me. I worked in shipping and would box up the valves. Then I learned how to run the tag machine and tagged the valves. One of the older guys in the shop even taught me how to set valves and let me set them for an hour each day. I loved it! It was so much better than working in the office.
This business has been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember. Of course, I take it personally, and so do our employees. We wouldn’t want it any other way because in a world of business transactions, we want our customers to rely on our personal service and commitment to do the best job we can for you.
We thank you for your continued support and loyalty.