Meet an Expert: John Kavanagh

Drop in on John Kavanagh at the Edmonton Southside branch on a typical work day and you'll find that his phone hardly stops ringing. It's a busy time for Kavanagh, who looks after a number of the Southside branch's major clients. John works closely with Hudson fans, air-cooled heat exchangers that are being increasingly used in oil, gas and petrochemical facilities.

John started working as a driver for Commercial Bearing in 1980 and learned the bearings and power transmission business from the bottom up. He moved into shipping/receiving and then worked in purchasing for two years before moving onto the company's order desk. During his time with the company, he has worked at branches in Drayton Valley, Nisku, and North and South Edmonton.

Keeping up with supply and demand is the most challenging aspect of John's daily routine. "It's a matter of finding the right product and getting it to the customer in time to meet their urgent deadlines." Tracking down specialty products can be demanding, but it's the customers who make the job worthwhile. Some of John's clients have been Commercial's customers for decades – he thoroughly enjoys dealing with these companies as their business expands and their product needs evolve.

During his career, John has had the privilege of working with some of the company's most experienced managers and technical experts. John takes Commercial's mentoring tradition seriously; he encourages junior staff to look to him for advice. While he always tries to learn as much as possible about each of the lines in Commercial's huge product mix, John also appreciates the presence of other product experts within the company.

"In this business, you can't be afraid to ask questions," he says, "Our customers rely on Commercial because of our product knowledge and expertise – that's what keeps them coming back."