Meet Jennifer Steiner: Doosan’s Operation’s Manager of Inside Sales

Jennifer Steiner is Operations Manager at Doosan Machine Tools America. She has been a team member since joining Doosan (then Daewoo) as Receptionist in 1996. In 1998, she was promoted to Inside Sales and has held every position in that department, including Data Entry, Traffic/Logistics, Accessory Coordinator, Invoicing Coordinator and Assistant Operations Manager. In October of 2019, she was promoted to her current position.

We asked Jenn about her long career with the company and why it was the right move for her.

Why did you start working at Doosan?

The main appeal of the job was that it offered me an escape from the world of retail cosmetics. I was tired of the crowds, especially around the holidays. When a friend told me about the opening here, I jumped for it. I went right from the land of lipstick and eyeliner to the world of machine tools. And I’m so happy it turned out that way.

That’s quite a change. How was the transition?

With a whole new language and culture to learn, starting a job in a new industry was a little daunting. My supervisor, who was a great guy, told me I would pick it up fast. Sure enough, it wasn’t long before I was comfortable with the operations side of machine tools. That hasn’t stopped my learning process, however. I don’t think I will ever learn everything about this industry. That’s one of the reasons I find it so fascinating.

What do your new duties as Operations Manager involve?

First of all, I’d like to thank Jim Shiner and Glenn Pedersen for giving me this opportunity. Basically, I run the Inside Sales Department and manage every step from order entry to delivery. I supervise the Latin America Account Representative, Accessory Coordinator and Invoicing Coordinator. I also partner with our new Logistics Manager to ensure machines are shipped and invoiced to meet monthly and yearly goals. I’m currently learning the ins and outs of overseas shipping. It’s important to get all the paperwork just right, but if I didn’t have any challenges on the job, I’d be bored.

I’m very grateful that I have a wonderful team to work with me. They are so hard working and really care about meeting the goals of the department.

Do you have a particular supervisor style?

Not really. I basically supervise from my heart. I just treat my team the way I would want to be treated. I also want to empower them to improve, just as my supervisors did for me. Any knowledge I have, I share. One thing I do is ease friction on the job. Issues will always come up in any group of people, but I think it’s more productive to find the common ground, work though the problem and get on with the project at hand.

What’s the best part about working here?

There are actually a lot of things. The first one is the people. I know everyone says that, but it’s true. I’m as close to friends I met my first week here as I am to the team I work with every day. We really are a family, not only at the office, but in our personal lives. We don’t just attend company functions together, we visit each other at home.

Another thing is that Doosan is a company that recognizes talent and hard work, then rewards it. At each step of my career, I was given additional levels of responsibility and trusted to carry them out. I really appreciate that.

Doosan always works with their employees as individuals. I have two children and I’ve never had a problem arranging for school functions, sports or doctor’s visits. When Hurricane Irene flooded my home, I was out for two weeks without being charged personal time. Loyalty like that earns my loyalty in return.

What’s life like outside the office?

You know those two kids I mentioned before? That’s what I do with my time away from work. Unless you’ve been there, you have no idea how many hours and how much energy is involved in caring for a 9-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy.

Being Italian, I do bake, keep a vegetable garden and can tomato jars with my kids. I remember doing that with my Mom and Grandmother, so it’s one tradition I try to keep going in the family.

Most people in the office will find this hard to believe, but I have always enjoyed horseback riding. I have two outings planned to ride this summer.