Employee Spotlight: Kam Bailey
Like many, Kam Bailey loves sports. He channels that competitive spirit into his role with Quincy Recycle and is consistently pushing himself to do more and find new solutions to help our vendors.
When did you start with Quincy recycle? Was your job title the same as it is now?
I started with Quincy Recycle in April of 2017 in Sales/Procurement and that is still my current role.
If you had to pick one, which Core Value is your favorite?
Commit, Be Tenacious and Compete to Win is my favorite Core Value because it represents what my life has been about growing up and also throughout my career. I’ve always been involved in sports from the time that I was a kid and I was always driven to be the best at everything I’ve done. I always wanted to be one of the hardest workers whether it be in track, football, basketball. So it was no surprise that when I was looking at Quincy I was drawn to this company because they had a healthy competition between the sales team. Each plant and sales team member wanted what was best for the company but they all had personal goals of growing their own book of business. I loved the idea that I could carry over a lot of the same ideas and hard work that made me successful throughout my sports career and bring that over to my professional working career too.
What was the most challenging thing to learn in your roles?
The most challenging thing that I had to learn in this role was that it takes time. Recycling is a business that is built on relationships and trust. I was new to the industry and I had to learn that I had to prove myself to our suppliers and they needed to trust that I would provide the service that I was promising to them.
What was the most surprising/ fun thing to learn?
I enjoyed learning the commodities that we work with. There is so much more to recycling than what I ever knew and learning the different types of fiber and plastics was a challenge but was fun to learn. We have a great sales team here and if I ever had questions there was always someone that I could call for help.
What’s your favorite part about working at Quincy Recycle?
My favorite part of working with Quincy Recycle is that I’ve been given the opportunity for unlimited growth. In the sales role, we have the opportunity to create a book of business without any restrictions or limits to how much we can grow. That unlimited growth potential inspires me to get up every day and find something new to work on. I also love that I work for a company that rewards hard work and persistence.
What would you like curious prospective employees to know about Quincy Recycle?
Quincy Recycle has changed my life because they always believed in me and the work that I could do. When I started at Quincy, I had only been in sales for about two years and Quincy saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. From the first day, I was given all of the tools that I needed to be successful. I’d highly recommend working for a company that gives you the autonomy to create something for yourself and your family. This is the first company that I’ve worked for that I could see myself with until the end of my career. It’s been an amazing place to work!
What are some of your hobbies you like to do outside of work?
I love to spend time with my family when I’m not at work. I have a 7-year old daughter (Addison) and a 8-year old son (Cooper) and I get to coach in football and basketball. We also love to spend any extra free time that we have on the golf course.
Best piece of advice you’ve ever read or received?
The best advice that I’ve been given, that also applies to my sales career, was from my Mom. When I was a Freshman in high school I joined the high school track team. During the first practice, we trained harder and ran more than I ever had before. I actually ended up getting sick in front of the whole team. I went home and told my Mom that I won’t ever go back and that I was going to quit. I remember her telling me that she won’t allow me to quit and that if you quit once then you will find ways to quit the rest of your life. Because I didn’t quit, I ended up getting a Track & Field scholarship to Huntington University which is where I met my wife. That message still sticks with me because sales can be a roller-coaster. There are plenty of times when it would be easier to quit than to actually come up with a solution to the problems that we face every day. There’s always a solution but we have to be willing to put in the work to find it!
If you had to pick a song to portray the essence/ culture of Quincy Recycle, what would it be?
The song that most accurately portrays the culture at Quincy Recycle is I Won’t Back Down by Tom Petty. We have an entire team of driven individuals that are constantly finding ways to help our vendors no matter what. I believe that not backing down is what has allowed Quincy Recycle to continue to grow into one of the largest recyclers in the Midwest.