Lisa Napelitano, 33
Northeast Regional Sales Leader
Kris-Tech Wire
After graduating from the State University of New York at Geneseo in 2013, Lisa worked her way up to director of sales, events, and marketing, for a family entertainment company with locations across the United States.
“In that job I had the opportunity to travel and open new locations, train new sales teams, and develop sales collateral and programs while creating yearly sales and marketing plans, goals, and promotions,” Lisa recalled. “After about six years, I made the transition to Campbell Soup Company where I learned a lot about the distribution world.”
After being contacted by a recruiter, Lisa joined Kris-Tech Wire’s inside sales team in 2020. “After more than two years I can say I have finally found my forever career in the wire and cable industry,” she said.
Lisa admits that when she started at Kris-Tech she didn’t know a lot about wire. “The Kris-Tech family truly took their time to help me understand the industry and set me up for success,” she said. “In turn I became a wire expert our customers can rely on and have created forever partnerships here in the Northeast territory.” Lisa was promoted to regional team leader in early 2022.
Asked what first appealed to her about the job, Lisa explained that during the interview process Kris-Tech’s culture and values were clear. “It was something I couldn’t help but want to be a part of,” she said. “Kris-Tech is a third-generation, family-owned business that remains true to its roots by fostering strong relationships with team members, customers, partners, and communities.”
As for the industry, “What appealed to me was that I was going to be in for a challenge, especially in such a fast-paced territory, while learning a whole new type of industry,” said Lisa. “What continues to appeal to me is that every day is different, there is always a new opportunity to enhance the customer experience. I truly enjoy working through product specifications/requirements and providing solutions to our customers. Not to mention the bidding/quoting process—I love how competitive it can be and how quick the turnaround is, as we strive to respond to all of our customers in less than 20 minutes. Then, last but not least, is building customer relationships. This is in the at the forefront of what me and the whole Kris-Tech team do each and every day.”
Asked about a current challenge the industry is facing, Lisa pointed to supply chain interruptions, extended lead times, and on-time shipments. “Here at Kris-Tech we have truly gone above and beyond to prepare during the unprecedented times we have all experienced,” she explained. “Kris-Tech is a manufacturer partner our customers can rely on and we have truly set the bar high when reflecting on these critical areas. In the spirit of continuous improvement, we recently expanded our operations team by bringing on additional subject matter experts in all core areas (production, scheduling, supply chain, quality, and processing), allowing us to further refine processes. This ties directly into our continued commitment to reinvesting into our operational capabilities and capacity. All these initiatives are hyper-focused around further enhancing the flexible and responsive solutions we bring to the market.”
As for the future, Lisa hopes to one day transition into a national sales position overseeing some sort of category of sales for Kris-Tech. “Whether that is a product line, industry specific, or partnership with a select customer, I am preparing to continue to strive toward this goal each day by simply learning as much as I can,” she said. “I have had the great opportunity to learn from the best of the best here at Kris-Tech, whether it’s a technical question about specifications, working side by side with our engineer team, or processes behind the scenes with production/operation. Then of course leaning into the experience we have within our very own sales team and how quickly we can dial in an opportunity for a customer, is phenomenal.
“I would also like to take the time to mention my two mentors here at Kris-Tech: Jeff Manzo, vice president of business development, and Nicole Palkovic, inside sales team leader,” added Lisa. “Each day they challenge me to be my absolute best, they have taught me how to step out of my comfort zone and have worked side by side with me to achieve things I never thought possible. Jeff and Nicole have set such a platform for each of us to grow within the company and I cannot thank them enough for all they do. I truly look forward to all that is to come with my career here at Kris-Tech.”
To someone just entering the industry, “I would tell them to have fun, learn, and meet as many people as you can,” Lisa offered. “I’ve found if you take the time to get to know someone, listen, understand their needs, then form a relationship based on honesty and trust, the business part will always be there.”
In her spare time Lisa is a part of the culture committee at Kris-Tech. “We love being involved in the local community,” said Lisa. “We enjoy creating new fun activities for our team members and coming up with exciting ways to give back to our local community.” In her personal life, Lisa enjoys spending time with my family and friends, her dog Fredo, and her parrot Freddy. “I also love going on walks at the lake, cooking, playing board games, going to concerts, and traveling whenever I have the chance!” she added.
Each year tED magazine recognizes 30 of the industry’s best and brightest under the age of 35. Please visit tedmag.com/30Under35 for nomination information and updates about the 2023 program. Questions can be sent to tED Editor Misty Byers at mbyers@naed.org.
Tagged with 2022 30 Under 35, 30 under 35, people