Welcome to our NetView ECO TeamView series, where we will highlight award-winning employees that make up HBS System’s team members to learn more about them and their work and to pick their brains on a variety of topics.
Our featured guest is Brett Femrite, Senior Solutions Engineer at HBS Systems.
In this HBS Systems exclusive, we sat down with the funny Yankee to learn about his background, how he came to HBS Systems, his impassioned penchant for comedy, and the idiosyncrasies which have led colleagues to fondly speak of him as though he were a household name.
Everyone knows Brett Femrite!
HBS: Okay, your life story. No pressure.
BF: Oh, fun! Born in the smartest hospital in the country – Yale (New Haven, CT) Hospital (yeah, Connecticut – shhh), but when I turned 4, I decided the family should move to Texas, so off to Houston we went. I attended high school at Cypress Creek HS in Houston and graduated on some list (maybe not the Dean’s list, but I was definitely on a list of some sort). Played basketball, tennis, and to some degree, was on the track team and was going to pole vault my way to stardom – I swear it was against my will, so that didn’t last. My education continued at Collin College and Stephen F. Austin State University – Axe ‘em Jacks! After school was FINALLY over, I started in retail sales, then sales engineering, then straight sales – which is how I eventually got to HBS Systems. About ten years ago, I sold them a phone system and call center software for their support group. Always enjoyed my interactions with Chad and the team at HBS, so when the opportunity presented itself to work here, I jumped at the chance.
HBS: You joined HBS Systems in October 2018. What’s been different about things here than in previous roles?
BF: The people make this place special. It’s kind of like a big family. The culture is very much “team” oriented, and it’s a very supportive environment. It’s obvious that people care about each other here and about doing the right thing and working towards the common goal of supporting and helping make customers’ lives a little easier. The staff sees the greater good and looks beyond themselves. That’s a testament to our CEO, Chad Stone, who is very hands-on and accessible to all of us and our customers. And that’s pretty cool.
HBS: Walk us through a typical day in the life of Brett Femrite.
BF: Well, I start with coffee, of course. Every day. Coffee. Mondays, it’s half a pot. Tuesdays-Thursdays, I cut back to 2-3 cups. I am back to half a pot on Fridays to finish the week strong – or at least heavily caffeinated. Most of my workday is spent supporting our sales efforts and our team of Regional Sales Managers. I do most of the demonstrations of our software to prospective customers, and when I am not doing those, I am working on ongoing product and CRM training, fielding calls or emails from our team about product features, functionality, or competitive information. I also work on RFI’s/RFP as needed and attend lots of great events – equipment dealer association events, trade shows, OEM shows, and events, and it’s always nice to be in front of the dealership owners and employees, talking to them, picking their brains and learning how they run their businesses and how we can help.
HBS: What’s the best part about working at HBS?
BF: Tough question. It used to be Salad Bar Wednesdays at the office. But since this pesky pandemic thing, we don’t do that anymore. OK, but really – it’s not difficult to work for a group of people who care about you and the collective good of our clients. The people here are always finding the good in any situation. Everyone cares, and that’s amazing to me.
HBS: What‘s next on your list of personal and professional goals?
BF: Personally, it’s to be on Whose Line is it Anyway as a guest improviser. One of my hobbies is doing improv and sketch comedy in DFW, so seems like I am totally on my way ‘ish! My professional goals are to retire at HBS Systems and somewhere by the beach. Wait, that’s personal too, isn’t it? Ok, ok, professionally, I’d like to help HBS Systems take NetView ECO “go global” and expand into other countries like the UK, Australia, and of course, Bora Bora. I’m happy to make the sacrifice and travel to these locations to ensure the demo goes flawless personally, and the prospects are ecstatic to move onto our platform. Selfless, I know.
HBS: Both those goals sound awesome. Let’s shift gears for a second. Give us your five favorite movies.
BF: Gladiator, Shawshank Redemption, Airplane, Airplane 2, and Red Notice. Odd timing for this question – I called my internet provider the other day for tech support – needed a new router, and I work from home, so it was kind of important. So, the support guy who eventually picked up the phone tells me it’s no problem; he can help. But he needed me to verify my identity, and I needed to answer a security question. “What’s your favorite movie?” he asks. I tell him, “Well, it’s Red Notice. Love the Rock, and Ryan Reynolds, and it had some funny bits and jokes.” He informed me that wasn’t the right answer and asked if I wanted to guess again!? I was like – “You want me to GUESS what my favorite movie is? (LONG PAUSE – he doesn’t say anything.) “It’s Red Notice, love the Rock and Ryan Reynolds. Super funny.” He tells me that’s not the answer to the security question they have on file. I have had this account for three years – you mean to tell me I cannot evolve as a person? By the way, you won’t get this type of runaround with HBS Systems’ award-winning support team. We will actually help you!
HBS: 5 favorite musical artists.
BF: Tough one – I like so many. I guess I will go with Lenny Kravitz, Dave Matthews, Incubus, Prince, and Gary Clark Jr.
HBS: Word is you possess quite the collection of movie and sports memorabilia.
BF: Guilty, but only for sports. I am bitter about movies currently (see above). I think my favorite piece is my autographed/framed Roger Federer tennis ball. Or maybe the Lionel Messi signed the Champions League soccer ball.
HBS: Where did this intense fandom come from, and what sustains it?
BF: Well, I grew up playing tennis competitively and other sports. So it’s just kind of in my DNA. I still play today as a broken-down adult with a bad back and knee.
HBS: Word Association. We’ll give you a random word/name/place, and you give us an equally random thought about each. The first thing that pops into your head.
Superman / He and I have never been seen in the same place at the same time.
Tarantulas / Furry little fellas. Did you know that they can run MUCH faster than they let on, and they can JUMP too? Sleep well.
Hallmark Christmas movies / I thought they made cards. Now they make movies? Seems like that would translate. I will have to check one out sometime.
The Rolling Stones / All I can see is that HUGE mouth/tongue logo thing. It’s a bit off-putting.
Skydiving / First of all, no. Second, why do skydivers wear helmets?
Cliches / So fun. They are more fun when misused. But many of them don’t make sense, to begin with. For instance – “have your cake and eat it too” Well, what good is cake if you can’t eat it? Or another – “control your destiny” The very meaning of the word destiny means you cannot control it.
HBS: Do aliens exist?
BF: Oh, yes. I am certain I come in contact with them frequently.
HBS: Pie or cake, and why?
BF: Cake. But only if I can have it AND eat it too. I like pie too, but not as much. Cake has frosting. Pie has fruit filling, usually, which doesn’t seem to be dessert-ish to me.
HBS: You know they can put fruit in cake now; we’ve seen it!
BF: Who really likes fruitcake, though?
We hope you enjoyed getting to know Brett Femrite a little more in our NetView ECO TeamView series. If you’d like to become part of the team or learn more about how HBS Systems can Advance Your Dealership, give our team a call at 800-376-6376 or send an email to sales@hbssystems.com.