King of the rookies

Meet the enterprising 27-year-old, Kevin King, who was named Rookie of the Year by his employers Total Convenience Management (TCM). He is among the company’s warmest, friendliest, most humble and courteous employees — the guy that everyone keeps talking about and asking for after delivering quick and efficient roadside service. Kevin is a field representative with the three-year-old company which offers a car repair roadside assistance, tow and transport service, and in his second month on the job, Kevin was also awarded “Rookie of the Month.” Even before beginning work at TCM, Kevin was considered as one of the top sales representatives at his former job. What is his strategy? The answer is enveloped in the man he was groomed to be and the environment that moulded him right in the haven of his home in Phase 3, Beetham Gardens.

“My parents showed us respect from small and told us that we had to respect people in return. We grew up in a home with normal morals like everybody else,” Kevin said. “We enjoy the same luxuries like anyone else in a more upscale area and we live quietly.” The youngman, who lives with his parents and younger brother, comes from a family of eight. He acknowledged that the stigma attached to his hometown, where crime and violence are concerned, is “real” but said that it doesn’t change the fact “there are good people living there, and people fail to realise that.” Kevin attended the Success Laventille Composite School for five years. To this day, he said, he still hangs out with childhood friends from his neighbourhood “who never engage in trouble. “I see the bad elements all around. Yes, there’s crime and violence here but not because I know (it exists) means that I would be influenced to do the wrong thing. “The talk that I hear about ‘the slums’ and crime in my area does bother me, but I tell people all over there is crime.”

Remembering his mother’s words to keep off the streets makes Kevin an exemplary youth not only in his neighbourhood but also in the workplace. A look at the noticeboard on the wall of TCM’s Woodbrook office highlights the good work that staff have done and included among the letters of commendation from clients are those addressed to Kevin. The kudos from customers, he said, are the best part of the job. “To be able to satisfy them is overwhelming,” he said. Case in point: “There was this woman and three kids who were practically stranded one rainy night. She had battery problems and I heard over the radio (walkie talkie) that one of the reps was on the spot. I decided to render some assistance so that the woman and her children would not have to wait until the vehicle was repaired before they could be taken home. “I showed up, picked up the woman and her children, made sure that they were securely buckled and drove them safely to their home in Blue Range, Diego Martin and then waited outside for the rep to return with the woman’s car before leaving,” Kevin related.

Simply following through on getting the job done in a courteous fashion earned Kevin a commendatory e-mail thanking him for a job with which his client, no doubt, was well pleased. Apart from the letter, Kevin was nicely awarded in the form of cash and was labelled the 2003 TCM Rookie of the Year. He was thankful. “It means when you do good in your job it pays off; and it’s not just talk, when you do good you see the results of it.” Doing well, he said, meant working hard and always taking the initiative. “I just like to work hard and always be ahead of the game. I took that from my last employer, to be always on the ball. I guess I’m just an ambitious person. I think I have a real ‘people people’ kind of personality. So I decided to use the same recipe at TCM and  wish to thank Ameer (co-worker) who took me under his wing and showed me through the whole process.”