Meet Tim McClimon, Chief Sales Officer
Growing up near the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa, Van Meter’s Chief Sales Officer Tim McClimon had the opportunity to meet Hall of Fame baseball players and witness excellence up close. Now, McClimon leads Van Meter’s sales organization and is on his own pursuit of excellence, as he looks to create lasting value for Van Meter’s customers and supplier partners. Get to know Tim and how his role creates lasting value with these five facts.
1. HE HAS EXPERIENCED SEVERAL SIDES OF THE BUSINESS
McClimon is a jack of all trades, and his experience in several different departments, roles and locations makes him a good fit to lead Van Meter’s sales team. In 15 years, McClimon has had seven or eight different roles and has worked in Davenport, Iowa City, Cedar Rapids and Davenport again. He started in inside sales and has worked in account management, commodities, operations and several leadership roles. Seeing different sides of the business has given him invaluable experience.
“There are parts of our business that you can’t just discuss, show or teach. You have to live it,” he said. “Change has its challenges, but change has presented me with opportunities to grow, learn new parts of our business, work on and with new teams and build relationships with people I would not have had the opportunity to collaborate with otherwise.”
2. HE HAS GROWN PERSONALLY AND PROFESSIONALLY AT VAN METER
McClimon started working at Van Meter when he was 26. While he has experienced much change and growth professionally, he has also changed a lot personally. He is now married and has three daughters, and he gives working at Van Meter some of the credit for his personal growth.
“I’m a better father and a better husband, and I’m more involved in the community than I would have been without Van Meter,” he said. “Our culture supports our people and helps them grow personally and professionally.”
Giving back to the communities where we work and live is one of Van Meter’s core values. McClimon and his family support a number of local organizations in their community, and he wants his daughters to understand how important that is. When he is not at work, McClimon spends most of his free time taking his “very active” daughters to their functions or trying to squeeze in a few rounds of golf.
3. HIS TEAM IS HIS STRENGTH
For McClimon, being a leader isn’t about micro-management. It’s about building a talented team and giving them the tools they need to be successful.
“I’m fortunate to lead this large team,” he said. “It’s impressive to see the success you can have when you have the right people in place and you empower them to go out and support our partners.”
McClimon believes Van Meter’s people are its biggest competitive edge.
“There’s not one person responsible for Van Meter’s success. The most exciting thing for me is looking at this team of over 800 employee-owners we have built and having the chance to support them,” he said.
4. SERVICE AND RELATIONSHIPS ARE HIS PRIORITY
More than parts, Van Meter is your partner, and McClimon wants customers and suppliers to know that they can count on Van Meter to understand and quickly respond to their challenges.
“I take serving our partners and building relationships really seriously,” he said. “We’re going to have a sense of urgency and be there when the bell rings to support them through their challenges and help support them to have success in their businesses.”
With the ability to get in-stock products to most locations in the company within 24-36 hours, McClimon mentioned Van Meter’s $200 million of in-stock inventory and logistical model as a service that is a competitive advantage.
“We are in a position to really help our customers succeed by investing in our business and our customer’s business. When they succeed, we succeed,” he said.
5. YOU’VE PROBABLY HEARD OF HIS HOMETOWN
Field of Dreams was released in 1989 when McClimon was eight years old, and growing up near the movie site in Dyersville has its perks for young baseball players. McClimon’s baseball team was sponsored by Upper Deck trading cards, and he was able to attend fantasy baseball camps where he met legends like Reggie Jackson, Lou Brock, Bob Gibson and Vida Blue. He has baseballs full of autographs and even got to serve as bat boy during a celebrity game at the field.
If you have questions or want to partner with Tim’s sales team, please call 1-800-247-1410 or click here.