Ken Allison meticulously creates his signature barbecue sauce in the same manner a graduate student would prepare his or her thesis.
To begin, he separates the three main components to his sauces – the heat, the sweet, and the spice - and perfects one element at a time. Hypothesizing and then testing, he hunkers over a large stock pot for hours as his sauce slowly simmers. (He’s been known to dump an entire pot of half-cooked sauce down the drain, should something go even slightly awry). Spices play a defining role in the sauce’s unique qualities, so Ken carefully picks from cumin, celery seed and many, many others to give his sauce its signature.
Only after he’s blended all three elements into something with balance and uniqueness, which could take months, will he bring his sauce before a panel of testers. Rest assured, Ken Alison’s got street cred. He is a dignified member of the coveted Kansas City Barbecue Society, with a framed certificate on his wall to prove it.
Au Contraire … The man himself, of course, is as down-home, approachable, communal and universally admired as a perfectly-smoked rack of ribs dripping on a sheet of parchment paper. Whether it’s surprising the admin team with dessert, ensuring honest, unfeigned trust in clients he’s known for decades, or just greeting a room full of strangers, Ken projects a level of positivity that:
- cannot be taught or replicated, and ...
- is as infectious as the laughter he’s known to create.
“I think you wake up every morning, and you have a choice. You can be in a good mood or a bad mood. I choose to be positive,” Ken said. “Obviously, I like to make people laugh. But I try to make people feel good about what they’re doing. People should go home from the office every day feeling good about what they’ve accomplished that day.”
A Breath of Fresh Air
Ken, who came to Datamax in 2002 as a Color Graphics Specialist, serves as the Area Sales Manager at the Little Rock office. After graduating from Parkview High School in Little Rock and the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, he worked as a manager at a one hour film processing lab. He opened stores in Tulsa and Jackson Hole, Wyoming, but was looking to both get away from retail and have a more stable, 8 to 5 career.
Ken entered the copier industry in 1998 with IKON Office Solutions, knowing little about copiers themselves.
“I’ll never forget. I went to go make a copy of my HR paper work after being hired, and I literally didn’t know how to use a copier. I had to get Traci Wilson (who worked at IKON, and now at Datamax) to show me how to make it work. She asked me, ‘you’re about to sell these things?’”
Being accustomed to opening the door and having customers come in, Ken learned quickly that in a B2B Marketplace, he had to now go out and find his customers. It was not a problem for the man known to not only listen twice as often as he talks, but ensure trust by honoring his commitments (a lesson he learned long ago as an Eagle Scout).
Ken only stayed at IKON four years, when he reunited with fraternity brother and college roommate, David Holzhauer, at Datamax.
“I noticed quickly, at Datamax, we were so customer and employee focused, it was a huge breath of fresh air,” Ken said. “Datamax had a great reputation around town, and I was so glad to be on this team.”
A Taste for Sweet Heat
Ken got into barbecue thanks to the TV show “Barbecue Pit Masters.” He was intrigued by not only witnessing some of the finest at smoking meats on screen, but also at the mention of a Kansas City Barbecue Society.
“I came into work and Googled it, and noticed they offered a class on being a judge,” Ken said. “I didn’t know if I wanted to be a judge, but I knew I wanted to learn more.”
So nine years ago, he attended the two-day class in Dallas. He learned the parts of the chicken, beef and pork, studied the specific judging rules and regulations, and ultimately learned the difference between good and bad barbecue.
Over the years, his beloved Big Green Egg has been his instrument of choice. Ken’s judged multiple contests in Texas and Arkansas, perfected (and even bottled) his sauces, and spent countless weekend afternoons cooking for friends and family, most of which leave with a jar of “Ken’s Sweet Heat.” Barbecue, as he describes it, is a true labor of love.
The other labor of love in his life? It begins every day he walks through the Datamax lobby, up to his office to greet his team.
“I have a (sales) team that needs me. Shame on me for not putting on my pants and being there for them every day. I have to make sure I’m available, and they have everything they need to be successful,” Ken said. “People can hear honesty. They need to feel appreciated. Your heart, and your intention, should always be in the right place.”
Now, who in this world would not want to work for this guy? #massiveheart
