With his two daughters out of the house (one still in college, and one just graduated), Brad Grohmann is reaching the point in his personal life where things are slowing down a bit. His professional life? Not so much.

At home, with marathon softball weekends and school events in the rearview mirror, Brad plans to do more leisurely activities like golf and regular travel with his wife.  Meanwhile, at the office, Brad is very much a go-to person for a multitude of people as Datamax’s Senior Buyer. He’s charged with purchasing for the entire company, and this list includes equipment, accessories, supplies, and all the miscellaneous items that most of us might not even think about when strolling around the office.

Lucky for every single one of us, Brad is a People Person. He likes his downtime, sure. But when it comes to conducting business, perhaps his biggest forte is the ability to communicate every step of the way to ensure all parties are on the same page.

He communicates with vendors.

Not everyone may know this about Brad’s role, but he plays a key role in nurturing relationships with our vendors and helping keep Datamax top of mind when needs arise.

“That’s a role in most companies that gets overlooked because it’s not always centralized,” Brad said. “Upper management is certainly in contact with their counterparts at our main manufacturers, but along with those contacts, I take pride in establishing contacts involved in day-to-day processing that help keep our working relationship fluid. I have people that I can go to and get quick answers, and I feel that’s important. If you don’t have that relationship, it might take you two days longer to get what you need…. I really enjoy the vendor relationship side of the business”

He communicates with coworkers.

Need a copier accessory? A ream of specialty paper? A stool for the breakroom? Ultimately, Brad’s your guy. Brad has long considered his coworkers at Datamax (all 11 of our locations) to be his customers. He takes this sentiment to heart.

“I’ve always kept that in the foreground of my mind. It’s funny, I work closest with co-workers located outside my own office. I believe that keeping everybody in the loop is critical: More emails and more phone calls are better than not enough."

He communicates with his family.

Communication: it’s an art that translates to all aspects of his life – including his personal one. Take his 26-year marriage as another major example.

“Communication? You have to have it. When I hear about marriages not working, that’s usually the first thing you go to. My wife and I work, we have busy schedules, and we’ve gone through raising kids and all the activities that come with it. It just does not work if you are not on the same page with regards to communication.”

Sure, one "life" be slowing down and leading to more leisure, while the other continues to run at full speed. But no matter what situation Brad finds himself in, his forte remains his formidable communication habits.