At Gigg, we have a strong belief that people are our special sauce. And we’re fortunate enough to work with some of the best people around. Today, we sit down with Rob Lewis, our President of Sales, to find out more about him.
Growing up near Seattle, Washington, Rob was never a strong swimmer, so his natural competitive sport of choice was… the swim team. “I couldn’t really swim, and I hated that. So I joined the swim team,” Rob said. It’s that same tenacity that has led Rob to a highly successful career as a regional sales manager, then to a regional sales director, and now in his current position as President of Sales at Gigg.
After graduating from Brigham Young University in 2008 with a double major in Economics and Chinese, Rob found himself as employee 46 at the quickly-growing experience-management company, Qualtrics. He worked as an Account Executive there for a year before moving into leadership. Rob was essential in helping to grow the company to over 3,000 employees, and ran the largest region by quota and headcount when he decided to join Gigg. “I wanted to get back into a start-up,” he explained. “I loved the market, the product and the opportunity.” Rob and his wife Megan are the parents of four children, ranging from two years old to nine years old. Aside from his love of his family and his work, Rob has been restoring a 1973 Datsun, complete with an engine overhaul. After three years, he’s nearly finished with the restoration. Read more about Rob, what his day-to-day job responsibilities look like, and more below.
What is your role at Gigg?
President of Sales, but in a startup that means standing up everything… Training, structures, processes, approach, recruiting, hiring/interviewing, systems, pricing, and of course helping on any deals. I support our CEO for all of our outbound and inbound go to market efforts.
What made you decide to join Gigg?
I loved the early startup days 12 years ago at the company I was at previously. I wasn’t looking to leave, but Scott found me. I looked into the product, and the market. I’m excited about what we can do in this space! I am also excited to take my 12 years of experience and apply it to a new environment. I believe in building world class sales teams, and am looking forward to doing that here at Gigg.
In your opinion, what makes Gigg special?
The social media space has become a huge part in how people look at products and experiences. Basically, businesses. From reviews to culture. People trust it more, it can be a much more authentic place to understand brands, products, and companies. There will be additional social media companies that will come up, so being able to aggregate, monitor, communicate as companies will be a must for the best established and upcoming brands.
You can only keep three apps on your phone. Which three do you pick?
Spotify – Where the music is.
Amazon Kindle – This is where I read anything and everything.
Nest – Big fan of the doorbell camera, checking to make sure the baby actually goes to bed, and controlling the thermostat.
What would your preferred superpower be?
Not having to breathe. I was a swimmer and there would be amazing places you could swim to if you didn’t have to always have air! I would be a great candidate for space, too.
Must-have road-trip treats:
All of them. I have a weakness for snack foods. Chips, crackers, candy (savory, not tart), jerky, granola bars. I will eat it all. When I was growing up, I loved having Wheat Thins and Easy Cheese. Still love that stuff. Just the classic Kraft Easy Cheese Cheddar flavor will do.
What are your hidden talents?
I actually know how to tie balloon animals. Basic balloon animals. I certainly wouldn’t fall into the category of “balloon artist”. It has been a very long time since I have done it, but I am sure I could bust out a bear, dog, mouse, or giraffe if I had to. The best one was the motorcycle. That would take a few attempts to get that one back.
Favorite professional sports team:
Growing up in Seattle, the team that I still follow is the Seahawks. I would be following the Supersonics like I did growing up, but they don’t exist anymore.
At Gigg, we have a strong belief that people are our special sauce. And we’re fortunate enough to work with some of the best people around. Today, we sit down with Rob Lewis, our President of Sales, to find out more about him.
