Marketing Manager:
Boshart Industries

In case you haven’t heard by now: I’ve taken on the Marketing Manager position at Boshart Industries (as of November 1st, 2021). If you’re curious, read more about the new role below.

1. Who is Boshart?

Pronounced with a long “o” as bo—shart (rhymes with Bogart), Boshart Industries is a manufacturing company based out of Milverton, Ontario (north of Stratford). We produce various plumbing parts (including pieces for PEX systems) and water well accessories. If you’re outside of the plumbing industry, you’ve probably never heard of us, but we’re one of the biggest manufacturers of the product in Canada, and we’re growing rapidly in the US. Especially if you live out in the country (with a water well instead of municipal water), there’s a good chance part of your well water system has Boshart parts somewhere along the line.

2. What about your freelancing business?

We’ve had a good run! Back in January of 2021, I already began transitioning out of shooting weddings full time, and taking on this job at Boshart meant gradually parting with my small business clients as well. I don’t love the idea of a side hustle anymore. After I wrap up my remaining few weddings in 2022, that’s officially it for me as a wedding photographer.

3. So you won’t be self-employed any more?

Nope! Haven’t been for a while now. I am proud to have done it for 5 years (and it took me a long time to recognize that going back to a day job didn’t mean I failed as a freelancer), but the new challenges that await me at Boshart are too exciting to pass on. By focusing solely on marketing, I’ll get to continue learning about it in a way that I never would have the time to do if I continued working for myself (where I wore many hats, and marketing was only one small aspect of my business). The ways that Boshart compliments my family/personal life is something that freelancing (in my particular industry) couldn’t give me. Self-employment served me well, but it is just one answer of many.

4. What will you actually be doing?

Great question!

At a glance, I’ll be leading a small team that comprise Boshart’s Marketing Department as we seek to grow the company through continually pushing ourselves and our company to be, truly, industry leading. We have a heavy partnership with our Sales departments in order to maximize our effectiveness, and we regularly work on larger-scale projects with Boshart’s Executive Team that casts vision and direction for the company as a whole. In a very practical sense, we also handle writing educational articles, social media, email marketing, website marketing, photo & video work, packaging & retail graphics, and onboarding new customer data.

My manager, Chris Windsor, Senior VP of Sales & Marketing at Boshart, was actually my manager back in the day when we worked at Bartell Global in Mississauga (I was there 2014 - 2016). Chris is the reason I got a foot in the door at Boshart! I am very, very grateful for all the ways he has inadvertently impacted my life for the better.

5. Will you be commuting into the office?

Even after having made the move to St. Thomas, we’re still 90 minutes away from Milverton where Boshart is headquartered. Once a week, I head into the office and have some of my meetings that are better done face-to-face. Otherwise, I work remotely the other 4 days of the week, thanks to the blessing that is modern telecommuting technology. COVID also, while not a blessing in and of itself, helped our company get on board with the idea of remote working, and I have no doubt that (prior to COVID) I almost certainly wouldn’t have been considered for this job without committing to commuting or moving closer. I am very grateful that my work is supportive of my decision to live where I choose (with the understanding that I still need to semi-regularly show my face around the office). This remote-commute balance, I dare say, is working really well.

Other than that, I travel a few times a year for trade shows (Nashville, Toronto, Las Vegas, Moncton, Montreal). It’s fun to be a part of a company that needs me to go abroad from time to time (and even better the times I get to bring my wife with me!).

6. What about photography? Your small business blog?

Until I die, I will never stop taking photos of my family or friends. Expect to still see me walking around with my Fuji to capture daily life. I still take photos all the time; the only change is that my income isn’t tied to it anymore. This hasn’t been as much of a disruption to my creative life as I would’ve thought, because I’ve always documented my family outside of work anyways, and that’s by far the most valuable photographic work I’ll ever make. Also, I’ve written before about how turning your hobby into a day job means giving up that hobby, so I’m excited that photography has become my hobby again. (And don’t get me wrong, it’ll still be a big part of my job at Boshart for the foreseeable future; but now I get the joy of teaching all that I’ve learned in my career to my department).

As for writing on this blog? I get a little out of practice from time to time, but my day job teaches me so much about marketing, sales, and managing, that I could undoubtedly still write a fresh article every week (if I find the dedication to do so). If you’re reading this, it means I haven’t given up on the idea of contributing regularly to my business blog.

7. Wow. All of this sounds awesome. Can we see some of the work you’ve done for Boshart thus far?

Yes! It is awesome. I can’t take all the credit for all the work that comes out of our department (truly), but you can check out some of the projects we’ve worked on below:

1. Hidden Strengths of a Better Gear Clamp

I got an opportunity to step up to the plate and put myself on video for the company. Too much fun! Way harder than it looks (something you’d think I’d know by now) but very satisfying when it all comes together in the end.

2. Stainless Steel PEX Video

The team put together this video to highlight a new product to the company in the summer of 2021. I wasn’t on camera for this one, but I developed the concept of the script and wrote it (based on a blog that another staff had written). We’re proud to say that this video is still talked about in our industry and it made quite a splash. We hope to follow it up eventually.

3. Animated Stainless Steel PEX Video

In terms of content, this video is nearly identical to the video above, but this was an infographic-style video that I recorded the voiceover for, wrote the music for, and animated. I am not an animator by any means, but it was still fun to challenge myself with something I’ve never done before (and hope to never do again lol).