In mid-February Alex Meinema started at STYLE in the new position of Export Manager. He will support our dealers, especially in the South of Europe, and look for new STYLE dealers to expand our market. We spoke briefly with Alex about his new position and the first weeks at STYLE.

Who is Alex?

“My name is Alex Meinema and I have been living in Zaragoza, Spain for 35 years now. I was born in the Netherlands and completed my studies here, which makes dealing with my Dutch colleagues and adapting to the culture of the company a lot easier. Years ago during a holiday in Spain I met my current wife. After a short period back in the Netherlands to fulfill my military service, I definitely returned to Spain.”

“In recent years I have worked for the Spanish lathe manufacturer Pinacho, where I was responsible for North and South America and later also for the EU, Africa and the Near and Middle East. In an interim period of 2 years I also worked for a Spanish machine importer of Machining Centers and Slant Bed Lathes from China and Taiwan.

The fact that Alex speaks Dutch is very useful for communication with his Dutch colleagues, but he is also fluent in Spanish, English and German and can get along very well in French and Portuguese. As a result, together with his commercial background and his extensive experience as an employee in all phases of the distribution column, with the exception of the customer, the position of Export Manager is tailor-made for him.

Why did you choose to work at STYLE?

“Since my start at the Spanish competitor, I have followed STYLE with suspicion. The contacts I had with the management of STYLE were already very good at the time, we just clicked. The company’s characteristics immediately appealed to me. STYLE is very customer oriented, something that was handled differently at my previous employers. In addition, the philosophy of the company with regard to work, atmosphere, organization and culture appeals to me enormously. I also really like the thinking behind the Nivora Foundation and its solid financial construction gives me the necessary stability and security for the future”.

What does a future day as an Export Manager look like?

The days can be divided into different aspects. I am then:

1. Traveling to visit new dealers, connect and promote STYLE in the countries assigned to me.

2. Working from home to conduct market research, write to prospect dealers, analyze new distributors and discuss day-to-day sales issues with our appropriate departments and dealers.

3. Or I’m on the road to follow up with current dealers, visit customers with their salespeople, technical support and encourage them to sell STYLE CNC machines.

How do you like working at STYLE so far?

“I had already visited STYLE in the previous building, after which we always kept the contacts warm. Because of this, expectations were already high before I started. After the intensive training week, I must honestly say that these expectations have been exceeded; it has gone much further than expected. The working atmosphere is excellent and I have been offered help from all sides from my new colleagues. No expense has been spared to ensure that I can do my job well, together with the entire STYLE team. I have received all the tools to be able to function properly back in Spain so that soon I will have full responsibility without apologies to help as many dealers as possible who understand the STYLE philosophy to put it into practice.