News
Employee Profile: George Keyes
[return]
He's got rhythm, he's got music... who can ask for anything more.
Family Life:
George lives with his wife and two children aged four and five in Portlaoise, where he has always lived except for a short spell, when he was studying for a degree in IT & Business Studies at The Institute of Technology-Carlow, based in South Leinster.
Work History:
George became part of the Smith & McLaurin family around 1988 when SMCL took over the Portlaoise plant of Rotunda Labelstock. He has worked for SMCL ever since and has seen the company through several management changes; in his words he has “worked for six or seven different SMCL’s”. However, he adds that since 2002, when SMCL's current board of directors were brought in, the company has never seen such consistency in its management and direction and that SMCL is the epitome of a company that has achieved “success with stealth”.
George never expected to become a salesman. He has worked in many different roles within the company, starting in production planning, leading on to customer services, followed by purchasing and logistics, and finally ending up as our Irish Sales Manager in the mid 90s. Till 1995 the Irish market did not have its own dedicated sales representative and instead came under the ambit of the Sales Manager for Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. However, the rapidly growing Irish market soon needed more attention and George was an ideal candidate as he knew the business from multiple perspectives and was an expert on Irish label and print market.
He defines his current role at SMCL as “ultimately that of a Sales Manager for Ireland, but I am also a technical salesman and a logistics salesman” . George also keeps an eye on our warehousing facilities in Dublin and is not only responsible for maintaining our existing market share but also for gaining new business. When asked what his defining moment as our Irish sales manager was, he replies instantly, “breaking the three million sterling in sales mark in 2004, was hugely rewarding”. His favourite part about his work is the fact that every day brings new challenges and no two days are ever the same.
Interests:
Music is George’s passion. He currently plays lead guitar in a jazz band called the Big Spoon who recently played at the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival 2009 - a four day celebration from the 23rd to the 26th of October where the cream of jazz performed, with over 120 acts appearing on 28 stages spread throughout the festival. 
The Big Spoon are a five piece funky soul jazz band from Portlaoise who have been playing together for over two years and are a firm favourite with lovers of motown, soul and the blues. George mentions that they recently welcomed a new band member, who plays jazz on his violin and brings a whole new dimension to their sound and who incidentally is from Aberdeen and is settled in Portlaoise!
If interested you can either watch George strut his stuff on stage or a quick search on YouTube, might result in a few clips. 
http://www.guinnessjazzfestival.com/index.php
Future Plans:
In the current economic climate George believes that it is vitally important to be aware of what we have achieved to date and to do everything we can to maintain and hold on to that, while at the same time continuously striving to develop new business avenues. He adds “we’ve got to adapt and work with the times, given recent unprecedented changes in the market, particularly in Ireland”.
Posted on 09 November, 2009
