Spotlight on Diversity February 2023
Carl Jenkins Puts His Best Foot Forward
As a Latino, Manufacturers’ Rep Carl Jenkins takes the good with the bad, mastering the art of the first impression.
O’Blaney Rinker Sales Rep Carl Jenkins identifies as Latino – half Puerto Rican and half Panamanian – though he is often identified as African-American. Born in the Bronx with deep family roots there, he moved to a suburban neighborhood in Upstate New York when he was 12. This culture shock at an early age provided valuable life lessons about inequity and perseverance that serve him to this day.
"I knew that I had to take education seriously, but it was a far cry from what I was used to in the city. I was blown away to see amenities like lockers and extracurriculars that I thought were only on TV,” he remembered. When first enrolled at the public middle school in Warwick, the curriculum was advanced compared to public school in the Bronx, and the administrators wanted to hold him back a year. Jenkins flatly refused: "I wanted to stay on course, and I worked hard until I caught up. I stayed with it and got through it."
He calls it an early awakening to how life can be different according to where you live. “It made me appreciate all the steps my parents took to improve my education and provide opportunities that I wouldn’t have had if we’d stayed in the Bronx."
Jenkins entered the lighting industry via the Crestron lighting controls division. He was working in auto sales, and a friend, William Schafer, was a manager at Crestron. He checked it out and made the leap, about 9 years ago.
Sales Provides an Entrance to Lighting
With subsequent tours in distributor and counter sales and then manufacturing, he’s landed at a rep firm. He expressed gratitude to Schafer and thanked Veronica Adorno for showing him the power of sales. He met Jennifer Mason when he was working at a distributor, and she brought him over to O’Blaney Rinker. "At our company, we’re very tight knit. Jennifer saw my potential and Jessie [Yesenia Grillo] sharpened my sales skills, but the mentoring comes from everyone. We share knowledge with each other and do our best to make sure we all have the tools we need to succeed. Any new hire that comes in, we pay it forward. We all take turns and do everything we can to help them."
Jenkins feels that O’Blaney Rinker is very inclusive and reflects the wide diversity of New York City. But out in the field, he has experienced both positive and negative impacts of being a person of color. “When I first started, I would go in on a sales call and immediately be taken for a messenger. So I started showing up in a shirt and tie, which James [O’Blaney] and Caroline [Rinker] thought was odd.” Jenkins explained that he has to try harder to “look the part” in order to avoid being sent down to the mailroom immediately. Instead of explaining himself each time, he dresses with care when making sales calls, so he is recognized immediately as a professional. “It’s sad, but I do have to deal with that on a regular basis. I have to overcompensate on that first impression, which is something my peers are not required to do.”
That foot in the door is so crucial because lighting is very difficult to convey over the internet or Zoom: it’s experiential. “Product demonstrations can activate a designer’s creativity, which leads to better jobs and larger jobs,” Jenkins explained. “Once I can get through the door, I’m able to establish a good relationship. And that’s what being a manufacturers’ rep is: relationships.”
There can also be a positive side. “I was calling and emailing one potential customer, but was getting nowhere. I showed up in-person in my shirt and tie, looking the part, and introduced myself and made a pitch. The owner took me aside after and said she’d been discussing how there aren’t many Black professionals in the industry. I had to say, I haven’t run into many.” It turned out that she needed a good resource for architectural lighting, and she’s become one of Jenkins’ best clients. He believes that conversations about race benefited that relationship.
Communications During COVID
Jenkins understood the importance of face-to-face communication and putting your best foot forward, but COVID drove those lessons home. O’Blaney Rinker pivoted to online educational and manufacturer presentations during COVID. "We had to stay relevant and keep in touch. When everything opened back up, we were one of the first on their docket."
In producing these webinars during COVID, the firm relied on Jenkins for his technical savvy. He had some experience with technical communications in community college, which has always benefited him in sales. "Then when I was selling cars, I was in the internet department. I was constantly trying to find ways to maintain connections to customers. When COVID started, I showed James and Caroline my old videos, and they got fired up!” Mason and Jenkins and the rest of the team ran with it: renting a small studio and shooting and editing more than 75 videos over the course of 2 years. “We took it pedal-to-the-metal to make sure we stayed in front of our clients. Putting our best foot forward."
