An Interview with Kelson Wheeler

We’re lucky to have so many great people working at FireAvert. They’re so great, in fact, that we want you to get to know them as well! The first of our employees we want you to meet is Kelson Wheeler. If you’ve ever approached us with questions about our products, you’ve likely spoken to him. Along with assisting you with your questions about FireAvert, Kelson also manages our warehouse, shipping operations, and helps with product development—a real jack of all trades! Here are some excerpts from the conversation we had with Kelson.

Q.What does a typical day at work look like for you?

A. 9-10am – Get caught up on the office needs from the previous day (sales team inventory, shipping requests, and development testing).

10-11am – Test returned product, diagnose potential solutions to issues we are having, and work with the rework team to make the appropriate changes. Make phone calls to customers to make sure the product is functioning properly and/or troubleshooting with them over the phone.

11am – 12pm – Work with the CTO on next gen FireAvert, and the testing associated with getting the product ready for prototyping and manufacturing.

12:30pm – 2:30pm – Pick, pack, and ship all incoming orders and replacement orders. If needed, provide shipping labels to clients for returning product.

2:30pm- 3pm – Load the FedEx truck with all that day’s shipments, then report tracking numbers to the sales team.

3-5pm – Complete any tasks that have not been completed from the earlier sections. Lights out and lock up.

Q. So, Kelson, what part of your job at FireAvert do you enjoy the most? 

A. FireAvert provides me with ample opportunity to learn and challenge myself. Our most recent challenge comes in the form of barcoding. I graduated with a degree in Economics, so my field of expertise is stretched far beyond my formal education, however, I get the opportunity to learn first hand how barcoding helps companies to scale, opens new avenues of success, and pushes me to be more adaptable. In my book this is where real enjoyment comes from – betterment of self.

Q. What is one of your most exciting or proud moments that you’ve had on the job? 

A. When we moved out of Peter’s basement and into an office, I consolidated inventory, lowered warehousing costs, and took over all the logistics for FireAvert. This all happened through a negotiation our own FedEx account and opening our own warehouse. FireAvert has saved around 25k a year in shipping costs alone, which in turn keeps my position open for business.

Q. What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? What are you excited about doing/accomplishing in 2019?

A. My spare time is spent completing projects for my wife. I love being handy and making things new that were once old, or building things that have not been built before. Recently, we took the under the stairs closet at our apartment and turned it into a kid’s toy room (it is a deep closet). And this week I am putting new tires and brakes on my scooter.

My son started walking about a month ago, so my excitement for 2019 is being able to teach him how to play soccer, run around, and enjoy being a kid.