Gregg Pepper is Superior Industrial Supply’s Operation Manager and is responsible for a myriad of business activities including managing customer service, information technology, accounting and human resources. He also sits on the leadership team and is invested in developing new ways to improve customer relationships, eliminate process waste and help his team work more efficiently.

1. Tell us about your experience prior to joining the Superior team.

I’m a graduate from the University of Missouri – St. Louis and majored in finance and accounting. I spent the first seven years of my career in the corporate leasing division of a bank that handled private label leasing of medical equipment. As time went on, I became a credit and loan analyst before moving on to a manufacturing company. There, I stayed on in a similar capacity for another 11 years where I developed and oversaw a large project called the Shared Services Division (SSD). SSD essentially brought accounts payable from various manufacturing plants around the country, in-house. From there, the company was able to manage everything from accounts receivable and accounts payable to general ledger transactions. It allowed us more control over business functions which enabled us to streamline and focus on lean process improvements.

Before coming onboard with Superior, I worked for Citi Mortgage through the entire stock market crash and real estate crisis.

2. What do you love most about working at Superior Industrial Supply?

The people here care about one another and our customers. Our average tenure is about 15 years. We have some who have just come aboard, but we have several employees who have been with Superior for over 30 years. I’ve been here for almost nine years and you really get to build relationships with one another. You know if someone is struggling with an illness or is having a baby. You know what’s going on in people’s lives and truly want the best for them. That’s what makes it pleasurable to get up in the morning and come to work every day.

3. What is something not many people know about you?
In the midst of my finance and accounting career, my wife and I took a leap of faith and invested in an inflatable bounce house franchise which we ran successfully for about 3 years. It was one of those moments we knew if we didn’t take the plunge, we would always be left wondering ‘what if’.

I’m also an avid bass fisherman, a superfan of the Blues hockey organization and a huge collector of vinyl records — particularly classic and progressive rock. My most prized record is from a local band called Gypsy. Take a listen to what I personally rank as one of the greatest classic rock songs of all time from them.

4. Would you like to share a message with Superior’s customers?
As I work primarily behind the scenes, I don’t have much opportunity to engage directly with our customers. I want them to know that I work side-by-side with those that do and it’s my job to make sure they are properly supported to meet the needs of their customers. Aside from accounting and human resources, I am here to address any problems whether they are stemming from IT issues, managing office supplies and invoicing or making sure staff is compensated and taken care of. My goal is to help ensure that they can perform to the best of their ability.