Although Bob Gonsiorowski just joined the Chicago Communications team in 2021, he brings almost three decades of experience in communications and electronics to his position as Director of Indiana Operations.
Bob spent 28 years with Miner Electronics, which Chicago Communications acquired on April 5, 2021. As one of the people ensuring a smooth merger process, Bob devotes some of his workday to the details of combining the two companies while also overseeing operations at the Munster, Indiana, office.
Selling Solutions
Bob graduated from Indiana University in 1990 with a math major and studied engineering for two years at Purdue University. He appreciated and grasped the technical aspects of communications, and felt drawn to sales. “I started out as a sales rep and really enjoyed the technology and being able to develop solutions to customer challenges,” says Bob. He quickly proved himself in the sales role and was promoted to sales manager, a role he thrived in for 10 years. He spent the latter part of his career as vice president of operations, managing both the sales and technical aspects of Miner Electronics.
Collaborative Consultation
Bob is energized by customer contact — discovering what customers do and which communications solutions will help them do their jobs better. “I like to sit down and figure out how we can solve challenges and come up with solutions,” he says. “I work in a way that’s consultative and collaborative with the customer, rather than just walking in and saying ‘How many do you want and how much do you want to spend?’”
“I still have customers from when I was a sales rep that call me directly because that’s who they have the relationship with,” he says. “They like to talk to me, and they know that I don’t talk too technically to them. I try to pinpoint their issues and try to come up with solutions. I use layman’s terms so they can understand it. And as often as I can, I try to get out in the field and meet with customers, even if it’s just to stop by and say ‘hi’ — that’s what I enjoy most about our industry.”
Lasting Relationships
As an example of the importance of lasting relationships, Bob developed a strong connection with the director of operations at a suburban 911 communications center. “We just had a great relationship. I helped them rebuild their dispatch center,” says Bob. “At the time, they couldn’t afford the Motorola solution. So I helped them upgrade what they had.”
Now, several years later, that customer is able to purchase a Motorola console, and Bob is helping them make it happen. He understands that investing in a new system can feel a little scary. He’s happy to be a trusted guide in the process, and that trust is built over years of service and helping people.
Bob the Builder
When he’s not in the office or on the golf course, Bob enjoys working on remodeling and building projects in his home. “Any work that needs to be done on my house, I very rarely hire somebody to do it,” he says. “When I get off work, I let go of all the stresses of the day by being a craftsman. I build and fix my own things.”
Lately, he’s discovered he has a knack for building corn hole (bean bag) game boards and wine racks. He gives and sells the games to friends and uses the wine racks to store the wine he makes with his neighbors. “We were making so much wine we had nowhere to store it,” he says.
Bob is thankful for his family for providing the stability needed during the tumultuous changes of the pandemic. “My wife and my children and my faith just were always there for me,” he says. And now the family has a new member. “We recently got a new dog, and I can’t tell you how much it means to come home to that puppy sitting there with a toy in her mouth, wanting to play and be petted!”
