Get to know Jarrod Bowren, National Sales Manager

Houston’s welcomed Jarrod Bowren (Bore-in) to the family as a Regional Manager on February 20th, 2006, to grow and cultivate current and new customers for the company. He is based out of Derby, Kansas and began working with a region that included 4 states, which eventually expanded to 8 states, and on up to 17 states at a single time.

Jarrod is now the National Sales Manager, which means working with Houston’s 6 Regional Managers and all other departments to continuously service our customers while striving to increase revenue and profits.

When asked what his favorite thing about working with Houston’s is he said, “Having fun with our teammates. Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to work with some great teammates who have become great friends. I was lucky enough to have teammates help me evolve and improve as both a man and a sales rep, now I have the opportunity to carry on this tradition and help our current team grow as both people and Houston’s employees. And of course we have fun while we work and improve!!”

Outside of work, Jarrod enjoys spending time with his family, which includes playing dress up with their two daughters. He also loves hunting for whitetail deer with a bow and fishing for bass. “I love these activities because they are challenging, outdoors, and I can take a break from technology and get to teach our daughters.”

When asked for a random fact about himself, Jarrod said, “I played three sports in high school- Cross Country, basketball,

Jarrod Bowren, National Sales Manager, enjoy hunting and fishing in his off time

and baseball. I received a baseball scholarship my senior year and decided not to play basketball so the swim team asked me to dive. I ended up taking second in our city league in diving. There were only two divers. This was fun and very humbling experience. It was also the first and last time I wore a speedo.”

Other little facts about Jarrod “Born to sell” Bowren- his favorite book is Blink by Malcolm Gladwell, “This book represents combining knowledge and one’s gut feeling to assess situations quickly. I use this strategy daily and this book helped me realize how I was doing this without realizing it.” He also loves all genres of music, “it just depends on the environment.”
Next time you see Jarrod in the office or warehouse, be sure to say hello!

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Scuba Scott makes an appearance in the Gulf of Mexico

And then there were seven! Please join us in welcoming the newest member of our Outside Sales Team, Regional Manager, Scott Miller.

Scott comes to us from Libbey and will be taking over the South region – Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Arkansas. Nineteen of his twenty-one years of foodservice industry experience has been based in Texas, which will allow him to reach out and develop those customer relationships further in order to aggressively grow the territory with Houston’s.

Not only is Scott excited to get back to his roots in the great state of Texas, but he is also excited to “work alongside the people I have worked with at Houston’s for the last 2 years in Seattle/Oregon markets.” Scott took over the Pacific Northwest Region for Libbey after the retirement of long-time Libbey Rep, Carol Haskell, in 2015. During that time, he’s had the opportunity to get to know Houston’s on many levels – from working in the field with Matt Clark and Angie Lightening, to preparing quotes for Inside Sales, and providing back order and PDP information for Purchasing.

As Scott joins our team at Houston’s, he is faced with the task of expanding his knowledge base to include numerous product categories outside of his expertise in glassware. As a testament to his personality, Scott remains optimistic and excited about this new journey, ” I have been provided a great opportunity to do something different in the industry and I look forward to the challenges. Houston’s has a great reputation in the industry and I am proud to be part of this team.”

Triathlon training

Outside of work Scott enjoys scuba diving, hunting, offshore fishing, mountain biking, and road biking. He also regularly trains for Olympic triathlon competitions with a goal of completing a Half-Ironman in the next 18 months. A recent injury has forced Scott to take a short break from training, but we suspect he’ll be back at it as soon as he can.

In addition to training for his new position, triathlon training, and all his hobbies, Scott is in the process of moving from Washington back to his home state of Texas. Be sure to say hello next time you see Scott in the office, and ask about his latest competition or fishing trip.

Until then, welcome to the Houston’s team, Scott! We are happy to have you with us! And we hope that broken ankle heals quickly.  

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When he isn’t traveling to visit customers or working coffee shows, Doug enjoys his down time by getting up early to have time for himself and spending time with his family. His hobbies include strategic and historical board games (chess being a favorite), playing guitar, and listening to heavy metal music. He loves to delve into American colonial history, feudal era Japanese military history, or any other military history. He puts this passion into practice by making his own period correct clothing and equipment for “Living History Presentations.” When asked to elaborate on these presentations, Doug enthusiastically explained, “I’m a living history presenter, colonial era (1758-1780). I like to teach people about Carolina history, and how to track animals/people.” Teaching colonial survival skills to students, who come to the presentations and competitive black powder competitions (muzzleloading rifles), are also a part of his love of history.

Next time you speak to Doug ask him about his latest “Living History” experience or jam session and enjoy getting to know your regional!

Inside of the Indigent Hut. Photos courtesy of Doug

Indigent Hut, “basically lodging for people passing through, or people who weren’t soldiers but were under the protection of the fort during times of war or raids. It could also house merchants, clergy, or other tradesman who couldn’t stay in the barracks.”

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