You’ve probably seen all the #pumptalk over the last couple months. We have had a wonderful time promoting our featured tradeshows #pumpturbo14 and #weftec14. More than that, we enjoyed connecting with people in the industry.

I would like to shine a spotlight on an amazing young lady, Laura Kozel, who I met recently at the WEFTEC tradeshow. A graduate of the University of Colorado, Laura began working in the family business, Sims Pump Valve Co., with her father, John Kozel. With her father’s history of manufacturing pumps, valves, and impellers, Laura was no stranger to the terms of the industry. No training needed for this one! But her pump knowledge is not why I am so impressed.

Within one month of joining the team, Laura outperformed many seasoned marketing professionals using #pumptalk and communicating digitally across many platforms. “Social media is such a great tool to use because it is available to literally anyone who wants to take advantage of it,” Laura explains. “Anybody can sign up for any of these services, and it is all essentially for free. It is such an innovative way to really get your company out there and be able to interact with all of your customers, both current and potential, in one convenient place.”

To say Laura is a social media marketer would be a huge understatement. She is a digital marketer with design and writing skills who can also sell, as I witnessed firsthand at WEFTEC. “Typical calls, emails, and even traditional marketing tactics can get monotonous, but when you have these newer, exciting platforms, it makes daily tasks even more simplified and engaging,” declares Laura. “Many of our customers are international, so to be able to reach everyone in mere seconds provides unlimited opportunities, including instantaneous feedback.”

I am proud to have met Laura and was excited to hear how she uses social media. “Anytime I want to see the latest in the pump industry, or who could potentially be interested in our product, it is easy to use Twitter and just click on #pumptalk to see what the latest buzz is all about, what tradeshows and events Sims should be attending, and more,” explains Laura. “Utilizing a single hashtag across the pump industry is a streamlined solution for uniting everyone that has the same interests as our company, and makes it easier to network with people who are genuinely invested in the same business as Sims.”

It is refreshing to meet someone who GETS IT! Laura Kozel will be a great asset to the pump industry, and I can’t wait to see what she helps Sims Pump do next!