For Sales Manager Melanie Van De Merwe, the best thing about working at Royal Wolf is the relationships she’s formed with her customers and colleagues. The best thing about life outside of the office? The exhilarating feeling of watching car racing at the speedway.
Melanie is based in Tauranga in New Zealand’s North Island and has been at Royal Wolf for 9 years now. She loves working with her small team and meeting people from different walks of life.
“I’m really blessed with my team. We put in lots of work and at the same time we have lots of fun. There’s always time to crack a joke. I don’t care what time it is, we can always go for a drink and catch up. If you don’t have time for jokes or chatter, it makes for a very long and boring day,” says Melanie.
“My job is always exciting. You meet so many different people and it’s knowing the customers walk out the door happy that’s the best feeling,” she says.
As a Sales Manager, helping clients solve problems is a big part of Melanie’s role. One of her favourite projects came when she was approached by the principal of a local school.
“We modified a 20 foot high container for the kids at Waikino School to do their home economics class in. They had no idea how they were going to go about it, so I worked with the principle and gave her some ideas. We put in electricity to power the cooking appliances — the kids even painted the flooring as part of the project! It was great working with a tight knit community and seeing what the project looked like afterwards. I also loved the opportunity to work so closely with the principal. At the time, she was going through a personal issue and we actually formed a close friendship. We met on a more personal level and I gave her encouragement,” says Melanie.
The modified Royal Wolf shipping container for Waikino School.
When Melanie’s not in the office, she can be found at the speedway. “I absolutely love the speedway. Even though I’m based in Tauranga, I go up to Auckland to watch the races. If I had my way, I’d get onto the track and race myself! It’s the excitement and adrenaline of watching it. I’m so disappointed if I miss one,” Melanie says excitedly.
