Spotlight Chris Albes
Spotlight
Chris Albes (IBDP Co-Chair
Programs Committee)
Interview by Guy Cleveland
1. Welcome Chris, please tell us about yourself.
I’m Chris Albes, Co-Chair of the IBDP NYC Programs Committee, Director of Sponsorship for CoreNet NYC’s Public Policy and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committees, and a member of IFMA NYC.
2023 was a big year: I got married to my loving wife, Anna Millena, in June & we adopted a rescue pup this past fall. As such, I haven’t had much time for hobbies lately, but I love cooking and being outdoors. Whether trail running, hiking, or kayaking, nature helps me to re-center. I was a Boy Scout, worked in outdoor retail for close to 10 years and attended CU Boulder (Go Buffs!) for a reason… but before everyone assumes – I don’t ski or snowboard.
2. Where do you work and what is your role? When/how did you get started there?
Director of Business Development for LaCOUR Inc., a 3rd generation family owned, contract furniture (design and manufacturing) firm in Fairfield, NJ with global clientele. We specialize in trading desks and command and control rooms. My primary role involves establishing new business relationships and growing existing ones. I also serve as an account executive for my clients and provide marketing and sales support for our team.
I joined LaCOUR close to 5 years ago as the Showroom Manager. I had spent the 3 years prior as a live-in aide to my grandma, she’s still vibrant at 103 years old! I was looking to rejoin the traditional workforce when I got a call from my friend, Ben Kerr, who is COO at LaCOUR, who asked if I would be interested in managing his showroom at the New York Design Center for him. My retail background made a great fit and we had a built-in trust and respect.
The first year I learned the business, oversaw the physical buildout of our current showroom, and was able to start building a book of my own. When COVID 19 effectively shut down the showroom (and everything else), I transitioned into Business Development. The pandemic served as a great opportunity for me to get my bearings within the industry, attending every networking call and webinar I could fit into my day. When the world started to re-open, I found myself with a robust network borne out of those virtual calls.
3. List some factors that contribute to your success.
The #1 factor is the people around you. My team at LaCOUR are brilliant: what we sell is custom by nature and I’m consistently impressed with their ability to find creative solutions to meet the needs of our clients.
My friends, family and network are also super supportive. Always willing to provide help where they can, knowing I would do the same for them.
Of course, family is the most important. I’ve been blessed with a truly great one and looking forward to continuing growing it with Anna Millena.
Personal traits wise; Openness is the umbrella term I would attribute success to. Which ties into a few others.
Adaptable: As an infant, I suffered a traumatic brain injury that left me with limited use of my left side. I’ve become great at adapting because of it. I served on my hometown’s volunteer fire department for 5 years, and played competitive baseball, basketball & soccer growing up, which required persistence, patience, and determination. Learning to adapt also means being open to (and asking for) help in many circumstances.
Gregarious: My mom nicknamed me “the Mayor” of my preschool. As I would greet by name everyone we encountered in the halls. My wife refers to me as her “Golden Retriever.” I’m always open to meet new people and make new friends.
Curious: I always want to know how things work. I love working puzzles and discovering unexpected connections, luckily that easily translates to people too -at least that’s how I justify my degree in psychology.
4. Give advice to those starting their careers in Business Development
BD is the long play, you shouldn’t expect success overnight. It takes time to build trust in relationships and trust is why people buy. Be consistent, open, and genuine and it’ll come, as long as you follow up.
5. What is your passion?
Helping others. I understand deeply how I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for others helping me. I owe countless people, for literally keeping me alive, and for being where I am today. I can’t thank all of them, so I adapted an ethos of serial reciprocity (pay it forward) and constantly gravitated towards organizations with the same values, Scouting, Volunteer Fire Department and of course IBDP.
6. Please tell us about the range and type of projects you are involved in.
LaCOUR is a custom by nature, batch manufacturer. Although we focus locally (as most of our clients are headquartered in NYC or Connecticut) we work on projects globally. I’m currently working on projects in Mexico City, Boston, Dallas and New York. Whether 1 desk or multi-phased, full floors of 400-500 desks, each project is treated the same, collaborating with client and their project team to design the product that best meets the needs of our client, manufacturing and overseeing the delivery and installation through punch list.
People often ask me what makes a trading desk different than any other desk. My reply is typically “Nothing. Until you are 30 seconds into discussing the equipment list and they also want it to be height adjustable”. It’s a puzzle to solve figuring out what goes where and how so every piece of equipment is properly accommodated Day 1 and easy to adjust for Day 2 changes.
7. Anything else you would like everyone to know about?
I feel like I over shared here. Can’t wait to be on the other side of the conversation. If you’d like to get to know me better, feel free to connect with me! chris.albes@icloud.com (201) 214- 9402