“Inside the Mountain”: Making a difference for a customer that lasts for years

After nearly two decades at Iron Mountain, Joe Spitz knows that every customer has different needs. To succeed, “You have to adapt your business to their business.”

One time, he adapted so well that he improved their business for years to come.

Iron Mountain took over a large data management account from a smaller company that could no longer provide what the customer needed. Now we had to deliver the upgrade they expected. And they expected a lot.

“They already had an established workflow,” Joe said. “We also had to adapt to their security needs, which were beyond our normal practice, just to be able to service them.”

Working as a coordinator, Joe made multiple site visits and more phone calls than he can remember to understand their needs, including requiring our employees to have guest badges and an escort at all times.

Most importantly, he melded their workflow with ours to create an efficient process that benefitted both sides.

“It turned into one of our biggest accounts,” Joe said. “And, years later, I still see a lot of those processes in play.”

Meet Joe Spitz, Transportation Supervisor, Pennsylvania

When Joe started as a driver, he saw Iron Mountain as a temporary gig. “Then I started and realized how great the environment is.” Nearly 20 years later, he’s risen to transportation coordinator (and Sentinel coach, mentoring new Mountaineers and helping them find their footing in the company) and now transportation supervisor, managing more than 20 Mountaineers. “His team trusts and respects him, and if he says he is going to do something, he will,” said Douglas Rayment, his manager. “He is 100% dedicated to not only doing great work but also doing what it takes to meet or exceed our customers' expectations.”

Question: What part of the job do you take the most pride in?

Answer: Helping my team succeed any way I can. The job's pretty dynamic. I have to make sure that my employees are safe and as efficient as possible. I spend the first hours of each day setting up the team to have the best day that they can.

Question: What did being a driver teach you?

Answer: When you’re a driver, you're in the customer retention business. You make sure that your customer wants to stay with us and not go anywhere else.

Question: You’ve earned multiple promotions. What do you credit with your success?

Answer: I always wanted to learn what the next guy was doing. My advice is, don't be afraid to ask to learn something new. It takes you out of your comfort zone, but the more you learn what else is going on in the company, the more valuable you can be at the job.

Question: What is your approach to managing a team?

Answer: One supervisor told me, "My task is to teach you how to do my job, so you can take over from me.” I use that with my coordinator now. I tell him, “I’m here to help you in your position, but, ultimately, I want to train you on how to do what I do, so that when you’re ready to take that next step, you’re ready.”