GAINESVILLE, FL:  Bob Bacchus (BS ISE 1987), Director of Purchasing with TechData, an information technology distributor and Fortune 100 company located in Clearwater, visited with students in the Sales Engineering Seminar on Tuesday, February 12 to talk about his career in sales and movement into management.

Surprisingly in today’s workplace, Bacchus has been with TechData since he graduated from UF, starting as a Sales Associate.  He has also served in multiple Director roles.  “It is not too common these days,” said Bacchus, referring to his longevity with one company.  “I’ve been fortunate to get a lot of diversity in roles from one company.”

Bacchus noted that there is a “sweet spot” for those that are technical working in non-technical field (such as sales or marketing) because one brings an analytical side to decision-making.  He encouraged the students to take advantage of this when they start their careers.  “Sales is a great way to start a career,” he said, noting that those in sales are the face of the company.  “Sales is a great way to stay in a career,” he concluded.