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May 14, 2010
Forty years ... and counting
Ron Freedman’s sales legacy is continuing with his son, Steve.
BASYA LAYE
Newspapers don’t survive without advertising, and advertising doesn’t happen without a dedicated sales staff. One of the Independent’s committed sales associates – for the past 40-plus years – is Ron Freedman.
Hired in 1968 by publishers Sam and Mona Kaplan, Freedman came from selling ad space in the Calgary Jewish newspaper and found relocating to Vancouver with his wife, Cathy, and their five children, to be a breeze.
Recently, Ron entered semi-retirement and, though he’s reduced his hours, he remains an active part of the sales team.
“I’m 75 and it’s getting a little tougher,” he admitted, “but I still enjoy being in the thick of it, having my ear to the ground.”
Having experienced many of the community’s ups and downs and changes in the newspaper, from editorial staff to the members of the sales team – including the addition of his son, Steve, as sales associate in 1982 – Ron was particularly pleased when Cynthia Ramsay came on board as publisher in 1999. “The last change was Cynthia – it’s been the best change so far. She’s been very kind to me and we get along very well.”
As for working with his son, it’s worked to everyone’s advantage, including advertisers, Ron said. “I’ve worked with my son for many years and we’re sort of a team.”
Having always enjoyed selling, Ron said he’s particularly fond of “the approach.... I’m selling for about 50 years. I started in Calgary, was there for about nine years, at the Jewish paper. I responded to an ad for a sales position with the JWB. I worked in collections first and then I was promoted to selling. I loved Vancouver. [My wife] was ecstatic to be back in Vancouver,” where she grew up.
Ron has lost none of his enthusiasm for sales. “I love selling, I always have. I’ve passed on some of my accounts to my son and, I think, the advertisers appreciate hearing the same name and a similar voice.”
Ron’s not just active in the sales world. He and Cathy love to travel, preferring to go by cruise ship. Recently, they have visited Alaska, Hawaii and the Caribbean. Very active in their legion and in activities at their local seniors centre, the Freedmans also recently went to the Oregon coast by bus with a group of other adventurous seniors. His favorite activity, though, remains crib. Ron and Cathy play twice a week at the seniors centre with a large group of committed players. There, Ron tries out his sizeable repertoire of jokes and keeps his relationship-building skills up to speed. “I have a good sense of humor – I like to keep the old ladies happy.”
As for his father, Steve is amazed at how easy it’s been over the years they’ve worked together. “He’s the greatest. We do a lot of interacting – father and son. These days, in semi-retirement, he’s passed on some of his accounts, and I’m carrying on the Freedman sales tradition. It’s an easy switch for people – I phone and say I’m Ron’s son and they say, ‘You sound like him.’”
When he started, Steve said, he had an opportunity to learn from his father. With desks right next to each other at the Heather Street JWB office, “I worked right next to him, so I could hear him on the phone. Listening to his many sales calls when I first started, when I finally started doing this full-time, I was already pretty comfortable.”
Sometimes taking “for granted all the years that went by and we worked together,” Steve said about his father, “he’s still got something to teach me. He’s amazing for his age. He’s a born salesman. He loves to sell and it keeps him busy. He likes talking to people. He’s strong and he’s amazing at developing those relationships – they know him in two seconds.”
Father: 42 years and counting. Son: 28 years and counting. The Freedman legacy continues.
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