Hagerman & Company congratulates employee Daum Hazners on retirement

A native of Latvia, Daum is mindful and proud of his heritage. He escaped the occupation of the Russians as a child, and ultimately came to America where he graduated from Rutgers University.

One of the best salesmen I have ever known, Daum came to us in the early 90’s when we were getting started in the Chicago MCAD market. It was a market he knew well, having spent several years with Computerland of Lake County, which had a department dedicated to CAD, and serving as Dean of the Department of Engineering at Lake County Community College.

Daum helped to establish us as a leader in MCAD in Chicagoland. While our competitors either failed or sold out, Hagerman & Company has been able to succeed and grow in Chicago, despite all the efforts of competitors to defeat us. We have done that through an aggressive and consistent effort to take care of customers.

Daum is probably the most indefatigable person I have met in business. He worked with the energy and zeal of a 20-something, well up into his 60s. Commuting to Schaumburg from Antioch, which is over an hour commute, he was always at his desk well before 8 AM, usually opening the office, making coffee and getting organized so he could hit the phones when the business day began.

With the tenacity of a bulldog, Daum pursued all opportunities to find and close business, always putting the customers’ interests first. His entire sales approach, which I have observed many times over the years, was based on the customers’ needs and how our solution would serve those needs best. His customers were among the most loyal in the company, as they knew they could depend on Daum looking out for them.

In terms of compatibility, Daum was absolutely loyal to the company; we seemed to share the values of hard work and integrity which are so difficult to find today. Our approach to business management was never a problem with him. We never had serious differences, although he lobbied hard for the lowest prices for his customers.

The vendors we represent had a hard time understanding Daum; unfortunately they often had salespeople who were far less hard-working than he and showed little alacrity when dealing with customer issues. But all of us at Hagerman & Company recognize that responding immediately to customer issues is absolutely essential. When we represented SDRC, which has since passed into oblivion, we had to endure the arrogance and condescension of their reps toward Daum, and, indeed, the rest of us as well, even as he was selling up a storm of software for them.

Daum even found and brought to us a replacement for his position – his longtime friend and associate in the CAD business, Arthur Schmidt. Arthur is now working in Daum’s former office in Schaumburg and is doing an excellent job. I know Daum will be keeping tabs on him to be sure his tenure is successful.

Thanks for everything, Daum, and may you enjoy a fulfilling and richly deserved retirement!