Life at OPENLANE: Q&A with Cameron Inch, Vendor Performance Manager, PAR
What has your journey at OPENLANE looked like?
My journey at OPENLANE began on Halloween Day in 2016 with PAR North America. I started on the Assignments Team for about a month, but quickly transitioned to the Resolutions Team, handling client and customer complaints. After approximately six months, I filled in for a team member on the Vendor Relations Team while they were on maternity leave, returning to Resolutions afterward. Two months later, I was offered a full-time position on the Vendor Relations Team, where I’ve been ever since. At the end of January 2024, I accepted a Co-Manager position for our Vendor Relations Team.
What’s something you are most proud of during your time here?
The biggest thing I am proud of during my time with OPENLANE is my ability to build relationships. Relationships with our repossession vendors are everything in Vendor Relations, and being able to have hard and transparent conversations with them because of the rapport I’ve built makes those conversations much easier. This comes with trust, which you build by putting in the time to foster the relationship. Not only do the conversations become easier, but the agents respect you more and are more transparent with you.
What do you like most about working at OPENLANE?
What I like most about OPENLANE is our company culture. Our culture is diverse and fun to be around. When I talk to others about OPENLANE, they are always blown away when I tell them about the perks we have. We not only work hard at OPENLANE, but we also play hard at times and celebrate our wins together.
What’s a piece of advice for newcomers to the company?
The biggest piece of advice I would have for a newcomer is to be open and accepting of change. The reason I say this is because you have to be willing to adapt to new processes. In our industry, things are constantly evolving and changing, and you have to roll with the punches. Accept change with open arms and get excited about it, and think of how you might be able to improve a process or frustration or customer pain point with a positive attitude.
Which one of your skills assisted you the most with your success?
One skill that has assisted me the most with my success is my ability to pivot. When I was asked if I wanted a position on a different team within PAR, I went for it with no hesitation. That not only contributed to my knowledge but also my ability to be versatile and have an understanding of different teams in our organization. Being open to change is hard for some people, but it pushed me to be in the position I am in now.
What is the last TV show/movie you binged?
My wife and I are big TV show bingers. The last two that we have watched and loved were “Mobland” and “The Day of the Jackal.”
