- Category: Marketing
- Published on Sunday, 14 October 2012 18:25
- Written by Rizal Raoul Reyes / Correspondent
THE
success of Rockwell Land Corp. is attributed to the dedication,
enthusiasm, talent and focus of the men and women who helped build the
classy brand.
Valerie
Jane Lopez-Soliven, vice president for sales and marketing; and Maria
Lourdes Pineda, vice president for retail and general manager of the
Power Plant Mall, are two of the people who have helped establish the
Rockwell brand to the public.
Soliven has worked with the company for 15 years. She is a licensed broker, but holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel and Restaurant Administration from the University of the Philippines. It is her job to ensure that residential sales and leasing teams will reach and even exceed their revenue target. She is also called the guardian for branding and mentor of the marketing team for Rockwell Land.
Pineda,
who has been working with the company for 12 years, also graduated with
a hotel and restaurant management degree from UP. Prior to joining
Rockwell Land, she worked for four years at Jewelmer International, a
French-Filipino company specializing in exquisite jewelry.
She handles marketing, operations and leasing for Rockwell.
In separate e-mail exchanges with the BusinessMirror, Soliven and Pineda share their working experiences in the company they call home.
You
were deep into what would be a promising career with a popular hotel
chain, yet you switched careers. What prompted the change from hotel to
real estate?
Soliven:
I studied Hotel and Restaurant Administration in UP Diliman, so it was
the usual track that I was to follow. The opportunity for opening
Shangri-La here in the Philippines presented itself, [along] with
extensive training abroad, so I took the position. I was in the hotel
industry from 1990 until 1996.
I
was in hotel operations, and the hours were taxing. In 1996 I was
already married with a child, so with the demanding schedule, a career
move was a clear choice at that time. Rockwell presented the opportunity
through a head hunter [who] offered me a job in Rockwell, which
presented itself as also in the high-end luxury market, in the same
field in which I had the training and the background. More important, it
was the excitement of working with a pioneering property-development
company that attracted me to Rockwell.
Please
describe your working years in Rockwell Land. Can you recall the
exciting, as well as the challenging, times with the company?
Soliven:
The most exciting time to be with Rockwell is now. In the past, we have
been sequential with the way we [proceed] with our developments. Now,
Rockwell is undergoing a rapid expansion, venturing into new markets and different types of developments. It is very different from how we began in terms of pace, but it also brings new opportunities and challenges.
The
Asian financial crisis in 1997—at its worst from 1999 to 2001—was the
most challenging time for the company. Being the main revenue generator
for the company, the pressure on the sales and marketing team was very
strong. It was a difficult time, but because our shareholders were very
supportive, and our leaders strategic and driven, the company was able
to recover. With the introduction of The Manansala, Rockwell was able to
succeed amid the unfavorable market conditions.
One of your responsibilities is to be the guardian of branding. Please describe what exactly that is. What are its components?
Soliven:
Rockwell has remained an impressive and reputable name for 17 years,
and it is the job of the sales and marketing team to preserve that. By
leading my front liners, ensuring that they understand and embody what
it is to be part of Rockwell, so that they are able to champion the
brand. Each sales executive, events associate and digital artist at any
level is a testimony to the quality that Rockwell delivers and defines.
The way we communicate with our audience and the way we provide utmost
service to our clients and customers is what I direct and, through this,
I ensure that our market is able to be aware of, understand and receive
the matchless quality that Rockwell delivers. In the same way that our
project development and design and planning teams work to create
products that are of a high caliber, we safeguard that quality of the
Rockwell name.
What adjustments did you have to make when you moved to the real-estate industry?
Soliven:
Moving from the hotel industry into property development, there were a
lot of differences. The hotel industry is basically service-oriented.
While I was in operations I was heavily into customer service. When I
moved to property development, I took a career in sales and marketing.
However, I was very fortunate to join the company at that time because
the property-development industry was at its peak in 1996. There was
very strong demand for residences.
How would you differentiate the current working environment in the company now and 15 years ago when you joined them?
Soliven:
The growth of the company has indeed changed the way we work. Fifteen
years ago, the sales and marketing team was composed of a small group of
five. Now, as the team head, I lead a group of 120. While working for a
company composed of only 30 is very different from working with a group
of 536, it has always been a dynamic and stimulating working
environment.
The
landscape of the property-development industry has also changed. It is
more competitive now, with the number of developments being offered to
the market steadily increasing. I see this as a good sign, because it is
an indicator that the performance of property developers has impressed
the audience, and that we can continue to provide them with quality
residences.
Why do you consider Rockwell Land a home?
Soliven:
Having been in Rockwell since 1996, I have seen this company grow in
number of employees, in its impressive portfolio and as a brand, and I
feel that I have grown with it, as well. In the same way that I care for
my own home, I also make it a point to pay attention to how well the
company is doing. I make sure that for sales and marketing, everything
is going smoothly, so both our clients and our employees have a great
experience. I also treat my team much like my family. I care for them,
make sure that they are excelling, and that there are supportive
relationships within the team.
How do you balance career and parenting?
Soliven:
Managing both career and parenting is a tough act. It’s a cliché but
it’s true. The key is to just spend quality time. I’m able to manage
both by just spending as much time with my husband and my children as I
can. When I’m at work, I am completely focused on it, but when I get
home I try to shut everything else out and make sure that all of my time
is spent for myself or with my family.
What made you stay with Rockwell for the past 12 years?
Pineda:
I remained in Rockwell because I was able to see how the company
consistently delivered quality in various aspects of its operations and
in different business units. I started in the Rockwell Club, but because
my background was really in sales, eventually I was moved to sales and
marketing, where I stayed for close to four years. Nestor J. Padilla,
our president, offered me the position as general manager of the Power
Plant Mall, and by January of 2005, I was already in retail. In my
experience working with these different teams I saw how Rockwell had a
clear vision and deep understanding of what the market wanted, and was
able to provide luxury in all areas—residential, commercial and leisure.
Most of all, I believe in the vision of the company and in the
leadership of our president, Tong Padilla.
How would you compare the scenario when you joined the company and the current environment?
Pineda:
The year I joined the company was the most difficult times for
Rockwell. We were debt-ridden. It also was the height of the Asian
financial crisis. We struggled in sales but despite all those
hindrances, we saw the company through its debts and now we are a
publicly listed company and remains stronger than ever with the
prospects of a lot of growth.
What is it like to manage the Power Plant Mall?
Pineda: Managing
the Power Plant Mall is a very rewarding experience. While I am trying
to balance time for meetings, making presentations and tenant concerns, I
have a team of highly competent and driven managers who are able to
lead their own teams and keep the Power Plant Mall running smoothly. I
find that it is important to focus on who our market is, and what they
want, in order to make better decisions on how to provide residents and
mallgoers with the Rockwell experience.
Do
you think marketing the Rockwell brand, particularly the Power Plant
Mall, has an edge over the competition since it has a niche market?
Pineda:
In the Power Plant Mall, we believe that luxury is not only material
but also largely about the experience. We have a balanced mix of
mainstream concepts and brands along with our select home-grown unique
concepts. Everyone needs a hardware store, a supermarket, a cinema, a
bookstore, but the Power Plant Mall levels it up in terms of the
customer-service experience and the interiors. It’s in the way the
service is delivered that makes it extraordinary. By doing more to
provide customers with quality experience, I think is what helps us to
remain a step ahead.
Since Rockwell belongs to the high-end market, do you have an advantage in attracting new clients?
Pineda: I think since we continue to work on strengthening the community we created and consistently elevate the service and quality we offer our clients,
the attraction of new clients will always be there. If you have a good
track record and credibility built on trust and dependability,
admiration from around will come.
What adjustments did you make when you joined Rockwell? Did it require you to unlearn previous work styles?
Pineda: I
started my career in the jewelry business, which is synonymous with
luxury. My training brought me to different parts of Europe and Asia.
For four years I was trained to develop the eye for the finer things in
life, which is something that helped me when I began my work in
Rockwell. Both the jewelry business and Rockwell are focused on the
quality.
How do you balance career and parenting?
Pineda:
My children are already grown up, and are beginning careers for
themselves, but during the weekends, my husband and I make it a point to
always go out and unwind with the family. My husband is also very busy,
and he’s as stressed as I am, but we make sure that the family allots
time for each other.
In Photo:Valerie Jane Lopez-Soliven and Maria Lourdes Pineda
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