By Jennifer Meek, Director of Marketing, Charlotte Products Ltd

We are thrilled to welcome Louis Horvath to the Charlotte Products team. Louis will be the Regional Sales Manager for the U.S. Northeast and he comes to our team at the perfect time. As we launch our new and exciting Hand Hygiene Program, Louis is ready to develop relationships with our suppliers and end users throughout the region, providing training, education and in-person meetings to help them learn how this program and our other solutions can make their facilities safer and healthier. I recently caught up with Louis in between onboarding sessions for a little Q+A. Get to know him better by reading our interview, below.

Jennifer Meek: So you just made a big change in your life, in addition to starting a new job here at Charlotte Products. Tell us about it.

Louis Horvath: Yes! My wife Holly and I just moved from California to Vermont this October. I was born and raised in Southern California so this really is a big change for me! We had been coming to visit family in Burlington, VT for many years and we loved to vacation here. Now we live on a farm with a big red barn, chickens and ducks and hope to get some goats and pigs this spring. I’ve made an official transition from “So-Cal guy” to “Vermont farm guy.”

JM: I love to hear stories of people making exciting changes like that in their lives. And we are lucky to have you closer in Vermont. What are some of the things besides collecting farm animals you’ve been getting up to in Vermont?

LH: I love to be outdoors, kayaking and canoeing in camping in the warmer weather. My two German Shepherds, Loki and Thor, are my constant companions. I love to snowboard, which is handy right now with all the snow. Holly and I are both very familiar with snow. She is actually from Calgary, and I lived in Siberia for a few years when I was younger. 

JM: So the transition to a cold and snowy state from sunny California wasn’t too shocking for you. And by the way, it’s great to hear you are married to a Canadian!

LH: I know!

JM: Before you joined our Canadian company, you worked at Waxie Sanitary Supply in the San Diego area. What did you do there?

LH: At Waxie I was a district sales manager covering San Diego County, Southwest Arizona and even part of Mexico for about seven years and I’ve been working directly in the cleaning industry for about a decade. 

JM: How have you seen the cleaning industry change over the years?

LH: When I started selling in the cleaning industry, I thought this would be such an easy industry and I had minimal respect or knowledge for the work. But over those ten years my perception has developed and I have a deep respect for the industry and the workers I meet with. Our products are helping to provide safe and healthy facilities for the public, and they’re also helping businesses grow by giving their customers the confidence to return again and again, whether that is at a hotel, restaurant or a university. I think the public perception is also changing slowly, especially after the pandemic and how we have shifted toward being more aware of public health.

JM: What are you most excited to start doing after you’re done with all of these onboarding meetings and training sessions?

LH: I’m eager to get out and meet end users and talk about solutions, cost effective products. I’m looking forward to doing a lot of that safely in person, not over the phone or a Zoom. After two years of doing so much remotely it is important for us to check in personally and do some hands-on training and build those relationships when we can do it safely.

JM: What resonates with you about the Charlotte Products brand most?

LH: I think sometimes we overthink the work of cleaning but the truth is that the cleaning process can be really streamlined to make it very effective and efficient. I think Charlotte’s products and solutions really do a great job of epitomizing that, and I’m excited to be able to share that message.

JM: Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me, and we all look forward to working with you. 

If you’d like to get in touch with Louis to talk about scheduling a meeting in the Northeast, contact him at louis.horvath@charlotteproducts.com or by phone at 802.478.4020.