Employee Spotlight: Luis Valverde, Customer Service Representative

Luis Valverde is a customer service representative at Shepard. Based in Atlanta, he’s been working with the company since December 2021. 

How he got his start: Shepard may be Luis’s first foray into the events world—but he was cultivating his customer service skills long before officially joining the team, primarily in retail roles. His most recent job was at a sporting goods company, where he helped customers with their online orders and other questions. “It’s definitely where my strong customer service skills come from—and it really prepared me to work with exhibitors the way I do now,” he says. 

But Luis’s friendly nature and supportive personality date back to his childhood. “I’ve always been a people person and a chatterbox. I just like talking!” he says with a laugh. “I like getting to know people and learning all the little details that make them interesting. I think everyone has something unique to give the world, and I always strive to find that out about people.” 

Why he loves Shepard: At Shepard, Luis serves as a customer service rep, where he’s tasked with helping exhibitors by answering their questions, coordinating their orders and material handling, and much more. He saw the role as a way to capitalize on his past experience and extroverted personality while also broadening his horizons and experience level.

His time at Shepard has really allowed him to sharpen the communications skills and proper etiquette required for a customer-facing role, he says—and his hard work has paid off as he’ll soon be stepping into a lead customer service role. “It’s been just over one year at the company, and I’ve already had these amazing opportunities.” 

Why he loves events: Other than all the people he gets to meet in the role, Luis was also drawn to the travel aspect of the event industry. “When I was told that a large portion of my job would be travel, I thought, ‘I’m down. Let me travel the world!’” 

Memorable moment: Luis has loved being exposed to new industries through the event world, reflecting on his recent experience working with the Shepard team at the Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show, or MANTS. It even helped spark inspiration for his newfound gardening hobby. “It was just very, very entertaining to see all these new plants and flowers and learn so many new things, like how to properly maintain your plants,” he says.

Where he finds inspiration: Unsurprisingly, Luis is most motivated by the people he surrounds himself with. “I strive to make my work environment very positive and uplifting,” he says.

Fun fact: Luis collects Funko Pop figurines; he currently has about 70 in his collection. “And growing!” he adds. 

The advice he’d give his younger self: ‘“Keep an open mind and be flexible,” he says. “It will take you far.”