About
Kurt Sayce
I was born in Bethesda MD just inside the DC beltway. My father was in the Marines and I was the fourth child of six. I have three brothers and two sisters. We moved quite frequently as most military families do. I lived in New Jersey, North Carolina, Maryland, and California before I was in 7th grade. I auditioned for the ECU music school in Greenville, NC and was accepted. Through college I became drum line captain for several years and had a great time in the music department. I began to realize that I didn’t want to get a music education degree and become an impoverished band director so the second half of my Junior year I decided to change my major to business. I got a degree in Business administration with a major in accounting. I graded Magna cum lade.
The spring of my senior year Karl Ham floated me over to an interview. Little did I know that I would be selling books that summer in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. It was what seemed to be the hottest place in the country that summer! I had great success and ended up #7 rookie in the division. The next summer I was in Nashville, TN selling books. The temptation to check out any time was great, but I did not and ended up as a top experienced dealer. The last summer I sold books I was in Texas City, TX right next to Galveston. My book selling experience was paramount to giving me the confidence that I have today. It taught me how to control my emotions and stay focused in the face of adversity.
I met my wife Vickie trying to recruit her to sell books. We had a big interview set up and she and about 15 other people walked out when we told them it was going to take about and hour to complete. We had scheduled it the same time as one of the biggest fraternity parties of the year. (So sue me, I don’t keep the local fraternity parties on my schedule.) Needless to say, our paths crossed again and we got married November 20, 1982.
I joined Tom James in February of 1983 and moved to Washington, DC.
I worked with Sas Sastry out to the basement of his house for over six months and then we moved to an office in McLean. Sastry hired a bunch of guys that were not very good at selling. I was number one in new business in the company the fall of ’83. Sastry decided that he didn’t want to sell anymore he just wanted to get leadership pay. His pay was based on numbers of bodies not profitability at the time. Due to some poor leadership, I was quickly made the leader of the office. I was scared to death. I had to grow up in leadership and grow up fast.
I continued to grow and we moved our office out of McLean to Fairfax, VA. I hit president’s club in April of ’86 at the age of twenty-six. I moved to Wilmington, NC from May of 1993 until September of ’97. I thought that I was tired of Washington and I would be happier in Wilmington. I was wrong, but I am glad I got that out of my system early in my life.
I hit Division V.P. status in November of ’96 and Sr. V.P. status in June of ’98. I hit Chairman’s club and Millionaire’s club in 2005 and 2006I started working with the Northeast in 2002and, with everybody’s help, I got that area making money rather than losing it in just one year. I have had the privilege of working with DC, Baltimore, New York, Boston, Conn., Sarasota, Naples, Rochester and more have traveled the world on Tom James trips: London, Italy, Chili, Mexico, St. John, and many beautiful places in the US. This company has provided me with opportunity I could have never foreseen.
In 2010 Tom James asked me to move to Boston, which is where I am now. We are growing sales and profits and have a bright future here.
Tom James is not perfect but it cares about people and is genuinely interested in your growth and mine. I am fortunate that I work with a team that is committed and dedicated to doing right, being their best, and helping others get what they want out of life.
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