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Cast of Characters | Trevor
Behind every Smithey skillet and pan is a team of people dedicated to the highest standards of quality, craftsmanship, and service. (They’re also really fun and interesting and make frequent cameos in our Instagram feed.) In this new series, we’ll introduce you to them one by one. Up first: Trevor Funderburk, our Community Marketing Manager.
Hi Trevor! Give us some background. How long have you been with Smithey now?
This November 18th will make it two years on the dot.
And what brought you here?
I was one of the original customers! A few years ago, I ran across the Number 10 skillet while shopping for a holiday gift for my mom and loved it. And I knew she’d love it, too—which is huge because she’s notoriously hard to shop for. At the time, I was living in New York City, working in Financial Services, but I was ready for a change and moved back South not long after. One day, as I was heading to Charleston for a day trip with my mom, I happened to see a job opening at Smithey. I immediately sent a message to Isaac, met him not long after, and two years later here we are. It was meant to be.
What was the first thing you ever cooked in a Smithey?
Pancakes. It’s both a family tradition around the holidays and something I cook on regular rotation throughout the year.
Tell us what you do. What's your typical day?
I get here around 7:45 or 8 AM and catch up on customer support emails and voicemails. Around 9 AM, the phone starts ringing and I’m basically on call all day, returning messages from customers, answering inquiries, reviewing the website, greeting people who come for a visit…whatever needs to be done, really. No two days are the same, and I wear a lot of hats. But chances are, if you’ve called Smithey at any point over the past two years, you’ve talked to me.
That’s a lot of talk time!
It is, but that’s part of the Smithey experience. You’re not just buying a product; you’re joining a community. The other day I spent an hour and a half on the phone literally walking a customer through the seasoning process step by step. People call to share stories and feedback, swap recipes and cooking tips, you name it. That person to person interaction is key and we love it.
Most memorable experience on the job so far?
Well, it’s actually happening right now. We had a customer whose house burned down, and she was only able to save a few things, one of which was her No. 8 skillet. She reached out to us to see if we could restore it and we’re in the process of doing that right now. Being able to do something like that for someone is just hard to put into words.
