In HögforsGST’s Career Stories article series, we get to know the company’s staff and their roles. In this part, area sales manager Roope Halonen shares his career story, having been with HögforsGST for 13 years.
Launching a career from vocational studies
Vocational school or upper secondary school – that’s a dilemma for many young Finns in their teens. But not for Roope Halonen, whose own interests led him straight to vocational studies. After comprehensive school, Roope completed a qualification as a sheet metal welder in the neighbouring town of Varkaus. The field felt right, and something he could see himself enjoying for a long time.
Roope’s career began early during his studies, and he has worked at HögforsGST for almost his entire career. In addition to HögforsGST, Roope has worked in HVAC and geothermal companies.
Father and son at the same company
Roope’s father was a major reason he initially ended up at HögforsGST: he was – and still is – working in HögforsGST’s production. Through his father, Roope got his first odd jobs, such as cleaning HögforsGST’s archives during his first internships in comprehensive school.
With his sheet metal welder qualification, Roope’s journey continued with other internships and, over the years, several summer jobs in HögforsGST’s production. His first tasks involved assembling UNIS substations and assisting assembly workers in the production of GST substations.
A permanent job offer came in July 2013, and Roope joined HögforsGST full-time. His responsibilities grew as an assembly worker for GST substations and larger heating systems.
However, completely new tasks were already on the horizon just a few years away, and Roope’s career at HögforsGST was about to change entirely.
From production to Area Sales Manager
The year 2017 brought significant changes when Roope swapped the lake scenery of North Savonia for the bustle of Pirkanmaa. At the same time, his work tasks took a complete turn: Roope started his new career as a technical sales representative for HögforsGST in Tampere.
Today, Roope works as an area sales manager in Southwest Finland alongside Kimmo Hieta. An open-minded attitude combined with several years of production experience enabled a successful transition to the sales team. There is no direct education for heating system sales; the best experts are made through practical work.
Production supervisors describe Roope as a colleague who is flexible and understands the everyday life of production. Roope’s deep product knowledge, production experience, and flexible yet prompt attitude help serve the customers in the best possible way.
Responsibility and evolving tasks as motivators
Roope has enjoyed working at HögforsGST very much – undoubtedly influenced by the fact that his tasks and responsibilities have changed significantly over 13 years. The opportunity to take on more responsibility and grow in his role in line with his abilities is important to Roope.
Nowadays, Roope’s daily work as an area sales manager varies a lot. Typically, it includes extensive discussions with customers and designers, as well as the calculation of offers.
“I would definitely recommend applying to work at HögforsGST to others. I really like working here.” Roope concludes.
