Cory Webb – Ohio-based Showplace Inc.’s Store Manager of the Year – cares. And while it may be that he’s just a naturally caring person, he also has some genuine insight into what it feels like to be cared for – and he works to pay that good feeling forward.
“The whole reason I got into rent-to-own was because my mom rented when I was growing up,” Webb remembers. “We needed a stove to cook our meals, and the place I was working at made sure we ate that night. So that’s why I enjoy my work – I love helping people get what they need to take care of their families, to help them feed their families or make sure everyone has a comfortable spot to sleep at night.”
Webb originally began his career in RTO a decade ago with a different company, brought into the business by a cousin who was working there. In 2017, he followed a colleague over to Showplace, where he started as a sales representative in the company’s Ashland location. Showplace proved to be a fine fit for Webb, who quickly moved into accounts and onto assistant manager before being named Interim Manager of Showplace’s Mansfield store in August 2019, and as General Manager in November of the same year.
“Cory is a great leader, mentor, and motivator,” effuses Showplace District Manager Mark Snoddy. “He truly understands the word ‘team’, is very hands-on, and is a terrific trainer. Cory works, lives, and breathes the saying, ‘Teamwork makes the dream work’ and supports his staff 100 percent. Everyone loves working with Cory!”
“I try to serve as a helping hand for my coworkers,” Webb explains. “I strive to make sure that whatever they need, they have – whether that’s a listening ear or a sales tool. I’m always here for my team.”
In addition to his caring approach to his team members, Webb is also – according to Snoddy – “FEARLESS” and “a YES man” who has grown the Mansfield location both consistently and impressively.
“No matter what the goal is, I never feel it’s too far out to achieve,” notes Webb. “It’s YES, we will get there, and we won’t stop until we do. It’s the same with customers — it’s YES, I will take care of this customer, and if there’s an issue, I won’t sleep until it’s resolved. I take the next steps necessary for our customers to know they’re my number-one priority. So I don’t know about ‘fearless,’ but I do have a go-get-em attitude.”
Renowned for knowing all of his customers on a first-name basis, Webb is also well-known as a devoted family man. He and his wife, Shandi (who is an account manager at Showplace’s Ashland store), have been together for 17 years, and share two teenagers and a new house they’re busily making into a home. Cory also enjoys golfing, bowling, shooting pool, and occasionally indulging his kids in playing video games.
But what builds Webb up workwise are his people – coworkers and customers alike. He says the key to connecting is surprisingly simple: Listen.
“Listen to people,” he urges. “That’s how you get coworkers primed to provide the best service possible, and how you give that superior service to customers, so they always feel well taken care of. Our customers don’t only depend on us; I rely on them, too. We share a bond that isn’t like a typical business-transaction bond – it’s real friendship.”
