At 6-4 and 215 pounds, John-Austin Shepard had the perfect frame as a baseball relief pitcher. He boasted a mid-90s fastball and a slider, an ideal combination for a closer. In fact, Shepard fanned future New York Yankees star Aaron Judge twice in one game while playing in the Cape Cod League in 2012.
Shepard posted some impressive numbers, fanning more than a batter per inning. But following a stint in the independent Mount Rainier League in 2015, he decided that given the long bus rides and even longer odds of making the big leagues that face thousands of talented young players, it was time to cultivate a career outside of America’s pastime.
“I really did not know what exactly I wanted my next step to be,” Shepard noted. “But I wanted the ability to be compensated for the effort and energy I put into my job.”
Little did Shepard know that he would turn out to be an even better sales executive than he was a pitcher, which is saying a lot. In the span of a little more than five years, he has gone from eluding opposing bats to closing significant dealers and leading the sales team at Nauticon Office Solutions as its vice president of sales. And while he won’t be found on a baseball card, Shepard’s charismatic personality and leadership skills have enabled the Gaithersburg, Maryland, firm to flourish, earning him a spot among the 2021 ENX Magazine Difference Makers.
Shepard’s office dealer journey began at TML, which was a Xerox Global Imaging Solutions (now Xerox Business Solutions) firm in the greater DC area. He made quite a splash there as an account executive and was named a three-time Rookie of the Month, a two-time Rep of the Month for both MPS and production equipment. It was there that his first boss, Chad Waldrop, introduced Shepard to door knocking, phone blitzes and the art of closing.
“I can say that I learned most everything in this industry from Chad and he is still a close friend today,” Shepard noted.
Gaining Traction
Shepard moved on to Centric Business Systems as a regional sales manager, where he developed the dealer’s Baltimore Central sales team, before taking the VP reins at Nauticon. For an executive just shy of his 29th birthday, Shepard has oversight authority of a leader who has been in the sales game for decades. His maturity and fast-track development have made him a rising star, and Shepard follows the team mindset, certainly a byproduct of his favorite sport. Communication, whether on the field or in a conference room, is essential for success.
“There’s nothing more than drives me and is personally rewarding than investing in a person and watching them grow personally and professionally, and knowing that I’ve made a positive impact on others,” he said. “My approach to team building centers on communication. The more effectively your team can communicate with you, and vice versa, the faster the organization is able to move and you’ll have significantly better inter-departmental relationships.”
Shepard’s first year at the sales helm has proven to quite a challenge, but as a team, Nauticon was able to underscore a value-add process. He believes the sales unit did a yeoman’s job of learning new products, services and discovering avenues toward proliferating its message and capabilities. That helped segue into a strong start in 2021, which produced record revenue months and a path to growth paved by office equipment and managed services.
“I’m confident that we’re only just past the starting line and we’ll continue to set the bar higher for ourselves to reach new milestones,” he added.
Away from the office, Shepard enjoys spending time with his girlfriend, Katie, and his siblings. Last year, they invited the siblings—Caroline, Trey and Jacob—to Philadelphia for a little sightseeing, hiking by the Schuylkill River and rating Philly cheesesteaks.
