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Jose Esquivel buys stuff. Lots and lots of stuff.
He’s not a packrat, a collector, or a shopaholic—he’s the senior director of procurement at one of North America’s largest paint manufacturers, Behr Corporation. But Behr actually sells more than just paint. Esquivel is also tasked with sourcing the raw materials for the primers, stains, and finishes trusted by industry professionals, do-it-yourselfers, and everyone in between.
Most companies in many industries employ a director of procurement, but Esquivel says his role at Behr is unusual because it is so strategic. He finds and buys all the chemicals, resins, minerals, and colorants that make all Behr’s products. In fact, he says the cost of goods sold is the second largest line of most paint companies’ total profit and loss statement.
“My team is heavily involved in product development, and we have the opportunity to have a big and direct impact,” Esquivel says.
The company started with Otho Behr Jr., who sold linseed oil products out of his car in 1947. When customers requested a formula that would do well on redwood, he asked his father, a chemist, to create a new product. That product, a stain, was so successful that the Behr family moved their operation to an 800-square-foot Quonset hut in Southern California. By 1986, the renowned stain and varnish company moved into paint.
“My team is heavily involved in product development, and we have the opportunity to have a big and direct impact.”
Jose Esquivel
Today, Behr is based in Santa Ana, where it makes Behr, Kilz, Whizz, and E&J products. One popular Behr program known as ColorSmart gives customers the ability to coordinate custom paint colors with up to 4,000 options.
Dedicated employees like Esquivel have tapped into the founder’s entrepreneurial spirit to keep Behr at the cutting edge of a crowded and competitive industry. “This company is based on innovation, and the commitment to finding new and creative ways to solve problems is alive and well here,” the senior director touts.
Behr is one of four major national players in the world of architectural coatings, and there’s not much that differentiates the top paint company from numbers two, three, and four. Behr is in a highly competitive industry. That’s why Behr rises and falls with Esquivel and his team. “Behr makes really good products, and my team has to be really good at finding and understanding everything that goes into those materials,” Esquivel says.
Thus, Esquivel views his team as the company’s internal investment firm. He works with a small group of financial analysts, buyers, and managers who partner with dozens of vendors and source hundreds of raw materials. “We take Behr’s money and determine which suppliers to put that money into,” Esquivel says. “We then reinvest profits into research and development so we can find and create new materials and formulas that will allow us to win.”
The procurement director has never been the type to settle within a narrow job description. Instead, he’s stepped outside of procurement to collaborate with Behr’s sales team in a unique way. When it’s time to negotiate prices, he assists with preparing his team on costs and trends, so they have the tools they need to reach the most favorable agreement possible.
Esquivel was born in Southern California but moved back to his parents’ native Costa Rica at an early age. He returned to California at age five, grew up in the South Bay, and studied chemical engineering at the University of Southern California. A job with the Dow Chemical Company took him to Louisiana, where he wrote code and developed strategies for running operations over his seven-year tenure. He’s also worked for Procter & Gamble, Basic Chemical Solutions, and Univar.
“He reminded me that you do business with people. There are two companies involved, but two people need to shake hands on a deal and then execute it.”
Jose Esquivel
Along the way, Esquivel earned a master of science degree in industrial and systems engineering, additionally completing a master of business administration program at the USC Marshall School of Business. He also got married and became a father.
By 2015, Esquivel was living in California but spending half of his time in Chicago. That meant traveling two or three weeks each month. He was in a cold Chicago hotel room when he received a phone call at 5:00 a.m. His pregnant wife wasn’t feeling well. With Esquivel gone, his wife’s uncle took her to the hospital where she ran into complications. When he returned home, he promised his wife he would stop traveling. A new position with Behr helped him keep that vow.
Another part of what’s kept Esquivel at Behr for the last decade is the opportunity to learn new things while making an impact on the organization. About four years ago, the company’s leaders decided to expand into new categories and chose Esquivel to source caulks and sealants. He spent two years researching the market and learning consumer demands before looking for materials and products that would “delight the consumer and be worthy of the Behr name,” he says. The new product line has been well received and has since seen annual double-digit growth.
One thing most people don’t realize about Esquivel’s job is its intense focus on building relationships. “We spend a ton of time visiting suppliers and getting to know the people that we make deals with,” Esquivel says.
In a world where every little thing matters, he who has the best relationships wins, something the director learned from Behr alum Cyriac Alexander, who left a lasting impact on Esquivel. “He reminded me that you do business with people. There are two companies involved, but two people need to shake hands on a deal and then execute it,” he says.
While results prove that Esquivel is both a good leader and a great procurement professional, he’s too humble to say the same. “I just come to work every day to do my job. I help people on my team, and when I say I’m going to do something, I do it,” Esquivel says.
He learned those values from watching his parents at work. Family, after all, has always been a top priority. No matter how busy things get at Behr, Esquivel makes sure to reserve plenty of time to spend with his wife and kids. When he’s not searching for new vendors and materials from his Santa Ana office, you can find him on the sidelines coaching his sons in baseball and soccer. And, of course, you can always find him buying stuff. Lots and lots of stuff.
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