MVP Monday: Jeff Genovese

The NBA and NHL playoffs are in full swing, Baseball is starting to heat up and we’re rapidly approaching Summer; What more could you ask for? Well, you could ask for MVP Monday and we will gladly give it to you!

Welcome back to yet another installment of MVP Monday from Dave and Adam’s! As the sports world begins to take off, so does our Hit Parade Division! Our MVP this week has been working tirelessly to help bring you the most exciting Hit Parade products possible! Meet Jeff Genovese, a member of our HP Card team! As always, we sit down to talk and learn more about our MVP!

What are you looking forward to this summer?

I enjoy camping so that is probably first on my list. I also like to cook so I’m definitely looking forward to firing up the grill. Cedar plank salmon and burgers are probably my favorite thing to cook outside. I’m also looking forward to getting to some Buffalo Bison games; there is nothing like having a beer at a ball game. 

You got that right! A cold brew and some peanuts at a hot summer ball game is a heavenly experience! Also, it sounds like you need to invite me to a tailgate; Big burger guy here!

Do you have any hobbies?

I’ve been playing video games my whole life. I’m old so I started playing games on the Commodore 64 home computer back in the mid 80’s. Now mainly I play Madden and a few racing games. 

So you can definitely say that you’re an OG gamer! You might beat me in Madden, but maybe we can balance the playing field with a little Rocket League.

What is your favorite sports movie? 

My favorite sports movie would be ‘Any Given Sunday’. I just love football, and that halftime speech at the end of the movie by Al Pacino is amazing. 

“Inch by inch; Play by play”. Jeff isn’t wrong folks; This speech will power you up a mountain. Or just power you through your cardio. Either way. 

Do you have any pets? 

I have a Golden retriever and a weiner dog.

We know the people love the doggos! What a couple of cuties!

What are your favorite sports teams and why?

I am a Buffalo Bills, Sabres and Atlanta Braves fan. Being a fan of the Buffalo teams comes from being born and raised here. Growing up I was a NY Mets fan, but lost interest in Baseball somewhere along the way. My oldest brother lives outside of Atlanta and has a few kids who love the Braves, so I started rooting for them as well about 15 or so years ago. 

That’s a good trio of teams right there! We’re just glad that the Buffalo teams made the list 😉

 What’s your favorite product that we sell?

Anything Hit Parade card related. I think we offer amazing value and industry leading quality in everything we do.

You don’t win repack brand of the year awards without bringing some fire! Check out all of our Hit Parade products here! 

Do you have any collections of your own?

I have a small collection of signed MMA gloves. It started with one from my favorite fighter, Fedor Emelianenko, and grew from there. Some of the others I have include Wanderlei Silva, Rampage Jackson, Nick Diaz and Chuck Liddell. I also still have all of the cards I collected as a kid. I grew up a Mets fan and have hundreds of Darryl Strawberry cards.

That’s a very unique collection you have on your hands! I’m personally very jealous of the Ice-man autographed glove! Sick! 

Tell me about your background with DA/HP? What attracted you to work for us?

I started almost a year ago in May and mainly handle the processing of our thousands of cards into our inventory system. I also do a little bit of buying and manage our ebay buying account. When I was looking for a career change, Dave and Adam’s stood out because of their local roots, and dealing with sports cards all day piqued my interest. I was a huge card collector as a kid in the mid to late 80’s to early 90’s. My brothers and I would make my mom drag us all over in the search for cards. 

We’re glad that you’re able to work so closely with something you’re so passionate about! We hope that the nostalgia of sports cards makes your days even better!

What was your career before DA/HP?

I had a long career in the retail world before Dave and Adams. Bobbi-Lynn was actually my HR manager when I worked at Sam’s Club in Niagara Falls many years ago. I worked for over a decade at The Bon Ton at the old Summit Park Mall in Niagara Falls as the receiving manager before they went out of business. I am glad to be out of retail and part of the Dave and Adam’s team. 

We hope that the transition was an easy and fun one! We’re glad to have you on board!

Is there a particular moment or time that sticks out about your experience here?

Going to my first card show last December in Tampa was a great experience. From selling at our booth to seeing Tom and Tyler buy cards for future products was priceless. Luckily the Bills just happened to be in town as well and we were able to go to the game. Even though we lost, it was a great game and my brother that lives in Atlanta was sitting just one section over from us. 

Wow, what a weekend! 

What makes you love your job?

Being able to see and handle all the cards that go into our amazing products and being a part of a great team. Hit Parade card has grown so much just in the year that I’ve been here and I’m excited to see where we can take it in the future.

Hit Parade is nothing to sneeze at, people! Jeff and the rest of our amazing employees in the Hit Parade Division work diligently to ensure you receive the most exciting products possible! 

What has been your biggest challenge here, and what did you do to solve it on your own?

When I first started it was definitely a lack of knowledge of the industry. It had been a long time since I was a card collector so there was a lot of catching up to do. The job itself is definitely a crash course, but I also listened to sports card podcasts and did some research on my own outside of work to get myself up to speed.

That’s a great idea to get yourself back up to speed! Thank you for everything you do for us Jeff, we wouldn’t be the same without you!

Thank you for once again joining us for our MVP Monday spotlight! Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for updates on all things Dave and Adam’s!