Diversity in Tech: Behind the Business of Trucking
We’re proud to have a diversity-led business development team focused on forging new relationships with fleets across the nation and strengthening partnerships with existing fleet customers. Our account executives and national account managers play a hugely important role in this relationship management, but equally important is our administrative duo that is the glue that keeps the larger team together. Today, we’re excited to introduce you to these two important women: Ana Martinez and Liz Covarrubias. Together, Liz and Ana help our sales team and Xos reach new heights, and we’re so thankful for their contributions.
Ana (L) and Liz (R)
What is your role at Xos? Ana:I work on the sales team as the Sales Administrator. My position mainly consists of supporting the sales department and its Directors that make up the business development team. My work includes helping facilitate the Directors’ day-to-day tasks, coordinating title and vehicle registrations, and putting together merchandise giveaways for sale demos and customer deliveries. Liz: I’m the Sales Coordinator and primarily provide support to the Sales Directors and Account Executives. Like with any fast-growing company I wear many hats, and am also known as the NetSuite “gatekeeper.” A few of my responsibilities include onboarding new Account Executives and Directors, training them on the functionality of NetSuite, and providing support whenever necessary. As the NetSuite specialist within the BD team, I’m the liaison for any changes, updates, or improvements done on NetSuite. Additionally, I process sales orders, generate reports using NetSuite to support our Directors, and coordinate special events for the sales team. Overall, I help the sales team sell trucks!Tell us about your background and experience. Ana:Before Xos I was an executive assistant at a real estate development company, but mostly involved in property management. Prior to that, I worked at BMW for 11 years. I felt like that position helped prepare me for my role here at Xos. I was able to grow and move up quickly throughout my 11 years at BMW, and it taught me how to wear several different hats without feeling overwhelmed. Liz:The diversity in my background has always been in the administrative space. Most recently, before starting at Xos, I was an executive assistant and real estate agent for a brokerage in Calabasas. I worked in real estate for 5 years before I decided to change gears (#punintended). I began working at Xos in June of 2021 as an Executive Assistant and Sales Coordinator for Jose, VP of Business Development, and the rest is history!
Liz at her engagement in April of 2019
What excites you most about the progression of women in the workplace?Ana:Seeing so many women in director roles here at Xos excites me the most. To know that I work for a company that is intentional about equal opportunity and diversity is encouraging. My mom raised me to be a very strong and independent woman, and I love that when I come to work I see that same drive in every woman. The women here make a collaborative effort to build each other up and progress as women in tech. Personally, I see my niece listening to everything my daughter says and does, so I’m always intentional about the things I’m teaching my daughter. I’m raising future generations of women in the working world!Liz: There has been a lot of progress for women in the workplace over the years, but there is still a lot of room to grow. I’ve seen Xos grow a lot in my one year since joining. When I first started, I was one of the only women on our small sales team, and now, fast forward almost a year later, we've added several women to our team. Representation beyond male and female is also important to me. As a Latina woman, having Esther M. Santos as our Director of North American Sales inspires me and she also advocates for more diversity!Do you have advice for young women starting careers in tech?Ana: There isn’t enough representation in the tech industry, so to come to work and see so many women working here is great. My advice would be to not let your fears get in the way of your success or get in the way of trying new things. Be undeniable in everything you do so no one can question your ability. Liz: My advice would be to not be afraid to jump right in, speak your mind, and offer all of the great ideas that you have in your head. This is the future; don’t be afraid to speak up! Be someone people want to be around—that’s how you can impact the bigger picture. It’s important to continue paving a path for women to enter not only the tech world, but the working world.
Liz (L) and Ana (R)
What excites you most about the future of Xos? Ana: We’re on the brink of changing the world of transportation. It’s only a matter of time before we see Xos battery-electric trucks everywhere. And, we’re continuing to expand our technology beyond just trucks. It’s a very exciting time to join the company because of all the growth of the company and the industry overall. Liz: The pace and the growth excites me most about the future of Xos. I’ve seen so much growth in just under a year that I can’t imagine what we’ll look like in the next three to five years. It’s as if we’re part of the blueprint! Building and establishing relationships also excites me about the future. I’ve been able to form so many strong relationships here, and I’m excited to continue doing so. Where can we find you when you’re not at work? What does a typical Saturday look like for you? Ana: I spend most weekends with my 3 year old niece (who wakes me up almost every day) and my daughter, Savannah. I love going on walks with my dog, and getting a good workout in! Covid has brought me a lot closer to my family, so instead of making plans with friends on the weekend, I choose to spend most of that time with my family. Liz:I’m a creative at heart, so I typically spend my weekends photographing portraits, events, or spending time with my friends and family in Orange County. These days, I spend most of my weekends with my dog and planning my wedding. I’m getting married in November!
Ana (L) with her daughter Savannah (B) and niece Ximena (R)
We are so grateful for Liz and Ana and all they do for Xos, our customers, and our employees. Stay tuned to learn more about more team members in our next employee highlight!
